The Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Tukur Buratai has carried out a massive shake-up in the hierarchy of the Nigerian Army that affected 95 generals. This came as President Muhammadu Buhari declared that Nigeria has taken the International Court of Justice ruling on Bakassi Peninsula in good faith.
The shake-up in the army also included the appointment of new General Officers Commanding the Divisions of the Nigerian Army as well as new Principal Staff Officers to run the affairs of Army headquarters.
Also appointed were new Corps Commanders, Special Task Forces Commanders, a new Commander for the Multi-national Joint Task Force to tackle Boko Haram; new Brigade Commanders as well as new Defence Advisers in Nigeria’s foreign missions abroad.
The new General Officers Commanding according to Vanguard’s investigations are Major General Adeniyi Oyebade, GOC ‘1’ Division, Kaduna. He was formerly the Deputy Commandant of the National Defence College, Abuja; Major-General L.C. Ilo is the new GOC 2 Division, Ibadan. He replaces Major-General SM Muazu who is appointed Commander, Infantry Corps, Jaji; Major-General H. Umaru is the new GOC 3 Armoured Division, Jos.
Others are Major-General MA Koleoso, new Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Minna. He takes over from the new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Olonishakin. He was formerly Director of Administration at Defence Headquarters; Major General H. Edet, new GOC 81 Division, Lagos. He was formerly the Commandant, Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC), Kontagora; Brigadier-General Ibrahim Attahiru, formerly the Brigade Commander, 13 Brigade, Calabar is the Acting GOC, 82 Division, Enugu. He takes over from Major-General S. Yusuf who is redeployed to Defence Headquarters as Chief of Training and Operations.
Among the new Principal Staff Officers at the Army headquarters are Major-General F.O. Alli, formerly the GOC 3 Division, Jos, now the Chief of Training and Operations (CTOP) at Army Headquarters; Major-General Ogunewe, formerly the Defence Adviser New York, is the new Chief of Policy and Plans; Major General Christopher Jemitola is the new Commander, Corp of Signal Headquarters, Lagos; Brigadier General A.T Hamman is the new Provost-Marshal, Nigerian Army; Brigadier General A.H. Sahad is the new Director of Defence Intelligence (DMI).
The new Commander of the Multi-national Joint Task Force with headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad is Major General Ilyasu Abbah. He was formerly the Military Secretary (Army). He takes over from the Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Tukur Buratai.
Major-General L.W. Wiwa, formerly the Director of Military Intelligence, is the Deputy Commandant at the Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, Oshodi; Major-General PAT Akem, formerly the Provost Marshall is the new Director of Administration at Army headquarters; Major General BT Ndiomu, formerly Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, is posted to Jaji as Director, Simulation Centre; the new Commander of the Special Military Task Force (STF) Jos, is Major General C.O Udeh.
Brigadier-General SM Bello, formerly Brigade Commander, 34 Brigade Owerri, is posted to Army headquarters as Director of Operations; Brigadier General O. Ofoche is the new Brigade Commander, 34 Artillery Brigade; Brigadier-General AO Olabanji is the new Brigade Commander, 2 Brigade, Port Harcourt; Brigadier-General AM Dikko is the Acting Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Abuja. He was formerly Commander, 31 Brigade, Minna.
A new Acting Director of Defence Information has also been appointed. He is Colonel Rabe Abubakar. He was at one time, Commandant of the Nigerian Army Information School, Bonny Camp, Lagos. He is to take over from Major-General Chris Olukolade, formerly the DDI.
At the Defence headquarters, Major General Emmanuel Atewe, formerly Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Pulo Shield, Yenagoa is the new Chief of Logistics; Major-General M.T. Ibrahim is the new Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
The 12 senior officers who are to proceed on a one-year course to the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) include former GOC’s, former PSO’s, former Commandants of Training Institutions and former Corps Commanders (Vanguard Ngr)