By Reportcircle News
In a quiet but strategically loaded move days before Christmas, the Nigerian Army’s top artillery officer stepped into the heart of the North-East war theatre with a clear message for troops and commanders alike: firepower will not falter.
Major General John Adeyemo, Commander of the Corps of Artillery (CCA), on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, arrived at the Headquarters of the Joint Task Force, North East, Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), for a hands-on operational assessment aimed at sharpening combat effectiveness in Nigeria’s most volatile security zone.
The visit, coming amid sustained counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, underscores the Army’s push to translate command philosophy into battlefield results under the leadership of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu.
Rather than a ceremonial stopover, Adeyemo’s mission was tactical and evaluative.
Addressing senior officers at the theatre headquarters, the artillery chief said the engagement was designed to assess, first-hand, the condition, deployment and effectiveness of artillery assets supporting Operation HADIN KAI.
“I am here to walk the talk,” Adeyemo told the gathering, signalling a shift from remote oversight to direct field accountability.
Artillery platforms, he stressed, remain central to coordinated fire support and operational dominance, particularly in asymmetric warfare environments such as the North-East.
Beyond hardware, the visit also focused on people and process. Adeyemo conveyed the Chief of Army Staff’s seasonal goodwill to officers and soldiers at the front, while reaffirming the Corps of Artillery’s long-term commitment to sustaining the theatre’s operational momentum.
He reserved strong commendation for the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, praising his professional leadership and innovative responses to evolving security threats.
Adeyemo also highlighted the level of inter-unit synergy within the theatre, describing OPHK troops as “warriors and gallant soldiers” whose resilience continues to anchor the campaign against insurgency.
For Abubakar, the visit carried both symbolic and operational weight.
He thanked the artillery chief for prioritising the theatre despite the festive season, noting that artillery firepower remains a decisive combat enabler in ongoing operations.
He assured that OPHK remains focused on maximising the use of all deployed platforms, particularly artillery assets, to sustain pressure on hostile elements.
Abubakar expressed confidence that gaps identified during the assessment would be swiftly addressed by the Corps of Artillery under Adeyemo’s leadership.
The operational tempo of the visit was reinforced by detailed briefings presented to the CCA, outlining OPHK’s recent gains, ongoing missions and persisting challenges.
Adeyemo described the briefings as comprehensive, promising targeted interventions to strengthen coordination and improve overall mission outcomes.
As part of the assessment tour, the artillery chief is expected to inspect selected gun platforms and commission projects within the theatre moves seen as both morale-boosting and capability-enhancing.
The visit concluded with closed-door deliberations among senior officers, formal courtesies and documentation, and a group photograph that captured a moment of strategic alignment between command headquarters and frontline operations.
In a conflict where momentum is hard-won and easily lost, the message from the artillery chief was unmistakable: Nigeria’s fire support backbone remains engaged, accountable and firmly planted where it matters most on the ground.
