Buhari Picks Farouk Yahaya as New Chief of Army Staff

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The current Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Farouk Yahaya, has been appointed as the new Chief of Army Staff.

Mr Yahaya replaces the late Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, who died last Friday along with 10 other officers in a military plane crash in Kaduna.

The late COAS was appointed to the position in January 2021 after the former occupier of the seat, Mr Tukur Buratai, bowed out alongside the other service chiefs due to growing insecurity in the country.

As a result of Mr Attahiru’s death, President Muhammadu Buhari has chosen Mr Yahaya as the new head of the Nigerian Army.

The acting Director Defence Information, Mr Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement on Thursday, confirmed the appointment of the new COAS.

“The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Mohammadu Buhari, has appointed Major-General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).

“Prior to his appointment Major-General Yahaya was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army and the incumbent Theatre Commander of the Counter-Terrorism Counter Insurgency military outfit in the northeast code-named Operation Hadin Kai,” the statement said.