By Nkechi Eze
On Thursday, 1 January 2026, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, Admiralty Medal, marked the first day of the new year with officers and men of the Armed Forces deployed on counter-terrorism operations in the North-East, as he undertook an operational tour of the Headquarters Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI in Maiduguri and the Naval Base Lake Chad in Baga, Borno State.
The visit, which underscored the Nigerian Navy’s frontline leadership presence and commitment to joint operations, was disclosed in an official signed statement by the Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Commodore Adams Aliu. According to the statement, the CNS arrived at the Headquarters of Operation HADIN KAI where he was received by the Theatre Commander, Major General AE Abubakar.
During the engagement, the Theatre Commander briefed the Naval Chief extensively on recent operational gains recorded by the Joint Task Force, the prevailing challenges in the theatre, and future operational plans. He highlighted the critical contributions of the Land, Maritime and Air Components, stressing that sustained and seamless joint offensives had significantly degraded the operational capacity of terrorist groups in the North-East. The integrated approach, he noted, had continued to deny adversaries freedom of action across land corridors, airspace and waterways.
Vice Admiral Abbas commended the Theatre Commander and all officers and men of Operation HADIN KAI for their resilience, professionalism and dedication to duty, particularly under the demanding conditions of the North-East theatre. He assured them that the challenges identified would be addressed expeditiously, reaffirming the Navy’s commitment to strengthening joint operations and enhancing mission effectiveness.
From Maiduguri, the CNS proceeded to the Naval Base Lake Chad in Baga, a strategic forward operating base critical to securing Nigeria’s inland waterways and border areas. On arrival, he was received by the Commander of the Base, Commodore Peter Gambo Yilme, who conducted him round key facilities and provided an operational briefing on activities at the base.
A major highlight of the visit was a boat ride undertaken by the Naval Chief on Lake Chad, following recent clearance operations by the base which restored safe navigation on the waterway. The successful clearance, according to the briefing, is expected to boost security, revive economic activities and improve livelihoods for communities around the lake that had been severely disrupted by years of insurgency.
In a show of solidarity and appreciation, Vice Admiral Abbas shared a New Year meal with officers and men of the Naval Base Lake Chad and the 196 Amphibious Battalion, both co-located in Baga. Addressing the personnel, he thanked them for their sacrifice, courage and unwavering service to the nation, noting that deployment at the extreme flank of Nigeria’s North-Eastern border was exceptionally challenging but essential for safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity and maintaining effective control of critical waterways.
The presence of the Chief of the Naval Staff in the North-East theatre on New Year’s Day was described as a significant morale booster for personnel deployed in the area. It also reflected the practical fulfillment of his vision for the Nigerian Navy, which is to build “a mobile, agile and professional naval force dedicated to securing Nigeria’s maritime domain and advancing national security objectives in synergy with other security agencies.”
Accompanied on the tour by the Chief of Operations, Rear Admiral MB Katagum, and the Chief of Logistics, Rear Admiral SH Abdullahi, the CNS reiterated that the Nigerian Navy remains fully committed to denying terrorists the use of Lake Chad waterways. He emphasized that this would be achieved through sustained, coordinated and intelligence-driven operations, carried out in close synergy with sister services and other security agencies deployed in the North-East theatre of operations.
