Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya: Blending Kinetic, Non-Kinetic Approach in Tackling Insurgency in Internal Security Operations 

Until his appointment as the 22nd Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya was the Theatre Commander Operation HADIN KAI, responsible for Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency operations in North East Nigeria. A member of the 37 Regular Course of the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy, he was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on September 22, 1990. On taking up the mantle of leadership on May 27, 2021, he pledged to protect the nation’s territorial integrity, her national interests and accomplish assigned tasks in aid of civil authority among other responsibilities. CHIEMELIE EZEOBI reports that one year down the line, depsite daunting challenges in and out of the battlefield, he is bent on using a blend of kinetic and non-kinetic efforts in tackling the numerous insecurity across board 

Until his appointment as the 22nd Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya was the Theatre Commander Operation HADIN KAI, responsible for Counter Terrorism and Counter Insurgency operations in North East Nigeria. On May 27, 2021, he was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the elite crop of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army. 

Vision

On his vision for the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant General Yahaya said it will channeled towards defeating all security challenges presently confronting the Nigerian Nation in collaboration with sister services and other security agencies.

Succinctly put, his vision is having “A professional Nigerian Army ready to accomplish assigned missions within a joint environment in defence of Nigeria”.

Mission

On his mission, the COAS said he will command the NA to win all land battles in defence of the territorial integrity of Nigeria, protect her national interests and accomplish assigned tasks in aid of civil authority among other responsibilities.

Pledge

For the COAS, under his command, the “Nigerian Army will discharge its duties with diligence, commitment and loyalty to the President Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari.”

Command Philosophy 

For the General, whose triad stance on professionalism, discipline and regimentation are unshakeable, his  command philosophy is premised on Professionalism, Readiness, Administration and Cooperation (PRAC).

About the COAS

Born on January 5, 1966 in Sifawa, Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State, the COAS is a product of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) and University of Salford, Manchester. 

At the NDA, he was commenced officer cadet training on September 27, 1985 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Corp of Infantry as a Second Lieutenant on December 27, 1990. 

He is also a graduate of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), and Nigerian Army School of Infantry and he also boasts of a master’s degree in International Affairs and Diplomacy.

Appointments Held 

Over the course of serving his fatherland, he has held several appointments including Staff, Instructional and Command.

Notable among the appointments held by the COAS were Garrison Commander Headquarters Guards Brigade, Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC), Deputy Director Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary, Deputy Director Army Research and Development and the Chief of Staff, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield.

He also served as the Principal General Staff Officer (PGSO) to the Honourable Minister of Defence, the Commander, Headquarters 4 Brigade and 29 Task Force Brigade (Operation Zaman Lafiya). 

He was also Director Manpower at the Army Headquarters, Military Secretary, Army Headquarters and General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army.

Honours

The COAS is a proud holder of several honours and awards, some of which include, Forces Service Star, Meritorious Service Star, Distinguished Service Star, Grand Service Star, Passed staff course (Dagger).

In his kitty also is the National Defence Course (Chile), Economic Community of West Africa State Monitoring Group Medal, Command Medal, Field Command Medal, General Operations Medal, Silver Jubilee Medal and Golden Jubilee Medal. 

Blend of Kinetic and Non-Kinetic Approach

 While noting that the security challenges are not peculiar to Nigeria and the West African sub-region alone, he said the military has continued to adopt kinetic and non-kinetic measures to confront such security threats.

Achievements So Far

Recently at a media chat held with select media executives including THISDAY, the COAS said despite daunting challenges, the army under his command has recorded several achievements.

According to him, military and other security agencies are making steady progress in various theatres of operation despite the serious security challenges facing the country.

To achieve this, the premium was placed on acquiring the right equipment. Therefore, with support from the federal government, procurement of arms and ammunition was paramount. 

A strong believer in training, COAS has always opined that training is key for soldiers and officers. Therefore, he has continuously ensured that under his command, the army reviews their curriculum in tandem with the existing security challenges.

The COAS is also of the school of thought that discipline and regimentation are pivotal to professionalism in the Nigerian Army, thus his continuous effort to ensure personnel toe that line.

Also, as one who places premium on welfare of officers and soldiers, he embarked on several projects such as the renovation of some barracks and offices, construction of new barracks, upgrade of medical facilities, and even schools.

Summarily, the last one year under his command has seen return of Nigerians in the North-east to their homes, mass surrender of terrorists and reopening of all schools in the geopolitical zone including the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State.