Surmounting North West Insecurity: Army will Henceforth Conduct Periodic Review of Operations – COAS

Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Taoreed Lagbaja has said that the Nigerian Army will henceforth embark on periodic review of its operations in the North West area of the country with a view to surmounting insecurity in the zone

Speaking at the opening of a three day Retreat for Commanders of Nigerian Army Operations in the North West, the COAS who was represented by the Chief of Operations, Major Gen ER Sinjen said the retreat is aimed at building on the operational successes recorded so far.

His words, “Surmounting insecurity in the North West region of the country needs periodic review of the situation, which in turn will give us the opportunity to truly understand the generality and specifics for seamless planning and executing of operations.

“The current security challenges the nation is facing are volatile, complex and fluid, and vary from one zone to another. In the North West, the security situation is made complex by activities of non-state actors who engage in banditry, kidnappings, cattle rustling, illegal mining and violent attacks on innocent citizens, leading to destruction of lives, properties and means of livelihoods.

“Activities of these non-state actors have continued to impact the security environment, not only in the North West zone, but by extension the entire country, despite the unrelenting efforts to curb the trend by the Nigerian Army, sister Services and other security and government departments and agencies.

“The threats which are always fluid and evolving, thus requires us to quickly adapt, for us to be at least a step ahead of the adversary”.

“This operational retreat, as is the norm in the military, is to review all activities in the North West so as to build on the operational successes recorded so far and achieve the desired objectives.

“This retreat has provided a unique opportunity for us to review the situation in the North West by brainstorming for the next 3 days to arrive at potent solutions.

“This retreat will provide an opportunity for operational and tactical level commanders to step away from their normal routines in the field and theatres of operations and review their past and present performances with a view to reinvigorating future operations.

“In other words, the retreat will allow time for introspection, which will not only stimulate new perspectives and creative thinking, but also facilitate problem solving.

The presence of past and present commanders who have served in the North West at this retreat is to cross fertilise ideas as each one of you is an embodiment of knowledge about the theme and area of focus

4. Since my appointment as COAS, I have always made sure that adopting the best solutions to the security challenges confronting our dear nation remains paramount. Consequently, during the COAS’ First Quarter Conf 2024, the idea of holding a retreat for past and present commanders in the North West was mooted. F

He decribed the theme of the retreat, “Reappraising the Nigerian Army’s Approach to Tackling Insecurity in the North West”, as quite apt, adding that it should serve as a forum for robust deliberations which must involve analysing lessons learnt and developing implementable recommendations that would effectively influence Nigerian Army operations and foster collaborations with sister Services, other security agencies and various stakeholders.

“The retreat will also give impetus to operational efficiency in the pursuit of the pillars of Nigerian Army Mission Statement which is “To win all land battles in defence of the territorial integrity of Nigeria, protect Her national interest and expected to articulate and chronicle the lessons that will be drawn from this retreat into a compendium to serve as reference material for training and capacity development for troops and future commanders at all levels.

Furthermore, he assured, “This retreat will definitely not be a one-off event. The appropriate departments will be mandated to ensure it holds regularly for proper appraisal of the security situations for the attainment of operational success. Such retreat has been conducted for the North East and similar ones will be conducted for other theaters.

He appreciated President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unprecedented support to the Nigerian Army and sister services. He has made a very clear statement that securing Nigerians is his top priority with the right team to achieve this strategic objective within the shortest time possible.

In his welcome remarks, the Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Major Gen Garba Wahab (rtd) stated that the military cannot single handedly solve the myriads of security challenges confronting the country but it can provide the enabling environment.