Nigerian Army Chief Lagbaja Raises Alarm Over Drug Abuse By Troops Deployed For Operations

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has stated that the prevailing incidence of drug and substance abuse among troops deployed in theatres of operation has become worrisome.
The COAS made this known in Sokoto State on Tuesday while declaring open a one-day seminar on warrior ethos, with the theme “Optimising Warrior Ethos in the Nigerian Army: A Panacea for Operational Effectiveness,” organised by the Department of Army Transformation and Innovation.
COAS who was represented by the acting General Officer Commanding, 8 Division, Brig. Gen. Ibikunle Ajose, said he hoped that the seminar would address the issue of drug abuse among soldiers, among other issues.
According to PUNCH, Lagbaja stated that the seminar was premised on the need to improve the capacity of the Nigerian Army personnel towards enhancing warrior ethos and the battle-winning mentality.
He asserted that Nigerian Army has continued to review its tactics, techniques and procedures in order to come up with both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to defeat these challenges.
He said, “I can assure you of my continuous support to provide the much-needed logistics and guidance required for the execution of your tasks.
“The Nigerian Army has continued to review its tactics, techniques and procedures in order to come up with both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies to defeat these challenges.
“This seminar was, therefore, premised on the need to improve the capacity of the Nigerian Army personnel towards enhancing warrior ethos and the battle-winning mentality.
“It will also highlight the threats of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear terrorism in Nigeria.
“In addition, the prevailing incidence of drug and substance abuse among troops deployed in theatres of operation has become quite worrisome and necessitates troops’ awareness in a bid to enhance combat effectiveness.”
Lagbaja urged commanders at all levels to continue to come up with innovative ideas to upscale their approaches towards improving man management and battle readiness, which, he said, was in line with his command philosophy for the Nigerian Army.