Their appointments, which was contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, followed Buhari’s sacking of the ex- occupants of the offices earlier in the day.
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ABUJA – Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari sacked his army, navy, air force and defence chiefs on Monday, a widely anticipated move as the former general has made crushing Islamist militant group Boko Haram his top priority. The uprising has left at least 15,000 people dead and forced 1.5 million people to flee their homes.
Many Nigerians, including security analysts, have long called for a shake-up among Nigeria’s top brass, which they criticize for failing to rein in Boko Haram.
But Badeh, Army head Lieutenant General Kenneth Minimah, Adesola Amosu of the air force and the navy’s top officer Usman Jibrin were appointed by ex- president Goodluck Jonathan in January past year.
But Nigerians saw Mr Jonathan’s victories as too little to late.
Soldiers speak to people standing away from houses burnt by Boko Haram at Zabarmari, a fishing and farming village near Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, on July 3, 2015.
Major-General Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin will take over as Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General T.Y. Until his new appointment today, he was the Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force which has its headquarters in Ndjamena.
In April past year, more than 200 schoolgirls were abducted from the northeastern town of Chibok.
Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the attack.
Two female bombers blew themselves up near an army camp at Fotokol on Sunday, according to a local security source in the town, the first suicide attack on Cameroonian soil although the area has come under repeated attack by Boko Haram.
“Today, their (Boko Haram’s) ability to face our gallant troops in any form of combat has been seriously degraded”, he said.
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“Consequently, the terrorists have cowardly resorted to attacking innocent and vulnerable citizens in markets, places of worship and similar places”, he added.
