The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja, has assured Nigerians that troops of the Nigerian Army, under his watch, will continue to respond brutally to terrorists and other criminal elements to protect the law abiding citizens from terrorism, insurgency and sundry criminality in the country.

Lagbaja gave this assurance in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while declaring closed, the 5 Day Commanding Officers Workshop held at Army Barrack in Port Harcourt.

A statement by Army spokesperson, Maj Gen Onyema Nwachukwu, said the workshop with the theme “Enhancing Tactical Level Command and Leadership within a Joint Environment,” was aimed at equipping Commanding Officers with requisite skills and competencies to enhance their performance in the increasingly complex security environment.

The Army Chief, also reaffirmed his earlier assurance that the NA will continue to respond to all security threats in accordance with the stipulations of the constitution, code of conduct and the rules of engagement, to ensure that innocent Nigerians are protected and go about their lawful businesses without fear or intimidation.

Lagbaja averred that Commanding officers are key in the implementation of his command philosophy, which is to transform the Nigerian Army into a Well trained, equipped and highly motivated force towards achieving its constitutional responsibilities within a joint environment.

He added that no investment in training them to understand their contemporary command environment, characterized by technological advancements, social media culture, high population rate and its associated unemployment, amongst others, with their security imperatives can be considered too much.

The COAS charged the commanding officers to be in tune with their operating environment and develop a realistic vision, despite some organisational differences, pointing out, that they must cultivate synergy across the gamut of security stakeholders in their operating environment by constantly engaging with key leaders across the divides, without compromising basic  military ethics.

He said: “The impact of the social media on your command is enormous, and you must avoid the negative influence of this new reality on your command. You must be mindful of the character of the generation coming into the NA and be ingenious in administering them in line with laid down administrative policies and regulations”. 

He encouraged them to keep abreast with technological developments, utilize readily available resources, and strengthen Information and Communication Technology training in their units.

He charged them to implement the 2024 Training Directive and devote attention to enhancing realistic training, which he maintained as one of the key measures of effective training.

During the visit, the COAS commissioned various projects conceived and executed by the General Officer Commanding, 6 Division.

Nwachukwu said that some of the projects include a Block of 10 family flats of Corporal Below Quarters, six Division Python Shopping Mall, and 1. 4 Kilometers Road linking 26 Support Engineer Regiment Headquarters.