Senate confirms Farouk Yahaya as 22nd army chief

Chief of army staff Farouk Yahaya

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Major-General Farouk Yahaya as the 22nd chief of army staff.

The confirmation followed reports by the joint committee on defence and army led by senators Aliyu Wamakko and Ali Ndume.

President Muhammadu Buhari had last week written to the Senate, seeking Yahaya’s confirmation.

Yahaya replaces the late Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru who died alongside 10 other military officers when a Beechcraft 350 aircraft crashed at the Kaduna International Airport on May 21.

The new army chief was born on January 5, 1966, in Sifawa, Bodinga Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A member of the 37 Regular Course of the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), he started his cadet training on September 27, 1985 and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps on September 22, 1990.

He has held several appointments including staff, instructional and command.