The Nigerian Army said its soldiers fighting the counter-terrorism war in the North-East have foiled an attempt by Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists to attack Dikwa village in Borno State.
Acting director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Mohammed Yerima, said the terrorists, who stormed the town in their large numbers with gun trucks and motorcycles were prevented from taking over the town with heavy firing by troops of 81 Task Force Battalion with reinforcement from other formations of the Nigerian Army and supported by the Air Task Force Operation Lafiya Dole.
Yerima, in a statement said: “The troops of Operation Lafiya Dole have decisively routed elements of Boko Haram terrorists and their Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) counterpart who attempted to infiltrate and attack Dikwa town in Dikwa Local Government Area of Borno State.
“The terrorist groups who stormed the town in an unconfirmed number of gun trucks and motorcycles were visited with heavy bombardment and overwhelming firepower by troops of 81 Task Force Battalion with reinforcement from other formations of the Nigerian Army and aided by air support of Air Task Force Operation Lafiya Dole.
“The terrorists attempted to invade the town to loot food items and other logistics having got wind of the recent food distribution to residents of the town by the state governor, Professor Babagana Zulum.
“They came in their droves through the Marte axis but could not gain access to the town due to the combat-readiness of troops who were positioned there.
“The terrorists subsequently lost initiative as they were cut off completely following the recent successful recapture of Marte town by the gallant troops.
“In desperation and to scare off residents from returning to their homes, they planted series of landmines on the roads, which were also detected and successfully detonated by troops.
“Consequently, the Army Headquarters wishes to debunk the unsubstantiated reports on social media suggesting that the terrorists attacked UN base in Borno, trapping 25 aid workers, as published by some outlets.
“Those false and sensational reports are clearly aimed at stirring up tension in the region and diminishing the glaring efforts and sacrifices of the Nigerian military in the fight against insurgency.
“The COAS, Major General Ibrahim Attahiru, has commended the efforts of the gallant troops and the prompt response of the Air Task Force in providing air interdictions throughout the operation.”
Army appoints new PM, DMI
A new Provost Marshal (PM) has been appointed for the Nigerian Army. He is Major-General Olayinka.
He takes over from Major-General Ahmed, who has been redeployed. Also appointed is a new Director Military Intelligence (DMI), Brigadier-General Kulia.
He takes over from Major-General Samuel Adebayo, who is now the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI).
COAS conference holds March 18-21
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) quarterly training conference would hold from March 18 to 21, 2021, in Abuja.
The conference, which will take place at the Command Officers’ Mess, Asokoro, will be attended by all the principal staff officers (PSOs), general officers commanding (GOCs), corps commanders, field commanders, and commandants of army training schools, among other top officers.
The conference, which is the first to be held by Major-General Ibrahim Attahiru, will, among others, would deliberate on the problems and successes of army operations and brainstorm on the way forward.
New commander for Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, assumes office
A new vommander has been appointed for Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole (OPLD), Damaturu, Yobe State. He is Brigadier-General Adamu. He takes over from Major-General Olufemi Oluyede, who has been redeployed to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre as a Senior Research Fellow.
During a handover ceremony at the sector’s headquarters, the new commander charged officers and soldiers to maintain the war mood in line with the Chief of Army Staff’s vision to have “a Nigerian Army that is repositioned to professionally defeat all adversaries in a joint environment.”
He equally expressed his readiness to key into COAS Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru’s command philosophy, which is to provide effective strategic and operational leadership to all NA formations, departments, institutions and establishments as well as other specialized units in both single service, joint and inter agency operating environments.
Gen. Nura, while addressing the troops, noted that the the threats confronting operations were constantly changing, unstructured and could be felt in the land, air and cyber domain, and stressed the need for repositioning to contribute land component competencies both as a single service, Joint, Inter-Agency as well as Multi National Force to confront all national and international threats.
FRSC sector commander visits GOC, 3 Division, solicits support
The sector commander, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Plateau State Command, Alphonsus Godwin, has solicited the support of officers and soldiers of 3 Division, Nigerian Army, in the discharge of its duties and ensuring safety on Nigerian roads.
The commander, who made the appeal when he visited the acting General Officer Commanding (GOC), Brigadier-General Danmadami, at the division’s headquarters in Jos, commended the GOC for the support and cooperation the sector had enjoyed over the years and expressed the commission’s readiness to contribute to peace and security in Plateau State.
Welcoming the commander and his entourage, the GOC described the visit as timely and pledged the division’s readiness to sustain its collaboration with the FRSC in line with the vision of the Chief Of Army Staff, which has collaboration with other security agencies as one of its key components.
He said the division would identify new areas of partnership with the FRSC and come up with modalities for implementation, especially in the area of training of personnel in driving and issuance of driver’s licence.
