Nigeria’s new Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, landed in Maiduguri on Thursday for his first operational tour since taking office. The visit was no courtesy call. Straight from the tarmac, he headed to the headquarters of Joint Task Force North East Operation Hadin Kai, where hundreds of battle-worn soldiers waited under the blazing sun.
Shaibu didn’t mince words. “This is not a pep talk,” he told them. “Your job is to find, fix, and finish every last insurgent hiding in the Sambisa Forest, along the Lake Chad shores, and in every village they terrorize.” He spoke of “total annihilation” and left no doubt that half-measures were over. The troops, many of whom have spent years rotating through dusty checkpoints and night ambushes, responded with shouts and raised rifles.
Before the speech, Shaibu walked the lines at the Maimalari Barracks hospital, shaking hands with amputees and burn victims. He promised better medical evacuations and faster replacement of worn-out gear. Later, he cut the ribbon on a newly refurbished armory and a solar-powered command center—small but practical upgrades that soldiers say make a real difference in the field.
Local commanders briefed him on recent gains: two high-value Boko Haram logistics chiefs taken out in Gwoza, a weapons cache destroyed near Dikwa. Yet everyone knows the insurgency is stubborn. Civilians still flee crossfire, and suicide bombings haven’t stopped. Shaibu acknowledged the complexity but insisted the momentum must stay with the army.
By dusk, convoys were already rolling out for night patrols. Word spread fast through Maiduguri’s displaced-persons camps: the new COAS is here, and he means business. For a city that has seen too many promises fade, the sight of a four-star general on the ground—boots dusty, voice hoarse from shouting orders—felt like a spark. Whether it ignites lasting victory remains the question these soldiers now carry into the bush. View, More,
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