The Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Tukur Yusufu Buratai, has approved the appointment of Maj Gen AM Dikko as the new Theatre Commander of Operation LAFIYA DOLE replacing Rogers Nicholas.
A statement by the Director Army Public Relations, Texas Chukwu, said the appointment and other re-deployments will take effect from 1 August 2018.
The statement read in part: “The Nigerian Army has announced a major redeployment of senior officers in Command, Staff and other appointments.
“The posting affected Principal Staff Officers both at the Defence and Army Headquarters as well as General Officers Commanding (GOCs).
“The Theatre Commander Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force are also affected by the posting.
“The posting which also re-organized Operation LAFIYA DOLE was aimed at injecting new hands to further actualize the vision of the Chief of Army Staff COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai.
“Those affected in the redeployment include Maj Gen AM Dikko who will take over as Theatre Commander of Operation LAFIYA DOLE, Brig Gen AO Abdullahi as Acting Commander Sector 2, Operation LAFIYA DOLE and Brig Gen UU Bassey as Acting Commander Sector 3, Operation LAFIYA DOLE.
“Others are, Maj Gen CO Ude posted as Force Commander Multinational Joint Task Force Ndjamena, Maj Gen J Sarham as General Officer Commanding 6 Division, Maj Gen EB Kabuk General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Maj Gen MS Yusuf General Officer Commanding 81 Division and Maj Gen BA Akinroluyo as General Officer Commanding 3 Division.
“Among the Principal Staff Officers affected are Maj Gen LEO Irabor posted as Chief of Defence Training and Operations in the Defence Headquarters while Maj Gen LO Adeosun takes over as Chief of Training and Operations at the Army Headquarters.
“Others are Maj Gen HO Otiki, as Commander Infantry Corps and Maj Gen CU Agulanna as Chief of Accounts and Budget Nigerian Army. Maj Gen JE Jakko is posted to Defence Headquarters as Chief of Defence Finance and Budget, Maj Gen AB Abubakar, Maj Gen A Mohammed and Maj Gen LKJ Ogunewe, among others will be proceeding to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre on Course.”
Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Nigeria has named its fourth commander in 14 months to lead the fight against the Islamist Boko Haram insurgency in the northeast, an army spokesman said on Friday.
Mr Buhari, who campaigned in 2015 on a promise to end the insurgency and deliver security, is now seeking re-election in February 2019.
But the war, entering its 10th year, and the humanitarian crisis it spawned show little sign of ending.
The government has been saying since December 2015 that Boko Haram has been “technically defeated”. Yet attacks continue in the northeast while another group, an ally of the Islamic State militant group that split from Boko Haram in 2016, holds territory around Lake Chad.
