Photos: New Commanders for Operation Lafiya Dole And Army 7 Division Take Over

Press statement from the Nigerian Army...

The outgoing Theatre Commander of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Major General Yushau Abubakar has described officers and men of the theatre as heroes, as many of them have put their lives on the line in defence of the nation. General Abubakar who is now Chief of Training and Operation of the Nigerian Army, stated this during handing over the Command to the new Theatre Commander, Major General Hassan Umaru, who until his appointment was the General Officer Commanding 3 Division.

“I am very delighted today, as I am leaving the leadership of the Operation Lafiya dole a happy man because we have successfully done what is best to the military and the country at large, as we have degraded the capacity of the terrorists and Nigerians should appreciate hard work performed by the military and I am leaving the scene to a person who is already in the theater of war and is familiar with the terrain in the area of the operation. General Abubakar while addressing officers at the handing over ceremony further stated that, "I consider all of you as my heroes, as all of you have contributed to the feat we achieved in the war against insurgency within the theatre. My redeployment to the Army headquarters is an indication of the confidence the military high command have in us and I urge you to extend the gesture to my successor.” Major General Umaru had earlier handed the command of 3 Division to Brigadier General MSA Aliyu, who until his appointment, was the Commander of 21 Brigade. In a related development, while handing over, the outgone General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Lamidi Adeosun urged officers and men of the Division to cooperate with his successor, Brigadier General Victor Ezugwu, who he described as a fine infantry officer that will continue the good work until the terrorists are completely wiped out. Major General Lamidi Adeosun is going to Multinational Joint TaskForce (MNJTF) with headquarters in Chad, while Brigadier General Ezugwu was the Commander 28 Task Force Brigade.