By Emmanuel Onyedika
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has approved a major reshuffling of the Nigerian Army’s top leadership, involving the redeployment of Maj.-Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), along with 14 other Generals.
Army Spokesperson, Col. Appolonia Anele, said in a statement on Wednesday that the movement prioritises critical operational theatres and strategic appointments to strengthen leadership and align the Service’s command structure with Nigeria’s evolving security environment.
Under the new postings, Major General I.A. Ajose moves from the Army Headquarters Department of Operations to become Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force North East, OPHK. Major General A.E. Abubakar has been redeployed from OPHK to the Nigerian Army Heritage and Future Centre (NAHFC) as Dean, Faculty of Operational Research.
Other redeployments include Major General A.M. Alechenu from Defence Headquarters Garrison to NAHFC, Major General R.T. Utsaha from Army Standards and Evaluation to DHQ Garrison as Commander, and Major General A.M. Umar from Civil-Military Affairs to Army War College Nigeria as Commandant. Major General U.M. Alkali moves in the reverse direction, from AWCN to Civil-Military Affairs.
In addition, Major General G.S. Muhammed has been redeployed from the Office of the National Security Adviser to the Nigerian Army Finance Corporation as Director General, while Major General J.E. Osifo moves from NAFIC to the Military Pension Board as Chairman. Major General I.E. Ekpenyong has been posted to DHQ Department of Defence Logistics as Director of Engineering Services.
At the operational level, Brigadier General A.A. Bello moves from 6 Division Garrison/Sector 3 JTF South-South, Operation Delta Safe, to DHQ Department of Defence Operations. Brigadier General M.S. Adamu has been redeployed from Nigerian Army Women Command to the newly established 8 Brigade as Commander, while Brigadier General M.S. Sule moves from Special Task Force Operation Enduring Peace to 27 Task Force Brigade.
Other postings include Brigadier General I. Sule from Recruitment Management to 6 Division Garrison, Brigadier General E. Azenda from Land Forces Simulation Centre to 2 Division Garrison, and Brigadier General A.S. Bugaje from 2 Division Garrison to the Land Forces Simulation Centre as Director of Administration.
The Army said the reshuffling is part of ongoing efforts to enhance operational effectiveness and ensure that experienced leadership is positioned to deliver decisive results in Nigeria’s security challenges.