The Commanding Officer, 72 Special Forces Battalion Makurdi, Lt. Col. A.D. Alhassan, has been honoured by the West African College of Freelance Journalism, for the tremendous achievements recorded under his command.

The award “Peace Award for Excellence and National Unity and Professionalism” was presented to Alhassan recently in Makurdi, Benue, in collaboration with the Commonwealth College of Bishops and Clergy Councils.

A statement by Bishop Abel King, Executive Director of the council, noted the resilience and commitment of the commanding officer and the professionalism of his troops in combating security threats in the middle belt and the country at large.

King said that the performance of other security agencies had been enhanced through the sterling leadership skills of the commanding officer particularly in the middle belt area of the country.

“This call for recognition is to encourage and further boost the morale of the Nigerian Army and its personnel to continue to do more to restore and maintain the existing peace in the state and the region”.

“At a time that professionalism is being tested by activities of criminals, Lt.-Col. Alhassan has lived up to the task of securing lives and property as well as guaranteeing an enabling environment for citizens. This has enabled the people to live without difficulty,” he said.

He said that the Nigerian Army under the leadership of Lt.-Gen Turkur Buratai had proven itself time and again by giving responsibility to tested hands such as demonstrated by Alhassan.

He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, not to relent in the support given to the Nigerian Army to compliment the country’s conventional security agencies for lasting peace in the nation.

“The Nigerian Army continues to be our last line of defence at all times and must be encouraged to give out its best for our overall good,” he said. (NAN)