Army Chief Appoints Principal Officers, Field Commanders

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Maj. Gen. Faruk Yahaya, yesterday approved the appointment of Principal Staff Officers (PSOs), field commanders and other key staff expected to provide the much needed vigour in his command of the Nigerian Army (NA).

A statement issued by Army Spokesman, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, said the posting was released by the office of the military secretary were designed to rejig the army leadership for efficiency in command and administration.

Details of the deployments showed that the army chief approved the appointment of the Commandant Nigerian Army Armoured School, Maj. Gen. BO Sawyer as the new Director Defence Information while the Chief of Operations Army, Maj. Gen. IM Yusuf becomes the Commandant Nigerian Defence Academy.

The statement said Maj. Gen.TA Gagariga will move from Army Headquarters Department of Policy and Plans to Nigerian Army Artillery Corps as Corps Commander Artillery and Maj Gen VO Ezugwu of Training and Doctrine Command becomes the Commander Infantry Corps. Maj Gen MA Yekini is the new Chief of Defence Training and Operations, Maj Gen MS Yusuf will take over as Chief of Defence Standard and Evaluation, while the Chief of Civil – Military Affairs, Maj Gen AB Omozoje will take over as the Chief of Policy and Plans at the Army Headquarters.

Equally, Maj Gen SO Olabanji becomes the Commander Training and Doctrine Command, Maj Gen OA Akintade is the new Chief of Army Logistics, Maj Gen OT Akinjobi takes over as Chief of Operations (Army), Maj Gen JA Ataguba becomes the Chief of Army Standard and Evaluation while Maj Gens KI Mukhtar and C Ofoche are the new Chief of Administration and Chief of Transformation and Innovation respectively.

The Army Headquarters statement said Maj Gen AB Ibrahim is appointed as Chief of Training (Army).
Among the new field commanders are Maj Gen AK Ibrahim who takes over as the Force Commander, Multi National Joint Task Force, N’Djamena and Maj Gen IS Ali who becomes the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and will double as the Commander Special Task Force Operation Safe Haven.
The army chief also approved the appointment of commanders, commandants of Nigerian Army institutions, directors and other key appointments at both defence and army headquarters levels.
The army statement said the appointments take immediate effect.