By Reportcircle News
While much of Nigeria marked Christmas with family gatherings and festivities, the country’s top military leadership chose a different venue for the season’s rituals: the frontline.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Olufemi Oluyede, reached beyond ceremonial goodwill to directly honour troops of the Nigerian Army’s 3 Division and the Joint Task Force, Operation ENDURING PEACE (JTF OPEP), with a Christmas luncheon in Plateau State.
The event was designed to lift morale, reinforce command presence and underline leadership’s solidarity with soldiers deployed in one of the country’s most sensitive security corridors.
Represented by the Commander of the Armour Corps, Major General UB Abubakar, the CDS used the occasion to deliver a message rooted in sacrifice and service.
Christmas, he said, symbolises love, renewal and hope but for Nigeria’s frontline troops, it also underscores duty without pause.
Abubakar praised the soldiers for remaining at their posts while millions of Nigerians celebrated at home, describing their discipline and professionalism as the embodiment of the Armed Forces’ highest values.
According to the CDS, the performance of troops under Operation ENDURING PEACE has played a critical role in restoring public confidence and stabilising communities across Plateau State, as well as parts of Kaduna, Nasarawa and Benue States.
Beyond commendation, the message carried strategic direction.
The CDS urged sustained collaboration with sister security agencies and deeper engagement with host communities, stressing that lasting security requires a whole-of-government approach rather than isolated military action.
Welfare featured prominently in the address.
The CDS reassured personnel that their well-being remains a top priority, citing ongoing efforts to improve living and working conditions, healthcare access and family support systems.
He also called for heightened alertness during the festive period, a time often exploited by criminal elements.
The address concluded with an expression of gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his continued backing of military operations nationwide, alongside a reaffirmation of the Armed Forces’ resolve to defend Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
Earlier, the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander of JTF OPEP, Major General EF Oyinlola, welcomed the CDS’s delegation, describing the visit as a powerful morale booster.
He noted that the physical presence of senior military leadership during the Yuletide season sent a clear signal of appreciation to troops operating in the Joint Operations Area.
Oyinlola highlighted recent operational gains by the task force, including the naturalization of criminal elements, arrests of suspected kidnappers and recovery of weapons achievements he said contributed to a relatively peaceful Christmas across the Plateau State and surrounding regions.
The emotional centrepiece of the event came when senior officers, on behalf of the CDS, personally served Christmas meals to frontline troops.
The simple but symbolic gesture blurred rank lines and reinforced a message that resonated strongly among the soldiers: leadership was not only watching, but standing with them.
In a season defined by togetherness, the military’s Christmas gathering in Plateau offered a different narrative, one of duty, shared sacrifice and a quiet determination to keep the peace while the nation celebrated.
