Adeniyi Takes Over As New Theater Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole,Assures Finishing The Counter Insurgency Fight to An End
The new Theater Commander, Operation Lafiaya Dole, Theater Command Headquarters Maimalari Cantonment Maiduguri, Major General Olusegun Adeniyi has vowed to turn on the heat on Boko Haram insurgents, and take the fight to their hideouts as he takes over the mantle of leadership of the Theater Command from the immediate past Theater Commander, Major Benson Akinroluyo Saturday.
General Adeniyi said " I am going to turn on the heat on the Boko Haram insurgents. I am going to take the fight to them until they disappered from the Northeast".
" I am proud and happy that I am today taking over from General Akinroluyo, my commander. He has mentored me and we are going to continue from where he stopped and even do more until we finish the task of wiping out the Boko haram insurgents from the theater command and the nation at large," Adeniyi said.
Continuing, he said " I want to thank the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt General TukurYusuf Buratai for appointing me as new Theater Commander. I assured him and all Nigerians that I will not let you people down. We will fight everything to see that the work is finished on time."
In his remarks, the immediate past Theater Commsndet, Major General Benson Akiroluyo said that he was leaving the theater calm and better than what he met when he assumed duty.
General Akinroluyo said " I came when there was tension in the Theater command, few days after Metele attack and Metele was always on the media. I Thank God I am leaving the Theater today calm and better than when I met it"
" I am happy whenever I am In Borno because I was in Maiduguri as a captain in 1997 and got my promotion to Major.and 20 years after, in 2017 I was also decorated with the rank of Major General here in Maiduguri. Maiduguri is my second home.
" I was also the second longest serving Theater Commander since the Theater Command was created, second to General Irabor", Benson said.
He also appreciated the troops of Operation Lafiiya Dole, "because I would have not achieved what I achieved today if not because of their support " while urging them to extend the same support to the new Theater Commander.
" I am happy that I am today still alive that I am hading over to my deputy. I have gone round the theater and today thank God, He has spared my live and I am leaving the command to my deputy who also knows the terrain and the operations of the theater.
"I hope he will continue from where I stopped. It is just like a moving vehicle and today I am leaving to my spare driver, who will keep the vehicle moving until we reach the destination," Benson said.
While the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division, Major General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu in his remark said ," you have come here and served, you have done your part but we are not yet there, I hope the new Theater Commander will take us to the Bus stop."
Meanwhile, the NA 7 Division Maimalari Cantonment Maidugur GOC Major General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu has been redeployed to Monguno Army Command as the Commandant, Sector Two, NA, Operation Lafiya Dole Theater Command Headquarters Monguno while General S. A. Ibrahim is to take over from him but on 2019 pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.