The newly appointed General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Usman Mohammed, has assumed office on Friday.
Mohammed took over command from Major General Faruk Yahaya in a brief ceremony at the Headquarters 1 Division Nigerian Army in Kaduna.
Prior to his appointment, Mohammed was the Chief of Civil Military Affairs at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.
He lauded his predecessor for his sterling leadership and mentorship of officers in the Division during the period of his tour of command.
The new GOC also promised to follow in the foot prints of his predecessor and build on the foundation already laid to uplift the Division onto higher pedestral.
Mohammed further urged officers and soldiers of 1 Division to extend to him the same cooperation and commitment which they gave to his predecessor.
Yahaya, the immediate past General Officer Commanding 1 Division, thanked the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai for the opportunity given him to contribute to the fight against armed banditry, kidnapping and other criminal elements bedeviling the Division’s Area of Responsibility.
He also applauded the efforts of Commanders, Officers and Soldiers of 1 Division Kaduna. He said their commitments, loyalty and cooperation during his tour of duty were exceptional and encouraged them to extend same to his successor.
The occasion was observed in strict compliance to social distancing advice of the Nigerian Centre for Diseases Control (NCDC) on curbing the spread of COVID-19.
The outgone General Officer Commanding Major General Faruk Yahaya (right) handing over the flag of office to the new new General Officer Commanding Major General Usman Shehu Mohammed during the ceremony.

By AbdulGafar Alabelewe