By Gbenga Akingbule
Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla, has commended troops for their bravery in decimating Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) fighters in the Lake Chad region. He urged them to sustain their momentum.
Gatekeepers News reports that the CNS also charged troops fighting Boko haram terrorists to remain resolute as the Federal Government is making resources available to them.
CNS Ogalla disclosed this at the Naval Base in Baga , Kukawa local government area , a town that had been hit by Boko Haram terrorists at different times – a recent attak was that of the Naval Base in Baga on Wednesday 18 June 2025
The CNS assured troops that the Naval Headquarters is already working on deploying additional fighting equipment and manpower to further support their efforts.
He charged the troops to take the battle to all the enclaves of the terrorists groups in and around the Lake Chad and ensure that the water ways of Lake Chad is safe for all.
“I’m here on an operational visit to Naval Base, Lake Chad and by extension to the Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) Theater Command Headquarters. This Base is one of the strategic Bases for the Nigerian Navy’s Contribution to counter insurgency in the Northeast.
“I have also come to commend the troops because of the efforts they put in ensuring that the enemy ( ISWAP) suffered great casualties when they came to attack the Naval Base recently . If at any time they want to attack our Naval Base again, they will think twice because of the massive defeat they suffered,” CNS Ogalla said.
The CNS added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Military authority is fully committed to the welfare of troops nothing that all that is required is being accorded the desired attention.
The Chief of Naval Staff who visited Baga alongside the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar advised the troops to eschew any for of inter – agency rivalry pointing out that the collective objective should focus on taking out the enemy of the state.- Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorists.
“The Battalion here and the Navy Base must work as twin brothers of fighting against this hydra- headed threat of insurgency here,” the CNS said .
