The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has charged recruits graduating under the Nigerian Army’s Restore Hope initiative to apply decisive force against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements threatening the nation’s security….
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has charged recruits graduating under the Nigerian Army’s Restore Hope initiative to apply decisive force against bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements threatening the nation’s security.
Shaibu gave the charge on Thursday during the graduation ceremony of the Restore Hope programme for the 90 Regular Recruit Intake at the Depot Nigerian Army Shooting Range in Zaria.
This was disclosed via a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, on Thursday, June 18.
Addressing the recruits, the Army Chief said Nigeria was currently facing a critical security situation, with criminal groups continuing to subject citizens to hardship through abductions and the destruction of lives and property.
He noted that the country’s security challenges had become increasingly complex and required a combination of courage, discipline, intelligence and strategic thinking.
“The security challenges confronting Nigeria today are complex, uncertain and ambiguous. Terrorism, banditry and other asymmetric threats demand not only courage, but also intelligence, discipline and strategic thinking. The era of relying solely on conventional responses to unconventional threats is behind us,” he said.
Shaibu urged the recruits, who are expected to be inducted into military service in two days, to remain professional, disciplined and resolute in confronting criminal elements while strictly adhering to the Rules of Engagement and established military ethics.
The COAS congratulated the recruits on the successful completion of what he described as a modern and rigorous training programme, assuring them that the Nigerian Army had continued to acquire modern combat enablers and was pursuing additional capabilities to improve operational effectiveness and enhance troop safety.
He explained that the Restore Hope initiative was designed to instil professionalism, discipline, resilience and loyalty to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, while equipping recruits with the skills needed to tackle evolving security threats across the country.
