Opytainment Gist World

Nine years before he bade goodbye to the world, Victor Samuel Leonard Malu, a general of generals, went into a coma and was taken to Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) where he was placed on life support. He was later transferred to a hospital in London. After treatment for stroke ,  he was discharged from hospital and went to his home  in Central London. But when the grim reaper came knocking in faraway Cairo on October 9, 2017, Malu couldn’t be discharged from the hospital, for he took his last breath. Not many have the guts that nature gifted Malu, who was known for being blunt, frank and fearless. He served his fatherland with uncommon commitment even in retirement. A former commander, ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) under Sani Abacha, late military head of state, Malu retired after 34 years of meritorious service in the military.  He held several positions — the highest being his appointment as chief of army staff between 1999 and 2001. Born on January 15, 1

Tukur Buratai, chief of  army staff, launched Operation Crocodile Smile, a military exercise, at Takwa Bay Island in Lagos state, on Friday. He said the increase in crimes in coastal areas compelled the army to step up training and operations in the amphibious environment. According to him, the ‘order of battle’ 2016 provides for amphibious battalion on the island to keep the coastal area of Lagos state safe. “A detachment of Nigerian army has since been stationed on the island; more army presence will also be felt soon on the island and other parts of the country in line with the 2016 order of battle as fund becomes available,” he said. The army chief said the first phase of the exercise which took place between August and September 2016 in Abia, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Imo and Rivers states recorded tremendous success. He said troops degraded activities of militants and illegal oil bunkering, destruction of kidnappers’ den and rescue of kidnapped victims, destru