The Flag Officer Commanding (FOC), Special Operations Command (SOC) of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Olusegun Soyemi, has reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to enhancing national security through improved coordination, command, and control mechanisms, particularly under the Naval Base Lake Chad.
Rear Admiral Soyemi made this known during his maiden operational assessment visit to the Headquarters of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), in Maiduguri, Borno State.
In a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Sani Uba, Media Information Officer of OPHK, the two-day visit, held from November 12 to 13, was aimed at strengthening inter-service collaboration and boosting operational effectiveness in the ongoing counter-insurgency operations in the North East.
Rear Admiral Soyemi said the visit provided an opportunity to assess the level of operational readiness, review progress, identify challenges, and address key areas requiring intervention to further enhance the performance of the Nigerian Navy’s Special Operations Command.
He stressed the importance of deepening joint operations among the Armed Forces, describing such cooperation as critical to achieving synergy, flexibility, resilience, and information dominance within the theatre of operations.
“The intervention of the Naval Headquarters in the theatre will serve as a force multiplier in the fight against insurgency and terrorism, in line with the Navy’s spectrum strategy and national security objectives,” he stated, adding that the Navy’s support would also help stimulate economic growth across the North East region.
The FOC commended the components of OPHK for their comprehensive briefings, assuring that all concerns raised during the visit would be conveyed to the appropriate naval authorities for prompt action.
In his remarks, the Theatre Commander, OPHK, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, lauded the Nigerian Navy for its sustained support, noting that the maritime component had significantly bolstered the theatre’s operational efficiency and success.
“The future of the battle space depends on our domination of all domains. We must do everything possible to secure them, not just for security reasons but also for their economic value,” Major General Abubakar said.
Also in attendance were the Deputy Theatre Commander, Air Vice Marshal Essen Efanga; the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 OPHK, Brigadier General Oguchukwu Unachukwu (represented by the Chief of Staff, 7 Division); component commanders; and principal staff officers from both the Headquarters Theatre Command and Headquarters 7 Division.
The visit concluded with the presentation of a souvenir to Rear Admiral Soyemi and a group photograph to commemorate the successful completion of the operational assessment tour.
