Lagbaja: One Year After

One year after taking over as the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja is breathing fresh air into Nigeria’s security architecture with the Nigerian Army witnessing total overhaul, Raheem Akingbolu writes

The hope of enjoying adequate security and conducive business environment, devoid of kidnapping, banditry and other acts of insurgency was almost lost for many Nigerians when the current administration, under President Bola Tinubu, took over the mantle of leadership. 

Like the past administration of Muhammadu Buhari, Tinubu had promised on May 29, 2023, that all hands would be on deck to secure the nation. Of course, Nigerians took the message with a pinch of salt. 

Perhaps because of the way hopes were dashed under Buhari, a retired Army General and a former Head of State, who was expected to put his rich experiences into use to confront the security challenge head-on, only a few took Tinubu seriously.  To this end, Nigerians were anticipatory and looking forward to seeing those who would be appointed to man the various security posts. But the President was undaunted; he fixed his gaze on the ball and set it rolling almost immediately.  First, the president named a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu, as his new National Security Adviser (NSA) and later inaugurated new service chiefs, which include Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla.

 For the position of Inspector General of Police, the President beckoned on his former Chief Security Officer when he was the Lagos State Governor in 1999, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun.

In June 2023, Lagbaja assumed office as Nigeria’s 23rd Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and assured Nigerians of improved security. The Army Chief said he would work to engender positive change and “make a difference in a shared vision towards the fulfilment of the constitutional responsibilities of the Nigerian army.”

He also pledged to serve the country with diligence and uphold the values of the army. 

One year later, he seems to have remained committed to those promises as shown by his scorecard in the year under review. Rather than allowing complacency to set in after six months of effective combat with insurgents and kidnappers, he reassured Nigerians in December 2023 while speaking on “2023: Year of Transition,” a Channels Television’s special end-of-year programme to mark the Chief of Army Staff, that troops would redouble their efforts in the coming year.

“I am promising Nigerians that the troops will redouble their efforts and we will expand the frontier of peace and stability across the country in all the geo-political zones,” he said.

Speaking on the last 12 months of the country’s security under Lágbájá’s watch, an Abuja-based journalist and security analyst, Olayemi Esan, said the COAS had remained steadily on the right track, considering the way he repositioned the Army to play their roles absolutely well.

According to Esan, “under General Lagbaja, the Nigerian Army (NA) as a pivotal institution in the nation’s security architecture has continued to play a crucial role in supporting and actualising the vision of the country’s leadership with the inauguration of President Tinubu on May 29, 2024. In alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, the NA has continued to ensure that its strategies, operations and activities foster national unity, economic growth and enhanced security across the country. These include the application of kinetic and non-kinetic effects in collaboration with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders,” he said.

Meanwhile, available records at the Nigerian Army information unit revealed that one of the first steps Lagbaja took towards repositioning the Army was redefining the military doctrine and practice towards enhanced security. 

The NA, under him, has continued to intensify its efforts in ensuring that terrorists, kidnappers and bandits find no respite by enhancing troops’ capability and readiness to confront emerging demands of current military operations. According to a report put together by the information unit of the Nigerian Army, to achieve this, over 13,000 recruits are trained annually with bi-annual intakes of more than 6,500 recruits each. The training modules of these recruits have been reviewed towards mission-focused skills, exposing and equipping them to the challenges posed by the ever-changing nature and fluidity of threats within Nigeria’s security environment.

The report also pointed out that priority is given to advanced training aids and enhancement of tactical training such as combat sports competitions, combat proficiency drills, seminars and workshops to effectively guide and motivate personnel. These efforts have continued to redefine and reshape troops’ performance within the security landscape, ensuring more effective operational engagements and a favourable operating environment.

According to the report, “this is done simultaneously in the six geo-political zones. The security environment in the North-east deteriorated in 2009 with Boko Haram attacking communities across the Northeastern states. The region continues to experience sporadic attacks, incidents of IEDs and abductions. Also, the presence of IDP camps and the high number of displaced persons continue to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the region.”

Despite these challenges, the NA and other security agencies through the conduct of kinetic and non-kinetic operations, have significantly degraded the insurgency and terrorist activities of Boko Haram and its splinter group, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in comparison to the early days. Here, the NA has successfully deployed kinetic operations, and non-kinetic and border security through enhanced surveillance and control along Nigeria’s borders to prevent the movement of insurgents and illicit goods.

According to investigation, troops within the North-east are simultaneously engaged in specialised operations code-named Operation Desert Sanity II and Operation Lake Sanity II which have continued to complement efforts to degrade terrorist elements in Sambisa Forest, other land areas, and the Lake Chad region.

Operation Mountain Sanity has continued to dislodge terrorists from the mountain range in southern Borno. 

The operations were strategically initiated by the COAS to eliminate terrorist elements in Sambisa Forest and other land areas such as the Mandara mountains, Timbuktu Triangle and the Lake Chad region by intensifying clearance operations as well as up-scaling air interdiction.

Remarkably, a total of 110,152 terrorists and their families have surrendered, including 19,331 fighters and men, 33927 women, and 56,894 children. The males among them are undergoing profiling, while the troops have exterminated over 182 Boko Haram/Islamic State West Africa Province (BH/ISWAP) Terrorists, arresting 268 BH/ISWAP Terrorists in the past 12 months. 

Additionally, over 268 civilians have been rescued from captivity, including 10 Chibok girls, since May 2023, bringing the total number of rescued Chibok girls to 132. 

These efforts have greatly improved the security situation in the North-east and have, as expected, enhanced the trust and confidence of the public towards the troops.

This was evidenced in the heartwarming welcome accorded to Nigerian Army heroic troops on returning from a successful operation in Sambisa and Timbuktu Triangle during Operation Desert Sanity III, which was well celebrated across various media platforms. Succinctly, it captures the genuine and heartfelt welcome extended by the local communities in appreciation of their successful operation.

Meanwhile, in the North-west zone, where the security climate is plagued by armed banditry, cattle rustling, and kidnapping for ransom, which have led to a rise in violence, displacement of communities, and disruption of socio-economic activities in states like Zamfara, Katsina and Kaduna, kinetic and non-kinetic strategies were deployed in the zone. There is also improved and synergised intelligence sharing among security agencies as well as with local communities to anticipate and respond to threats.

There are also coordinated efforts towards strengthening border security to prevent the influx of illegal arms and criminal elements though with occasional setbacks. In this regard, a major breakthrough is that there have been intensified offensives to eliminate armed bandits and other criminal elements in the North West have continued to yield positive outcomes.

In all these, two things can be linked to the success recorded by Lagbaja in office: The substantial support from the federal government and the pragmatic collaboration with other security operations, including the various community heads and local hunters. As he warms up for the next task ahead, Nigerians are waiting and watching with keen interest to witness a new life that would enhance a peaceful working environment to attract both foreign and local investments.