Lucky Irabor Bows Out of Service as CDS, Says He Is Leaving the Military More Capable

The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd), has officially pulled out of the Armed Forces of Nigeria. He bowed out at a ceremony held at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro, Abuja, on Friday.

The pull-out ceremony is part of the military tradition to honour retiring generals. The event involved a march past by the officers of the Nigerian Army among others. Past Chiefs of Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Staff, among others, attended the event.

Irabor was appointed CDS in January 2021 and retired alongside others on June 19, following the appointment of new service chiefs by President Bola Tinubu.

The immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor (retd), has said he is leaving the military more capable of tackling adversaries than he met it. This is as he admitted that the task wasn’t easy due to the large and diverse nature of the country.

He said, “National security for a large and diverse country like Nigeria is not an easy task, but it is also not an impossible one. In 2021, the security situation of the nation was admittedly in a state of dynamic plus. Efforts made by the Federal Government of Nigeria using the AFN in collaboration with the NPF, other security agencies, and critical stakeholders, were in different stages of gestation. We were encouraged to pursue these measures in addition to other initiatives to reinvigorate the national security architecture to deliver critical national security functions.

“I make bold to say that I’m leaving the armed forces of Nigeria today, bigger, stronger, and more capable to deliver on its constitutional mandate and national security functions.” He said the military under his watch had significantly curbed the threat of terrorism and piracy, among others.

He urged the citizens to be proud of the military and refrain from denigrating the service, adding that the military stood as a beacon of hope for the country.