Spiritual Army
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Newly appointed Nigerian Army chief calls for prayer warriors to defeat insurgents and bandits operating in the country
Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) Major General Taoreed Lagbaja who was newly appointed by President Bola Tinubu in a major shakeup, has called on troops to be more prayerful so as to defeat the bandits and insurgents ravaging the country.
He made the call during the 160th anniversary of the foundation of the Nigerian Army (NA) at a Interdenominational Church Service marking the Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL) 2023 held Sunday at the Mogadishu Military Cantonment, Abuja.
General Lagbaja boasted that the NA remains the pride of the nation and a force to reckon with in Africa and globally while noting that today’s Interdenominational Church Service is among the series of activities earmarked for all NA formations and units to commemorate the birth of the NA, as a symbol of national unity and integration.
Formed initially as a mercenary group composed of freed Hausa slaves by the Royal Niger Company and commanded by Royal Navy Lieutenant John Hawley Glover in 1863, it was meant to protect the Royal Niger Company and its assets and was known as Glover’s Hausas. The Glover Hausas were used in conquering Yorubaland, Igboland, Kanuri land and the Benin Kingdom which were all joined together to form Nigeria in 1914.
“As we mark our 160th year, I must confess that our journey has not been a bed of roses, as the Nigerian Army, in the course of holding our nation together, has fought a civil war, participated in peacekeeping cum peace enforcement missions and is currently involved in combating terrorism, insurgency and other criminalities across the country,” the Army chief said.
Major-General Lagbaja also lamented the continued loss of personnel and equipment to an insurgency in the north east and the south east sectors. While at the same time noting that Nigeria has lost personnel in peace keeping duties abroad.
“We have bled, we have piled up the wounded in action, and the population of our widows and widowers, as well as orphans, has swelled. Our sacrifices are for the love of God, humanity and country,” he stated.
He urged Army personnel to be more proactive and prayerful as the NA’s motto states in Arabic. “Victory is from God Alone.”
Akowe with reports from Abuja
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