COAS Charges Troops to Uphold Professionalism as Army Expands New Formations

.Troops arrest 4 Lakurawa terrorists, recover livestock in Sokoto

Linus Aleke in Abuja

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has charged soldiers graduating from Exercise RESTORE HOPE X to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, discipline and operational excellence as they prepare to serve in the Nigerian Army’s newly established divisions, formations and units.

This was as the troops of 8 Division Garrison of the Nigerian Army have apprehended four suspected Lakurawa terrorists while selling six cows at the Darussa Village market in Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Advanced Infantry Training Programme at the Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATC), Kachia, Kaduna State, the COAS described the exercise as the flagship of the Army’s post-basic infantry training framework, designed to sharpen combat proficiency, strengthen the warrior ethos and prepare soldiers for the realities of contemporary military operations.

According to a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, Shaibu said the graduation coincided with the Army’s ongoing force expansion and capability enhancement following President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s approval for the restructuring of the Service. He noted that many of the graduands would form the nucleus of the newly established divisions, formations and units.

The Army Chief urged the soldiers to justify the investment in their training by demonstrating professionalism, sound judgement and unwavering commitment to mission accomplishment. 

He also called on them to remain physically fit, mentally agile and technologically proficient while upholding the rule of law, protecting human rights and strictly observing the rules of engagement.

Earlier, the Chief of Training (Army), Major General Valentine Okoro, described Exercise RESTORE HOPE X as a critical component of the Nigerian Army’s training architecture, saying it had consistently produced combat-ready soldiers through realistic operational scenarios, leadership development and counter-insurgency training while strengthening institutional capacity across Army training establishments.

 Meanwhile, a security source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that the four Lakurawa terrorists suspects were engaged in trading livestock suspected to have been rustled.

The source, who pleaded anonymity, identified the suspects as Usman Bammo, 45, Ali Usman, 23, Abubakar Garba, 30, and Muhammadu Dage, 25.

The source added that other items recovered from the suspects included two Tecno mobile phones and the sum of N165,000.00 in cash.

According to the source, the success was recorded following credible intelligence as part of efforts to safeguard the lives and property of the people against all forms of criminality.

The source commended community members for prompt information sharing and urged them to continue supporting security agencies, stressing that the fight against banditry, terrorism and other crimes should be viewed as a collective responsibility of all citizens.