COAS relocates to battlefront in Borno, declares total war on insurgents

In a dramatic escalation of Nigeria’s counter-terrorism push, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, has relocated to Maiduguri, the heart of the North-East conflict zone, in a decisive effort to overhaul military operations against Boko Haram and ISWAP insurgents.

Sources told Zagazola Makama that the Army Chief touched down in Borno State with a formidable team of top brass, signalling a renewed military onslaught on terrorist hideouts in the Lake Chad Basin and the Sambisa forest.

Lt.-Gen. Oluyede, who has spent the past three days embedded with frontline troops under Operation Hadin Kai, is spearheading high-stakes tactical evaluations and battlefield briefings aimed at delivering a knockout blow to the insurgents.

“This is not a routine tour,” a senior military insider revealed. “The COAS is on ground to recalibrate our firepower, strengthen troop morale, and enforce direct coordination among all command structures.”

Behind closed doors, Oluyede has been holding intense strategy sessions with theatre commanders, intelligence operatives, and special units, leaving no stone unturned in the Army’s mission to annihilate what remains of the terrorist networks.

The Army Chief’s presence in the volatile zone is already galvanising troops and renewing hope among local residents, who see it as a clear sign that the military is doubling down on its promise to reclaim and secure every inch of Nigerian territory.