The Commissioner of Police (CP)Borno State Command, Mohammed Yusufu and other members of the Borno State Security Forum were at the Headquarters 7 Division on Wednesday, 13 November, 2024 on a condolence visit over the demise of the Late Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja NAM.
The CP who led the team on the condolences visit disclosed that they deem it fit as a matter of necessity to visit and commiserate with the nation, members of the Armed Forces and the Nigerian Army (NA) in particular over the demise of the late COAS. He said the news of his death came as a great and rude shock to the entire nation describing it as a collective lost to all. In his words, ” i have met the late COAS on several occasions and I have known him as a fine, gentle, courageous and very proficient senior officer with an outstanding personality that has made the NA and the nation proud amongst the comity of nations. Adding that the rain of encomium in his honour is a testament to his unblemish and selfless service to the nation.
Mr Yusufu further stressed that the late COAS has written his name in gold he will not be forgotten in the anals of history. “We must commiserate with his family, the NA and the nation at large. And as we continue to pray for the repose of his soul, let us uphold the values, virtues and legacies he has built in the course of his career in the military concluding that his demise is a lost to all.
Speaking with emotions, the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC)7 Division NA and Commander Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) Brigadier General Abubakar Haruna expressed appreciation to the CP and his team, stating that a lot has been said about the late COAS whom he shared close relationship with before his demise. He said ” we have been together from the academy as a senior cadet in Mogadishu Battalion, losing him at the peak is very heavy and traumatic to us as a force and a nation”.
The GOC described the late COAS as an embodiment of peace and professionalism. “We shall all gather in Abuja as arranged by Army Headquarters to bid him our final respect and farewell”.On behalf of the Acting COAS, Lt Gen OO Oluyede, we appreciate you for coming to share in our moment of grief and mourning.
The GOC used the medium and implores officers, troops and sister security agencies not to rest on their oars in the fight against the insurgency must especially as we are already in the dry season, we must continue to work in the synergy as a formidable force in order to achieve a total peace.