• Asymmetric threats require strategic thinking, intelligence, and courage — Lt. Gen. Shaibu
Tasks elite ‘Restore Hope’ graduates to restore peace to troubled communities
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, has ordered graduating recruits under the specialized *Restore Hope* initiative to take decisive and ruthless action against bandits, kidnappers, and other violent criminal groups threatening the peace of the nation.
Spurred by the need to quickly neutralize the asymmetric security challenges plaguing parts of the country, the Army Chief warned that the military would no longer tolerate the activities of non-state actors sabotaging national security.
Lt. Gen. Shaibu gave the charge on Thursday during the graduation ceremony of the recruits held at the Depot Nigerian Army Shooting Range in Zaria, Kaduna State.
Changing the Dynamics of the War
Addressing the newly trained soldiers, the COAS emphasized that Nigeria’s current security landscape has shifted from conventional warfare to complex, asymmetric threats. This evolution, he noted, demands that soldiers adapt quickly, using advanced tactics, intelligence, and high-level discipline.
“Our national security challenges require courage, discipline, intelligence, and strategic thinking,” the COAS declared. “Asymmetric threats demand more than conventional responses. You must be prepared to think on your feet, adapt to rapidly changing combat scenarios, and neutralize threats with precision.”
The *Restore Hope* initiative is a specialized package designed to bridge the gap between basic training and advanced tactical deployment. The curriculum focuses heavily on physical fitness, marksmanship, counter-terrorism tactics, hostage rescue operations, and jungle warfare.
Zero Tolerance for Indiscipline
Lt. Gen. Shaibu urged the troops to justify the rigorous training and resources invested in them by maintaining the highest standards of professionalism in the field. He warned that the military authority would not tolerate any acts of cowardice, indiscipline, or human rights abuses.
“You are being deployed at a critical time when the nation looks up to the military to restore absolute peace. You must go into the field as ambassadors of discipline and terror to the criminals. There must be no room for compromise,” he added.
He also commended the instructors at the Depot Nigerian Army for their dedication to refining the recruits, noting that the quality of training displayed during the shooting and combat exhibitions proved that the army is on the right path to reclaiming every inch of ungoverned space in the country.
Strategic Deployments Looming
The graduation comes amid renewed military offensives across the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones, where banditry, cattle rustling, and kidnap-for-ransom syndicates have disrupted farming communities and highways.
Military sources indicate that the fresh batch of *Restore Hope* graduates will be immediately drafted into ongoing operations, including *Operation Hadarin Daji* and *Operation Whirl Punch*, to bolster frontline troops and sustain the pressure on criminal hideouts.
With this new influx of highly trained combatants, the Nigerian Army aims to consolidate its recent gains, dismantle bandit networks, and guarantee the safety of rural farmers as the harvest season approaches.
