Naval Chief Inspects Lake Chad Operations, Vows to Deny Terrorists Waterways
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, on Thursday inspected naval and joint military operations around Lake Chad, pledging sustained action to deny terrorists and criminal groups the use of the strategic waterways.
Commodore Aiwiyor Adams-Aliu, the Navy’s Director of Information, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
He said Abbas undertook an operational tour of the Headquarters of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, in Maiduguri, Borno State, and the Naval Base Lake Chad in Baga, where he spent New Year Day with troops deployed to the North-East counterterrorism theatre.
At the Operation Hadin Kai headquarters, the Naval Chief was received by the Theatre Commander, Major General A.E. Abubakar, who briefed him on recent operational gains, prevailing challenges and future plans. The commander highlighted the contributions of the land, maritime and air components, noting that coordinated joint offensives had significantly degraded the capabilities of terrorist groups operating in the region.
Abbas commended the Theatre Commander and personnel of the Joint Task Force for what he described as their resilience and professionalism, assuring them that identified operational challenges would be addressed promptly.
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The Naval Chief later proceeded to the Naval Base Lake Chad in Baga, where he was received by the Base Commander, Commodore Peter Gambo Yilme. During the visit, Abbas undertook a boat ride on Lake Chad, parts of which have recently been cleared by naval forces to restore navigation and revive economic activities in the area.
He also shared a New Year meal with officers and men of the Naval Base Lake Chad and the 196 Amphibious Battalion co-located in Baga, describing their deployment at Nigeria’s extreme North-Eastern flank as challenging but critical to safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity.
Abbas said the Nigerian Navy remained fully committed to sustained and coordinated operations to prevent terrorists from exploiting Lake Chad waterways for movement, logistics and attacks.
“The Navy will continue to work in synergy with sister services and other security agencies to deny criminal elements freedom of action on the waterways,” he said.
The Naval Chief noted that his presence in the North-East on New Year Day was intended to boost troop morale and reaffirm the Navy’s commitment to joint operations in line with its vision of maintaining a mobile, agile and professional force dedicated to national security.
He was accompanied on the tour by the Chief of Operations, Rear Admiral M.B. Katagum, and the Chief of Logistics, Rear Admiral S.H. Abdullahi.
The Defence Headquarters has consistently identified Lake Chad as a critical corridor in the fight against terrorism in the North-East, with military authorities intensifying joint land, air and maritime operations to cut off insurgent supply routes and restore normalcy to affected communities.
By PRNigeria
