Putting aside the recent controversies over his ownership of property in Dubai, United Arab Emirate, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen TY Buratai is leading his men in the celebration of 2016 edition Nigerian Army Day Celebrations, NADCEL, an annual event which was first celebrated on 6th July 1978, in remembrance of that historic first shot on 6thJuly, 1967 which marked the commencement of the country’s 30-month civil war.

Buratai leads cleanup of Nyanyan

One of the programmes lined up for this year’s celebrations is an environmental sanitation exercise along Abuja–Keffi Road.

And like he has done since he became the COAS, Buratai on Saturday morning led his men for the cleanup of one of the dirtiest part of the Federal Capital Territory.

Even more significant was the fact that the take off of the sanitation exercise was at the now abandoned Nyanya bus station.

The bus station has been out of use since Boko Haram suicide attack on early morning commuters which led to the loss of over 100 lives and destruction of over 50 vehicles on April, 2014.

Buratai getting down to it!

Another attack less than 10 metres away from the bus station few weeks later also claimed over 10 lives.

The insurgents returned to the same environs, – this time,  directly opposite the park, on the other side of the road in 2015 with improvised explosives device which snuffed lives out of four people and led to destruction of five vehicles among other calamities.

The COAS has led his men to clear out Boko Haram insurgents from many communities under the bondage of the insurgents across North East Nigeria.

Inside the Nyanyan park- the scene of the 2014 suicide attack which killed over 100 commuters

Residents of Nyanya will hope that his leadership of the cleanup of their area and indeed, the entire Federal Capital Territory, will mark total liberation from attacks and fear of imminent attacks from the insurgents.