The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army (NA), Major General Adamu Abubakar, has concluded a working visit to Formations and Units under his command.

The final phase of the visit ended in 72 Special Forces Battalion and the Nigerian Army School of Military Engineering Makurdi, Benue State.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Enugu, the Deputy Director, Public Relations, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Col. Sagir Musa, said that General Abubakar and his team were briefed on the operational and administrative states of the Unit and the Engineering School. “Where necessary, professional guidance and directives were given by the GOC with the view to enhancing the overall operational and administrative effectiveness of the Unit and the School,” the statement said.

In his address to the Officers, Soldiers and Civilian Personnel of the institutions, General Abubakar reiterated the commitment of the NA’s leadership to the welfare of personnel and their families in the areas of decent living accommodation, medicals, pay and allowances and other basic necessities.

“In all the Formations, Units and NA Schools in 82 Division that I visited, one thing appears consistent and recurrent, and that is – the ongoing building and renovation of Officers’ and Soldiers’ Living Quarters. We saw this in 13 Brigade, Calabar, 14 Brigade Ohafia, Abia State, 34 Brigade Owerri, Imo State and 24 Support Engineer Regiment in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. Other ongoing accommodation construction are – in the Nigerian Army Language Institute at Ovim, Abia State, and what we just inspected here in 72 Special Forces Battalion,” General Abubakar stated.

While addressing troops of 72 Battalion, the GOC sensitised them on their constitutional duties and the peculiar responsibility of maintaining law and order in Benue and other contagious states. “Let me remind you of the precarious security situations in your Area of Responsibility – these are – issues of Communal, Ethnic and Farmers – Herdsmen clashes as well as the Agatu Crisis. In all these security challenges, you must be more vigilant, disciplined and proactive,” the GOC warned.

“Wherever you are drafted either for peace enforcement or peace keeping, the basic principles of Internal Security Operations apply, and you must strictly adhere to them or risk going to jail. Consequently, while on duty, especially in very likely crisis areas like Agatu, Vandeikya, Logo and Katsina-Ala axis, you must remain neutral and ready to justify (with sufficient/compelling evidence) your individual and group actions or inactions,” General Abubakar stressed.

The GOC commended the troops for their dedication, commitment and discipline. He urged them to maintain the professional standards the NA is noted for, as the NA of today has zero tolerance for indiscipline.

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