Navy, Army commit to secure naval base, Lake Chad waters against insurgency in Borno
By Tada Jutha, Maiduguri
The Chief of Naval Staff (CoNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, has said that the Baga naval base and the Lake Chad waters will be secured against Boko Haram and Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) terrorism that claimed many lives and property in Borno state.
Ogalla made the pledges at the Baga Naval Base (BNB) while addressing troops to sustain their momentum of the ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the Lake Chad region.
“You’re to remain resolute and gallant in the fight against the insurgents, as the Federal Government is deploying more available resources to end the 16-year Boko Haram insurgency in the Northeast.
In ending the terrorism fight, the CoNS charged the troops that they should take the fight to terrorist hideouts located on the shores of Lake Chad.
Highlighting the significance of synergy between the Nigerian Navy and Army, Ogalla stated, “Smoking out the terrorists from the Lake Chad region can ensure the waterways of Lake Chad are safe for all, including fishermen and farmers.
Speaking to newsmen at the naval base, he said, “I am in Borno state on an operational visit to the Baga Naval Base in Lake Chad and, by extension, to the Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Theatre Command Headquarters, Maimalari Cantonment, Maiduguri.”
Beyond securing the Lake Chad waters for fishing and transportation, Admiral Ogalla stated that the Baga naval base is one of the strategic bases for the Navy’s contribution to the counter-terrorism operations in the Northeast, comparing six states in the country.
Reiterating his visit to the naval base, he added that he was at Baga base to commend the troops for the efforts they have put in to ensure the terrorists suffer a lot of casualties during the June 18, 2025 attack.
He warned that if at any time the insurgents wanted to attack our base again, they would think twice because of what he described as a massive defeat they recently suffered.
The CONS, who was accompanied by the Theatre Commander, OPHK, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, also urged the troops to eschew any inter-agency rivalry, noting that the collective objective of the Nigerian Armed Forces was to focus on taking out the enemies, particularly the Boko Haram and ISWAP terror groups.
“The battalion here and the Naval base must work as twin brothers in fighting against the hydra-headed threats to people’s lives and property in the region.
Ogalla further revealed that President Bola Tinubu and the Nigerian Armed Forces are also committed to the welfare of troops, stating that all that is required of the Federal Government has been accorded top-most priority to boost troops’ morale and professionalism in the front lines of the Lake Chad region and Sambisa Forest.
