The newly appointed Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Major General Waheedi Shaibu, has pledged to intensify coordinated military operations against Boko Haram and other insurgent groups across Nigeria’s northern region, particularly through enhanced night operations and the deployment of highly trained special forces into difficult terrains.
Shaibu made the pledge on Thursday during his screening at the Senate Chamber in Abuja, where he presented his career profile, experience in counterinsurgency operations, and his strategic priorities for the Nigerian Army.
The officer, who hails from Kogi State, was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps in 1994 after completing the 41 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). He has spent a significant portion of his career in the heart of the Boko Haram theatre, including Monguno, Bama, and Maiduguri, where he held key positions such as Commanding Officer 245 Battalion, Brigade Commander 21 Special Armoured Brigade, General Officer Commanding 7 Division, and Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force Operation Hadin Kai.
He told senators that these assignments gave him deep understanding of the operational patterns and evolving tactics of Boko Haram and ISWAP, including their reliance on night-time ambushes and surprise raids. Shaibu said the Nigerian Army under his leadership will “dominate all terrains, day and night,” stressing that most attacks in the Northeast occur between midnight and 3:00 a.m.
“We are going to improve our night-fighting capability to counter these threats. We will train and deploy additional special operations forces with the ability to strike enemy positions across difficult terrains both day and night,” he said.
The Army chief said operations would rely heavily on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance to pre-empt and dislodge insurgent cells before attacks occur. According to him, “Intelligence will drive our operations. We must know before they move.”
Shaibu recalled that he has personally been at the center of intense combat operations against Boko Haram. In Monguno, during an operation to repel advancing insurgents in 2015, he was wounded in battle and awarded the Purple Heart—an honour reserved for personnel injured in combat. He also led operations that resulted in the rescue of 11 of the kidnapped Chibok girls and the surrender of hundreds of Boko Haram fighters and their families.
He said the fight against terrorism is “deeply personal,” adding that he has seen firsthand the devastation insurgency has caused to communities across the Northeast.
“I have fought this war for years. I have lost colleagues. I have seen the suffering of civilians. We will not retreat. We will bring this war to a close and restore peace,” he added.
Addressing troop morale, Shaibu said welfare remains a cornerstone of operational effectiveness. He promised to improve soldiers’ housing conditions, allowances, medical support, training opportunities, and family welfare support systems. “The moral component of fighting power is critical. Our troops must know that the nation stands firmly with them and their sacrifices are not in vain,” he said.
On the reintegration of deradicalized ex-combatants under Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe, Shaibu stated that while the Army trains these individuals in vocational skills, reintegration into communities requires cooperation from local leaders and civil authorities. “It requires a whole-of-society approach. Communities need to be engaged and supported for reintegration to be safe and sustainable,” he noted.
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After responding to all queries, the Senate endorsed his appointment and directed him to “take a bow,” with plans to continue detailed security briefings in a closed session. Senate President Godswill Akpabio said the chamber expects measurable improvements in national security under Shaibu’s watch, saying: “The nation is watching. We must see results.”
With years of frontline combat experience and a clear operational roadmap built around intelligence, technology, and improved troop morale, Major General Shaibu steps into his new role with heightened expectations to restore security across areas long affected by conflict.
