By Joy Odor, Abuja
The fight against insurgency in Nigeria’s Northeast got a fresh boost this week as the Flag Officer Commanding, Special Operations Command of the Nigerian Navy, Rear Admiral Olusegun Soyemi, paid a two-day operational assessment visit to the headquarters of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) in Maiduguri.
The visit, his first since assuming command, ran from November 12 to 13 and was aimed at deepening inter-service collaboration, tightening command synergy, and accelerating the final phase of joint counterterrorism operations across the theatre.
Rear Admiral Soyemi arrived the Theatre Command with a clear mission: to see, assess, and strengthen.
Addressing top field commanders from the Army, Air Force and Navy components, he said the trip was to “review operational readiness, gauge our collective successes, and identify critical challenges that demand prompt intervention.”
The Navy Chief stressed that jointness, not isolation, remains the backbone of success against insurgents and other asymmetric threats.
“Operational synergy gives us speed, flexibility, and resilience,” he said. “It strengthens information dominance and ensures that every strike, on land or sea, counts where it matters most.”
He disclosed that the Nigerian Navy’s renewed presence in the Northeast particularly through Naval Base Lake Chad will serve as a force multiplier for ongoing ground and air offensives.
“Our interventions here align with the Navy’s spectrum strategy and the national security objectives of the Federal Government,” he added. “The Special Operations Command will keep driving that mandate.”
Rear Admiral Soyemi emphasized that naval operations are not confined to coastlines.
He explained that the Navy’s Special Operations units have become crucial to inland waterway patrols, intelligence support, and logistics security, especially along Lake Chad and the River Benue corridor.
“We are not just a maritime service; we are a strategic arm in every theatre,” he said. “Our presence here will also aid economic recovery and restore safe access to key waterways vital to local commerce.”
He expressed satisfaction with the comprehensive briefings received from the various components of OPHK and promised to escalate all identified issues to the Chief of the Naval Staff for immediate attention.
Welcoming the Navy delegation, the Theatre Commander, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, commended Rear Admiral Soyemi’s visit as timely and strategic.
He noted that the Navy’s renewed engagement in the Northeast had “significantly boosted operational efficiency and intelligence coordination.”
“The maritime component remains vital to the success of the entire campaign,” Abubakar said. “The future of the battle space depends on our ability to dominate all domains air, land, and water. We must secure them not just for security, but for their economic value.”
The Theatre Commander reaffirmed that Operation HADIN KAI is intensifying clearance operations and tightening intelligence sharing to prevent insurgent regrouping around border communities.
The session, attended by the Deputy Theatre Commander, Air Vice Marshal Essen Efanga, senior Army and Navy officers, and heads of component commands, underscored the renewed momentum behind the multi-service offensive.
Before departing Maiduguri, Rear Admiral Soyemi received a souvenir from the Theatre Command and posed for a joint group photograph with the OPHK leadership, a symbolic gesture of inter-service unity.
The message from Maiduguri was unmistakable: Nigeria’s Armed Forces are tightening ranks for decisive blows against the remnants of insurgency in the Northeast.
“The era of fragmented operations is over. Every arm of the military must move as one because Nigeria’s victory depends on it.”
