…meets CDS, senior Army generals behind closed doors
There was palpable tension at the Defence Headquarters on Friday as the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, Major General Farouk Yahaya, assumed duty as the topmost brass hat of the Nigerian Army.
Yahaya on arrival at the Defence Headquarters was received by a handful of Army Generals at the Quarter Guard, where he inspected a Guard of Honour.
Due to the prevailing situation due to penultimate Friday’s death of the former Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 other officers in a plane crash in Kaduna, there was no formal handing over to the new COAS.
Yahaya immediately went into a closed door meeting with the Chief of Defence Staff General Lucky Irabor.
But immediately after the meeting with Irabor, Yahaya went into another closed door meeting with Principal Staff Officers (PSO) and Commanders at the Nigerian Army Headquarters.
Nigerian Army Chief of Policy and Plans, Major General Benjamin Ahanotu, said to be the most senior serving Major-General in the Force as well other members of Course 35 and 36 were also at the meeting with the new COAS.
Yahaya is a member of 37 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
There are indications that serving members of Course 35, 36 and 37 may soon be compulsorily retired from the Armed Forces following President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of Yahaya as the new COAS.
But shortly after the meeting with the top Army generals, Yahaya’s convoy was seen driving out of the Defence Headquarters.