Major General Taoreed Lagbaja has taken over command as the 23rd Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army.

The event which took place at the Army Headquarters in Abuja held amidst fanfare.

Speaking during the event, the immediate past Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, said that the Boko Haram insurgency was at its peak when he assumed office in 2021, but he is leaving the security of the nation better than he met it.

General Yahaya was appointed Chief of Army Staff by former President Muhammadu Buhari on May 27, 2021, after the tragic death of Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in an air crash alongside 10 other officers and men of the army on May 21.

Before he was appointed army chief, he was the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai, the counter-insurgency operation in the Northeast.

Speaking at the handover ceremony at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, Yahaya who led the Nigerian army for two years, said he is leaving the military better than he met it.

He urged the army to sustain the ongoing gains over various security threats, including terrorists and bandits and crude oil thieves.

The outgoing COAS asked them not to be distracted by some unpatriotic elements, but to always be apolitical and professional.

In his remarks, the new Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja stated that the Army has witnessed an unprecedented prudent management of resources and procurement of military hardware under his predecessor.

He promised to improve on the legacy of his predecessor, urging those who are disengaging from service not to deny the Nigerian Army the opportunity to tap from their experiences whenever the need calls for it.

The new COAS promised to run an army that will be driven by discipline and professionalism.

In attendance are senior military officers, and heads of various departments within the army.

Lagbaja is the 23rd Chief of Army Staff.