Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Taoreed Lagbaja, has asked troopers not to allow the death of their colleagues in an ambush by the insurgents in Niger State to lower their morale.
Lagbaja made the submission at Nigeria Army’s operating base Erena in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger after being briefed on the current security situation by Bamidele Alabi, the command’s general officer.
The troops were reportedly involved in a firefight with some bandits in the Zungeru area of the state during which some soldiers paid the supreme price.
Information Nigeria has reported also how the NAF’s MI-171 helicopter crashed on Monday while on a casualty evacuation mission at about 1 pm near Chukuba village in Shiroro LGA of the state.
Edward Gabkwet, the spokesperson of NAF, said the crew and passengers of the ill-fated helicopter had been hospitalised.
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Meanwhile, in a statement on Wednesday by Onyema Nwachukwu, army’s spokesperson, Lagbaja urged the soldiers to be more persistent in bringing the nation’s adversaries to their knees and restoring sanity in troubled areas.
According to the army chief, the fight against insurgents and bandits is a just cause, in defence of Nigerians and the nation.
“Protecting lives and defending your nation is the noblest service anyone can offer. You are therefore in the noble profession of arms and must not allow your morale to dwindle.
“We must defeat the adversaries of our people and take back every inch of space where they are hibernating in our land.”
The COAS also assured the troops that he would do all within available resources to give the military personnel and their families the best welfare.
He further directed the immediate reinforcement of the troops with additional combat enablers to enhance their operational effectiveness.
