The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya, on Monday, hosted troops of North-East Operation Hadin Kai at a luncheon to mark Easter.
The feast was held at Maimalari Military Cantonment in Maiduguri.
Yahaya, who was represented by the Theatre Commander, Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, said the luncheon was in keeping with the tradition of the army.
He said, “It is with gratitude to the Almighty God and indeed a great pleasure for me to send this goodwill message and well wishes to my officers, soldiers and their families.
“Easter celebration is no doubt of great spiritual importance to the Christian faithful worldwide because it’s a season of love, hope, sober reflection and above all fervent reflections and prayers to Almighty God.
“This year’s Easter celebration came at a unique period. The Muslim faithful are also observing their mandatory fast of the holy month of Ramadan. It is, therefore, a season of immense spiritual importance to Christians and Muslims.”
The COAS thanked the officers and soldiers for their tremendous efforts in tackling the numerous security challenges confronting the nation.
He hailed the troops for their commitment, dedication, courage, resilient professionalism and will to succeed.
“I am indeed proud of you all and want to charge you to continue to remain focused, disciplined and loyal to constituted authority while ensuring we continue to carry out our responsibilities professionally in the joint environment we are operating in.
“We must continue to leverage the competencies of our sister security services and other organisations in the discharge of our responsibility,” Yahaya said.
The COAS also commended the professional conduct of troops in the just concluded general elections, noting that they stood their ground while discharging their duties.
“The nation is indeed proud of the Nigerian Army and this calls for more work.
“We must indeed remain professional, apolitical and committed to the discharge of our constitutional responsibilities,” he said.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander, who was represented by his Deputy, Maj.-Gen. Koko Isong, said the theatre had intensified kinetic and non-kinetic operations which were instrumental in the successes recorded so far.
He said a total of 93,000 Boko Haram terrorists and their family members had surrendered to troops.
The commander gave the assurance that the troops would not be complacent to avoid the reversal of the gains already made.
He added that the troops would continue to be decisive as they intensify the war against terrorists in the North-East.
