The Commander, 9 Brigade Nigerian Army, Lt Gen Taoreed Lagbaja Cantonment, Ikeja, Brigadier General Olawale Mathew Oyekola has assured the Chief of Defence Civil-Military Relations (CDCMR), Rear Admiral OA Bankole of the Land Component’s commitment to operate within the operational mandate of OPERATION AWATSE and security of critical oil infrastructure for the economic well-being of the nation.
Speaking on Tuesday, 18th March 2025, while playing host to the CDCMR, Rear Admiral OA Bankole, who was at Headquarters 9 Brigade NA, TA Lagbaja Cantonment Ikeja.
In his remarks, Rear Admiral Bankole extended the Chief of Defence Staff commended the Brigade for its good works as Land Component of OPERATION AWATSE.
According to him, the CDS, General CG Musa, is emphatic about chatting the course of the non-kinetic aspect of winning the hearts and minds of the general public, which will reduce the deradicalization of people.
He further urged the officers of the Brigade to earn the respect of the citizenry, not by begging for it, but by working professionally in line with ethical conducts of the job.
Similarly, Brigadier General Oyekola also received the Area Comptroller Zone A, Murtala Mohammed Airport Command (MMAC), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Comptroller MT Awe.
He said the purpose of his visit was to build on the existing synergy with the Brigade. He recalled the intervention of men of the Brigade in one of its operations, which led to the successful arrest of the criminals, while he used the opportunity to seek for cooperation for more seamless operations.
In his response, Brigadier General Oyekola said he had enjoyed a cordial working relationship with NCS since his assumption of command. He said the men of 9 Brigade and Ogun 1 Area Command of the NCS had engaged in several joint operations that have yielded positive results in recent time, and such synergy is readily available to MMAC too.
In a similar development, the new Commander 057 Provost Investigation Group (PIG) Ikeja, Group Captain IF Gbadebo paid a visit to the Brigade Commander. She said 057 PIG deals with high profile cases and requires liaison with other security agencies for its operations.
She said, knowing the precarious nature of security in Lagos State, she might need the assistance of the Brigade Commander in no distant time, which prompted the visit.
While responding, Brigadier General Oyekola appreciated her for the visit, noting that it is a known fact that no arm of service works in insolation in Lagos State security affairs, as each needs one another to thrive. He assured her of the Brigade’s readiness to assist her whenever she calls, “because the success of one is the success of the Armed Forces of Nigeria,” he stressed.
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