Army Chief Breaks Silence On Zamfara Base Attack

The Chief Army of Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Farouk Yahaya has warned commanders leading war against terrorism over excuses of failure.

He made the warning at the opening ceremony of the combined second and third quarters Chief of Army Staff conference in Abuja.

He stated that the army remain focused under his watch to bring an end to the security challenges in the country.

Yahya broke the silence hours after a military base was attacked in Zamfara.

The attack that took lives of troops was carried out by fleeing bandits in the State.

He stated that, “Commanders must seize initiative and commanders must take initiative; they must take decisive actions to defeat the threats in their respective area of responsibilities.

“I will not again take or accept no excuses. Gentlemen, failure is failure irrespective of the circumstances!

“I want to state that the Nigerian Army under my watch will remain resolute and continue to chart progressive paths towards tackling the security challenges confronting the Country."

He further charged troops to maintain the heat in fighting terrorists and other alements in various operational theatres.

He explained that, “I have directed that serious attention be given to sustaining and improving the tempo in all ongoing Nigerian Army operations across the country.

“I have also directed the conduct of special operations especially in the North-central and North-west regions to address the deteriorating security infractions in the regions.

“Commanders must therefore glean from my command philosophy to ensure that operational and administrative proficiencies of Nigerian Army units and formations are sustained and improved upon.”

While noting the need for logistics to give troops more morale, he stated that, “I am aware of logistics constraints affecting operations across the country and I am glad to inform you that efforts are in progress to provide us with combat enablers that would enhance and boost our operation.”

He further said, “Concerted efforts are also being made to eliminate the threat of improvised explosive devices which has been a major impediment to troops and our operations.

“In Operation HADIN KAI. I want to assure you that I am determined to rebuild the fighting skills, capacity, confidence, and morale of our troops across the various theatres of operations.

“Training must also be given due attention that it deserves. In order to achieve this, priorities for the fourth quarter of the year would include training and more training.

“I will ensure that through functional training, officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army are equipped with the right attitude, competences and skills to effectively undertake daring missions in addition to developing special operations forces.

“This would be closely followed by procurement that ensures appropriate kitting and provision of protective gear, weapons, equipment and platforms."