It is no news again that President Muhammadu Buhari, following the tragic demise of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru who died with and 10 other military officers in last Friday’s plane crash in Kaduna, has appointed Major-General Farouk Yahaya as the new COAS.
Following his appointment, Yahaya’s profile was released by the Nigerian Army in a statement signed by the Acting Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu.
Yahaya’s appointment as the COAS comes during this time that the country is battling several security challenges, ranging from the frequent insurgency in the North-East, increasing banditry in the North-West, and Fulani-Herdsmen crises across the Middle-Belt and several South-West states.
Hotnewsinnaija.com has gathered some interesting things you should know about the life of the new Army boss and this can be found below:
1. The new Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Yahaya was born on January 5, 1966, in Sifawa, Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto state.
2. He is a member of 37 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), who started his cadet training on 27 September 1985 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on 22 September 1990.
3. The new COAS had served as Military Secretary (MS) Army at Army headquarters in Abuja and was later appointed as the General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army in Kaduna.
4. Yahaya was the Theatre Commander of the counter-terrorism military outfit in the North East code-named Operation HADIN KAI.
5. He had also served as the Commander of 4 Brigade Headquarters of the Nigerian Army.
6. Yahaya is the third Chief of Army Staff appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari and the 22nd in Nigeria history.