Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja has vowed that the Nigerian Army under his watch would not tolerate oil theft and pipeline vandalism in Nigeria’s Niger Delta region.

Lagbaja spoke during an interactive session with media executives on Wednesday in Ibadan as part of activities marking this year’s Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL).

He also said that he would not lose focus on banditry in the North-West.

Lagbaja said, “The Army will focus on the situation in the Niger-Delta region, just as it will not also lose focus on what’s happening in other parts of the country in line with the mandate of the current government.

“The President [Bola Tinubu] has said that the nation is bleeding from all these. The money isn’t just there to do what we used to do in the past.

“This has led to the removal of oil subsidies and the floated exchange rate, while other reforms have also been put in place.

“Riding on the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda of the President, the Nigerian Army under my watch will stamp out oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the Niger Delta.”