By Emeka Okafor
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday appointed the Major General Farouk Yahaya to succeed late Lt-General Ibrahim Attahiru as the Chief of Army Staff.
The appointment of Yahaya was contained in a statement signed by Acting Director Defence Information, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu.
Attahiru, who succeeded former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, January and died in a military plane crash in Kaduna State.
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Here are some ten notable details about General Yahaya who is succeeding late General Attahiru:
1. General Farouk Yahaya was born Wednesday January 1966 in Sifawa in the Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
2. The new Chief of Army Staff is a member of the 37 Regular Course of the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), started his cadet training on 27 September 1985.
3. He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on 22 September 1990.
4. He is from Sokoto State and happily married with children.
5. General Yahaya served at the Garrison Commander Headquarters Guards Brigade, Directing Staff at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College (AFCSC).
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6. The COAS was also a Deputy Director Army Headquarters Department of Military Secretary. He was equally a former Deputy Director Army Research and Development.
7. He was at a point the Chief of Staff, Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation Pulo Shield.
8. He also served as the Principal General Staff Officer (PGSO) to the Honourable Minister of Defence. He also held sway as the Commander, Headquarters 4 Brigade and 29 Task Force Brigade (Operation Zaman Lafiya).
9. The new Chief of Army Staff was also a former Director Manpower at the Army Headquarters, Military Secretary, Army Headquarters and General Officer Commanding (GOC) Headquarters 1 Division of the Nigerian Army.
10. Yahaya was the Theatre Commander Operation HADIN KAI responsible for Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency operations in North-East Nigeria until his appointment on Thursday as COAS by President Buhari.
11. General Yahaya has won several honours and awards including the Forces Service Star, Meritorious Service Star, Distinguished Service Star, Grand Service Star, Passed staff course (Dagger), National Defence Course (Chile), Economic Community of West Africa State Monitoring Group Medal, Command Medal, Field Command Medal, General Operations Medal, Silver Jubilee Medal and Golden Jubilee Medal.
