Service chiefs assume office today

Abuja – New Service Chiefs who were named by President Muhammadu Buhari last Monday are set to assume office on Thursday (today) according to sources close to the military hierarchy in Abuja.

The new Service Chiefs who were appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, are, Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.Gen. Abayomi Gabriel Olonishakin; Chief of Army Staff, Maj.Gen. T.Y. Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas; Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sadique Abubakar; and Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Monday Riku Morgan.

All the services of the Armed Forces and the Defence headquarters might take over at the same time at the Defence Headquarters simultaneously.

It is the tradition of the military for all the service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff to take over the same day.

A top military source told our correspondent that the men of the Armed Forces were involved in a drill rehearsal in preparation for the change of guard.The Acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col. Sami Usman confirmed the handing over of the service chiefs in a late evening text message on Wednesday.

He said that the outgoing Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, would hand over to his successor, Maj. Gen. Yukur Buratai, by 11am on Thursday.

The source said that even though, such clean up exercises were observed in one of the services, it was his belief that  all the exercises were involved in similar preparations