The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, spent New Year’s Day on the frontlines of the North East, conducting an operational tour of military installations in Borno State.
The visit, which took place on January 1, 2026, included stops at the Headquarters of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in Maiduguri and the Naval Base Lake Chad (NBLC) in Baga.
In a statement released by the Director of Information, Commodore A. Adams-Aliu, the CNS expressed the Nigerian Navy’s commitment to securing the nation’s borders and restoring economic stability to the Lake Chad region.
Upon arrival in Maiduguri, Vice Admiral Abbas was received by the Theatre Commander, Major General AE Abubakar.
During the briefing, Major General Abubakar detailed the recent successes of the JTF, attributing the degradation of adversary capabilities to the “seamless joint offensives” carried out by the land, maritime, and air components.
The CNS commended the officers for their resilience and assured them that the current operational challenges facing the personnel would be addressed expeditiously by the Naval Headquarters.
The tour according to the statement continued to the Naval Base Lake Chad in Baga, where the CNS was received by the Commander, Commodore Peter Gambo Yilme. A key highlight of the visit was a boat ride on Lake Chad, following recent successful efforts by the Navy to clear the waterways.
The efforts are aimed at restoring navigation and reviving economic activities that had been stifled by insurgency.
Vice Admiral Abbas also shared a New Year meal with personnel from the NBLC and the 196 Amphibious Battalion.
He praised the troops for their sacrifices, noting that their deployment to the “extreme flank” of Nigeria’s North-Eastern border is vital for maintaining territorial integrity and controlling strategic waterways.
The CNS was accompanied on the tour by the Chief of Operations, Rear Admiral MB Katagum, and the Chief of Logistics, Rear Admiral SH Abdullahi.
The visit aligns with the CNS’s broader vision to maintain a mobile and professional naval force capable of securing Nigeria’s maritime domain through synergy with sister services and other security agencies.