No fewer than 20 serving senior Generals in the Army may be forced to retire from service as a result of the appointment of new service chiefs. The officers are said to be of Regiment Courses 34 and 35 who are senior to the new service chiefs.

Among the senior officers expected to retire is Lt. General Lamidi Adeosun, the Chief of Training and Operations, Army headquarters, who wears the same rank with General Tukur Buratai, the former Army Chief. Adeosun was promoted in 2019 to the rank by President Buhari.

However, sources at the Defence headquarters said that two options are available to the authorities.

First the service years of some of them might be extended by the new Chief of Army Staff who would probably need their wealth of experience in the ongoing counterinsurgency campaign in the Northeast.

Another option is that some of them might be posted to the Defence headquarters, where they would not be reporting to the Army Chief.
President Muhammadu Buhari had yesterday, January 26, appointed the new service chiefs: Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Major-General I. Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral A.Z Gambo, and the Chief of Air Staff, Air-Vice Marshal Isiaka Amao.

According to Buhari, the outgoing service chiefs: the Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar had turned in their notice of retirement.

The Ooni of Ife in the Southwestern part of Nigeria, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II has cautioned against politicizing the tension mounting in the Southwest over the rising insecurity in the region.

The Ooni, who conferred privately with President Muhammadu Buhari today, January 27 at the Presidential villa, Abuja, told newsmen after the meeting that the best way forward out of the situation is to separate the bad eggs from the good eggs and take politics out of it.

“We don’t want any politics to be mingled with it. We the traditional rulers, we know the good, the bad and the ugly in our domains. So it is a very clear strategy.

“Those bad eggs we want to fish them out; politics is different from taking out the bad eggs from the good eggs and it is the blessing of Mr. President we have gone for.

“So any time we are sensing politics, we the traditional rulers we have to cry out”

Ooni said that as the co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers, it is his responsibility and duty to make sure that politicians do not hijack the security situation, and will do everything possible, along with other members of the Council, to ensure that everything is right and in good shape

He said that the President had assured that it is not going to be a political thing “because we all know the problem all over the country. We have a lot of bad eggs that mix across the entire country and we having that issue again in the Southwest.

“So I am here as the  co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers to get the assurance of Mr. President that either of the parties won’t turn it to be a political funfair for us to just risk the lives of our people, our innocent citizens not only in the Southwest but the entire country.

“I am happy he has told me that I should assure other traditional rulers that we must work with them now. It is very important for us to work very closely with the government so that we can separate the good, the bad and the ugly.

“It is very important for us to separate the corn from the chaff because a lot of them are actually taking advantage of the porous border that we have but to the glory of God, they are doing what is called e-border now in Nigeria and it is very efficient and we all need to work with them.

“Even our governors and other political rulers in different states Mr. President has assured that they must work with the traditional rulers so that we can actually separate the good from the bad and get the right society in proper perspective.”

Yoruba freedom fighter, Chief Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho), has made it clear that he is not seeking any political relevance by rising against Fulani herdsmen in Oyo State.

Reacting to a speculation that one of the resolutions proposed by Southwest governors during their meeting in Akure, Ondo State yesterday, January 25 was to appoint him the overall commandant of Aotekun corps in the region, Igboho stressed that he is not interested in such position.

Igboho, who spoke to newsmen today, January 26 said: “I am not interested in being the commander of Amotekun. I don’t seek such relevance. What I am saying is that the Fulani herders that are terrorising my people should leave the area.

“We want peace and that is all. I don’t need any political appointment or money from anybody. We only want peace in our area.”

There has been speculation that after the meeting, one of the governors tipped Igboho to oversee all Southwest states, as well as Kwara and Kogi states for an initial period of five years, with the clear mandate to rid all Yorubaland and forests of criminals.

It was further speculated that his office would be situated in Ibadan, Oyo State, with the paraphernalia of office that would be equivalent to that of a Deputy Inspector General of Police.

The presidency has said that the four service chiefs who were replaced today by President Muhammadu Buhari, had to leave to allow fresh energy in the fight against terrorism, banditry and other security challenges confronting the country.

Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, in a Channels Television programme, Politics Today which was aired today, January 26, said that the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Abayomi Olonisakin, ex-Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Buratai, the immediate past Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Sadique Abubakar and the former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas only left their positions because it was time to inject fresh energy in the security system.

“The fact that they have to leave today does not mean they have failed. No, I wouldn’t think so. It is just that it is time to have fresh energy, fresh blood and fresh ideas in the theatre of battles where the military is involved in the country.

“The president in the statement also commended the outgoing service chiefs for their contribution to engendering a safer country –that shows that by and large he was satisfied with their performances and he just felt it is time to rejig the system, have fresh energy, fresh blood and fresh ideas. But it should be on a record that he commended them and their services to the country.

“These ones that are leaving today have been there for about five years and five months. It is a matter of doing what is right at a given time.”

President Buhari had earlier today, January 26, appointed the new service chiefs.