New Year at the Frontlines: Naval Chief Boosts Troops’ Morale in Maiduguri, Lake Chad
By Onwe Wisdom | Pan Afric Reporters
The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, began the New Year by standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Nigerian troops on the frontlines of counter-terrorism operations in the North-East, reinforcing the military’s resolve to sustain pressure on insurgents.
Vice Admiral Abbas according to a press release e-signed by Navy Director of Information, A. Adams-Aliu Commodore undertook an operational tour of the Headquarters Joint Task Force, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in Maiduguri, and the Naval Base Lake Chad (NBLC) in Baga, Borno State, where he spent New Year’s Day with Armed Forces personnel deployed in the theatre of operations.
At the OPHK headquarters, the CNS was received by the Theatre Commander, Major General AE Abubakar, who briefed him on “the recent gains made by the JTF, the current challenges and future plans.” According to the briefing, the combined efforts of the Land, Maritime and Air Components have yielded significant results, with “seamless joint offensives” that have “severely degraded adversary capabilities.”
Commending the troops, Vice Admiral Abbas praised their professionalism and resilience, assuring officers and men that “the challenges would be addressed expeditiously.”
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, the CNS undertook a boat ride on Lake Chad, recently cleared by the Base to restore navigation and “revive economic activities in the area.”
In a symbolic show of solidarity, Vice Admiral Abbas shared a New Year meal with officers and men of the Naval Base Lake Chad and the 196 Amphibious Battalion, co-located in Baga. Before departing, he thanked the personnel for their sacrifice, noting that deployment to “the extreme flank of Nigeria’s North-Eastern border was very challenging but necessary to secure the nation’s territorial integrity and also control the waterways.”
The Navy described the CNS’s presence in the North-East on New Year’s Day as a major morale booster for troops in the field. The visit also aligns with the Naval Chief’s vision “to have a mobile, agile and professional naval force dedicated to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain and advance national security objectives in synergy with other security agencies.”
Accompanied by the Chief of Operations, Rear Admiral MB Katagum, and the Chief of Logistics, Rear Admiral SH Abdullahi, Vice Admiral Abbas reaffirmed that the Nigerian Navy “remains fully committed to denying the terrorists the use of Lake Chad waterways through sustained and coordinated operations in synergy with sister services and other security agencies deployed in the North-East Theatre of operations.”
The visit underscores the Nigerian Navy’s determination to begin 2026 with renewed focus, unity and operational momentum in the fight against terrorism.
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