TheCable

Farouk Yahaya has taken over as the chief of army staff.

Yahaya was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, following the death of Ibrahim Attahiru who was involved in an air crash alongside 10 other officers last Friday.

According to NAN, Yahaya had earlier visited Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff, before proceeding to the army headquarters.

He was received at the headquarters by Ben Ahanotu, chief of policy and plan, who also briefed him before he proceeded to assume office as the new chief of army staff.

Yahaya, however, asked for a minute silence in honour of the late Attahiru and other officers who died in the air crash, after which he asked journalists to leave the hall for a closed-door meeting with officers.

He did not make any make any public statement before departing the army headquarters.

The new chief of army staff was, until his appointment, the theatre commander of the counter-terrorism military outfit in the north-east, which is code-named operation Hadin Kai.

He was the former general officer commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian army.

According to his profile, the army chief, who is from Sokoto state, is aged 55 and is of the 37 regular course of the Nigerian army.

See a video of the ceremony below.

VIDEO: The moment Yahaya took over as COAS at army headquarters

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📽️: @HQNigerianArmy pic.twitter.com/6xImAnEjBR

— TheCable (@thecableng) May 28, 2021