Buhari Names Monguno NSA, Replaces Service Chiefs

The service Chief 

Tobi Soniyi, Senator Iroegbu and Michael Olugbode

More that six weeks after he assumed office, President Muhammadu Buhari finally sacked the National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd), as well as the service chiefs, and appointed new persons in their place.

A statement  monday from the State House in Abuja said Dasuki would be replaced by Major-General Babagana Monguno (rtd).

Monguno’s appointment has put paid to speculations that Lt-General Abdulrahman Dambazzau (rtd) was going to be appointed to the position.

The new NSA is from Borno State and would therefore have the local intelligence required to coordinate the counter-terrorism operations in the North-east.

Monguno is a former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) and ex-Chief of Logistics at the Defence Headquarters (DHQ). He voluntarily retired from the Nigerian Army on September 23, 2013 on attaining the age of 56 years. He holds a degree in Architecture.

Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin is now the new Chief of Defence Staff. He replaces Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh.
Until his appointment, Olonishakin, who hails from Ekiti State, was the Head of the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command in Minna, Niger State.

With yesterday’s retirement of the service chiefs, Olonishakin became the most senior serving general in the Nigerian Armed Forces.
The new Chief of Army Staff is Major-General T.Y. Buratai from Borno State. He replaces Lt-General Kenneth Minimah.
Until his new appointment, Buratai was the Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) which has its headquarters in N’Djamena, Chad.

Buratai previously served as Commander of the Nigerian Army's 2nd Brigade in Port Harcourt and Commander of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry in Jaji, Kaduna State. He holds two Master’s degrees in History and Philosophy.

The new Chief of Naval Staff is Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas from Cross River State, who will take over from Vice Admiral Usman Jibrin.

He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) as a member of the 26th Regular Course in 1979 and was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1983.

His previous appointments included Naval Provost Marshal, Chief Staff Officer, Naval Training Command, Chief of Administration, Naval Headquarters, Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command and Chief of Logistics, Naval Headquarters.
Until his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Navy Holdings Limited.

Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar is now the new Chief of Air Staff. Abubakar is from Bauchi State. He takes over from Air Marshal Adesola Amosu.

His previous appointments included Chief of Standards and Evaluation, NAF Headquarters; Chief of Defence Communications and Air Officer Commanding, NAF Training Command.

Also announced by the State House is a new Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Monday Riku Morgan.

Morgan hails from Benue State and was until his appointment the Officer Commanding Nigerian Air Force Logistics Command.
The new service chiefs will hold their appointments in an acting capacity until they are confirmed by the Senate.

The president thanked the outgoing service chiefs and NSA for their services to the nation and wished them well in their future endeavours.

He also charged the new service chiefs to help him rebuild the reputation of the armed forces and the nation.
Addressing them shortly after their appointments were announced, the president called on them to show utmost commitment to their new duties.

“All of you, including the National Security Adviser, were chosen on merit.  Your records gave you the job. Save for the new Chief of Army Staff whom I briefly met at his Command at the Multi-National Joint Task Force, in Chad, I don’t know any of you.  Your records recommended you.

“Legally, you are in acting capacity until the National Assembly accepts you. It is only then that you will take the oath of office.  Thereafter, we will sit down and talk in more detail,” Buhari told the new service chiefs.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari assured them that their names will be sent to the Senate either yesterday or today for confirmation.

The president has come under pressure following increased bombings by the Boko Haram sect in the northern part of the country.
Observers believe that the appointment of a new NSA and service chiefs will lend gravitas to the war against the terror sect.

The new appointments notwithstanding, there was pandemonium at a checkpoint leading into the troubled city of Maiduguri, capital of Borno State, when a suicide bomber detonated the explosives on his person just as he was about to be searched, a member of the youth vigilante group, Abba Ibrahim, informed journalists on the phone in Maiduguri.

He said the suicide bomber who was on his way to Maiduguri from either Mainok or Benesheik died in the explosion that led to four persons sustaining injuries.

Those injured included two members of the youth vigilante group who tried to search him and two women with him in a taxi.

Ibrahim said the taxi driver, moments after carrying the male suicide bomber on the highway, became suspicious due to the strange object he was carrying which turned out to be an explosive device.

He said his discomfort with the passenger forced the driver to park at the checkpoint at Njimtilo near Maiduguri, pretending to want to take time to answer the call of nature.

In so doing, he quietly told the youth vigilante at the checkpoint that he suspected one of the passengers was carrying an object which might be a bomb.

According to him, the vigilante immediately swung into action asking all the passengers out of the cab. Just as the instruction was given, the bomber detonated the bomb on him in order to avoid arrest.

The bombing left him dead and four others injured.

Ibrahim, who said the incident occurred at about midday, also revealed that the casualties could have been worse but they were fortunate because only one out of two explosives in the taxi went off.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Police Commissioner, Mr Aderemi Opadokun, monday confirmed fresh attacks by Boko Haram that claimed at least 43 lives during the weekend.

The terrorists on Friday attacked the tiny villages of Kalwa, Misala and Gwollam, all under Monguno Local Government Area of the state, during which they left 43 poor villagers dead either by gunshots or by slashing their throats.

Though the police did not specify the casualties, local security sources from Monguno area said 43 dead bodies were found in pools of blood the next morning after the attack.

Opadokun, in a text message, said: “Information revealed that gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists invaded Kalwa and Gwollam villages in Monguno Local Government Area; many persons were reported killed and several houses burnt. But we assure the public that patrols are in progress in the said area.”

Haruna Bukar, who is a senior member of the Vigilante Group of Nigerian (VGN) in Monguno, had informed reporters that “many villages in Monguno were being attacked almost on daily basis”.

“Boko Haram terrorists had on Friday night attacked Misala and Kalwa, which are two neighbouring villages. The two villages are located not more than 17 kilometres from Monguno town on the way to Marte.

“They operated for hours on that night while setting houses ablaze. At the end of the deadly operation, 43 persons were found dead either killed by gunshots or slaughtered like animals.

“They did not stop there, they also attacked some other villages around the area, but luckily those villages were long deserted, so they went ahead to set the houses ablaze,” he said.

Bukar, who said he had to relocate to Maiduguri, added that the gunmen had attacked Dankyali village on Saturday night, even though he could not ascertain immediately if there were serious casualties.

“One cannot say immediately if there were any dead persons or injured in the Dankyali attack of Saturday. It is usually very difficult getting to communicate during attacks because of lack of communications networks,” he said.

Culled from Thisday