By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, on Monday said, the Nigerian Army (NA), under his leadership, will not allow the separatist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), its militant arm, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), and other subversive elements to threaten the territorial integrity of Nigeria.
This is even as he commissioned the Faruk Yahaya Historical Park, at Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja.
He also said that despite the sense of insecurity created by IPOB in the southeast to disrupt the 2023 election, the clinical operations by the Nigerian military code-named operation Safe Conduct ensured that elections were held seamlessly in the zone, thereby puncturing the false impression created by the criminal elements before the polls.
Lt. Gen. Yahaya said this while declaring open the Chief of Army Staff First Quarter Conference 2023, held at Command Mess 1, Asokoro, Abuja.
The COAS said that the superior firepower of the Nigerian military in the northeast had also led to massive surrounding of the rag-tag terrorist fighters and their families across the northeast theatre of operations.
He further assured that the Nigerian Army is determined to successfully eliminate the pockets of remaining insurgents to bring to close, terrorist activities in Nigeria.
According to him, “What we have just witnessed is the opening of the 2023 first quarter, chief of army staff conference. It is routine in the military to review operational activities. It provides the platform, every three months, for a review of the conduct of operations and activities, across all formations of the Nigerian Army and that is the essence of this quarterly conference. It is often capped up with an annual conference at the end of the year. We just concluded the operations safe conduct which was an operation initiated to provide aid to civil authority in support of the just concluded 2023 general elections.
“Usually after such major operations, we sit down to appraise and see how we can best improve our activities and that is why all the field commanders, General Officers Commanding, and Commandant of Army institutions are here so that we can review our activities in combating terrorism and see how to propose new strategy and novel methods and ways looking forward in the other part of the year and that is the essence”.
Speaking on the uniqueness of the ongoing Chief of Army Staff First Quarter Conference, the COAS said: “We have also introduced research and exhibition because research and development is key in what we do. Everything we do today is driven by technology. If we wait, nobody will give it to us, we have to develop or steal it, for us to provide for our need”.
He said the Nigerian Army even gave prices to encourage indigenous technology.
This he said is in tandem with Mr President’s order on local content.
“On our own, the Army have research institutions and we are also collaborating with others to achieve these objectives,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Military Secretary (Army), Major General JH Abdulssalam said the commissioned Faruk Yahaya Historical Park is built to preserve the memory of serving and retired officers, as well as those who paid the supreme price.
