54-785: Potiskum (also Fataskuma or Fataskum) is a local government area and city in Yobe State northeastern part of Nigeria . It's the largest, most populous and fastest growing city in Yobe State. Of the native languages in Yobe State, Potiskum is home to several major groups which include the Karai-Karai , Bolewa and Ngizim and Hausa-Fulani . It is on the A3 highway at 11°43′N 11°04′E / 11.717°N 11.067°E / 11.717; 11.067 . It has an area of 559 square kilometres (216 sq mi). The city of Potiskum
108-458: A police station on fire during their uprising . A May 2012 attack on the cattle market killed over 34 people, but appeared to be an attack by criminals seeking revenge, and not Boko Haram. On 25 December 2012, a mass shooting occurred at a church. On 3 November 2014, at least 30 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Shia Muslim religious procession at Faydia Islamic school. Yobe State Governor Ibrahim Gaidam promised members of
162-659: A suicide bomber during a student assembly at the Government Senior Science Secondary School." On 11 January 2015, four people were killed and over 40 were injured at Kasuwar Jagwal G.S.M market after an attack by two female suicide bombers , one of whom appeared to be about 15 years old. A bombing involving a parked car also occurred that day, killing two people and injuring one, at the Divisional Police Station. On 13 January 2015, Governor Ibrahim Gaidam condemned
216-584: A Composite Division in May 2002. 3rd Armoured Division was responsible in 1983 for the security of areas bordering Chad . Lagos and Abuja have garrison commands, with the Lagos garrison as large as a division. 81st Division was previously the youngest division, formed on 26 May 2002 when the Lagos Garrison Command (as it then was) was upgraded to divisional status. The Division, therefore, inherited
270-753: A force multiplier in combat operations. Training and Doctrine Command formed in 1981, and is located at Minna . It supervises the Army's schools, including the Depot. On 27 April 2023, the Nigerian Army conducted the largest Presentation of Colours in the Commonwealth on Eagle Square, Abuja , issuing 53 new colors to preexisting units an 28 colors to newly established units 81 colours being issued). The Nigerian Army as of 2016 consisted of some 6,000 officers and 150,000 enlisted personnel. The army itself
324-424: A moratorium on hiring and provided incentives for staff retention. The free-drugs policy and decentralised drug supply have increased access to healthcare, underscoring the state's dedication to renovating and building new primary healthcare facilities to make healthcare more widely available and reasonably priced. Residents of Yobe State in northern Nigeria are worried about desertification because it could have
378-610: A negative impact on their quality of life. Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces . It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces . The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chief of Army Staff , who is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. It
432-409: A thriving trade hegemony in Yobe State because of its strategic position as a centre of commerce, learning, spiritual and cultural revival. People from neighbouring Borno , Jigawa , Kano , Bauchi and Gombe States , and numerous others from Niger , Chad , Cameroon , Benin and Central African Republic have stakes in the 'biggest cattle market in sub-Saharan Africa ' there. It also has one of
486-512: Is a place of Farmers and marketers, the largest cattle market in Africa is located in Potiskum . The state borders four states: Bauchi , Borno , Gombe , and Jigawa . Yobe State shares borders with Borno State to the east for about 421 km, Gombe State to the south for 140 km (in the vicinity of Gongola River), Bauchi State for 188 km (117 miles) and Jigawa State for 193 km (120 miles) to
540-579: Is an abode to the most organised traditional and community administration known as Fika Emirate . Historically, what is known as Fika Emirate with headquarters in Potiskum was the creation of the British Colonialists. who harnessed the indigenous tribes in the area namely, Kare-Kare, Ngizim, Ngamo, Bolewa, Fulani and Hausa to form a Central Administration. The current Emir of Pataskum is Mai Umar Ibn Wuriwa Bauya Lai-Lai. Potiskum has been
594-515: Is an agricultural state, it also has rich mineral deposits, including gypsum and kaolin in Fune local government and very rich agricultural resources as well. The State's agricultural produce include gum arabic , groundnuts , beans , and cotton . The State also has one of the largest cattle markets in West Africa , located in Potiskum. On 29 May 2019, Mai Mala Buni assumed office as
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#1732764960671648-540: Is an overpoperated, economically depressed area, where massive unemployment is likely to prevail for some years." Furthermore, U.S. analysts would go on to state that: "Nigeria is still very much a tribal society, in which clan, tribal and regional jealousies, hostilities and interests count for more than national attachment. General Gowon , Head of the Federal Military Government (FMG), is the accepted national leader and his popularity has grown since
702-688: Is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Nigerian Army is operationally and geographically divided into ten divisions, the basic field formation. The army has been involved in operations throughout the country, most especially during the Nigerian Civil War , and has undertaken major operations abroad. Nigerian Army officers have served as chiefs of defence in other countries, with Brigadier General Maxwell Khobe serving as Sierra Leone chief of staff in 1998–1999, and Nigerian officers acting as Command Officer-in-Charge of
756-647: Is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). It members include: The Nigerian Army is functionally organized into combat arms, which are infantry and armoured; the combat support arms, which are artillery, engineers, signals, and intelligence. The following are installations owned by the Nigerian Army: The Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) located in Minna is responsible for doctrinal, training and combat development, and supervises training centers. There are 17 Corps Training Schools and
810-489: Is supposed to be responsible for the transmission of air traffic information to aircraft flying over the airfield, is not fully functional as the Omni-Directional Range Equipment installed there was not equipped with computers to enable the workers to spot planes over Potiskum. The airport came into being during the scramble for Africa by the colonialists because Potiskum was a sprawling town in
864-401: Is the coldest month of the year in Potiskum. Yobe State Yobe is a state located in northeastern Nigeria . A mainly agricultural state, it was created on 27 August 1991. Yobe State was carved out of Borno State . The capital of Yobe State is Damaturu , and its largest city by population is Potiskum . While by the largest by land area is Fune , Potiskum Local Government Area
918-719: The African-led International Support Mission to Mali . Nigeria claimed to have contributed more than twenty thousand troops and police officers to various UN missions since 1960. The Nigeria Police Force and troops have served in places like UNIPOM (UN India-Pakistan Observer mission) 1965, UNIFIL in Lebanon 1978, the UN observer mission, UNIIMOG supervising the Iran-Iraq ceasefire in 1988, former Yugoslavia 1998, East Timor 1999, and in
972-703: The Armed Forces of Liberia from at least 2007. The Nigerian Army is globally renowned for its professionalism and experience in counterterrorism and counterinsurgency; in 2022, the Nigerian Army won the award for the "Best Land Force in National Defence in Africa" in Banjul, Gambia . The Nigerian Army traces its history to Lieutenant John Hawley Glover 's Constabulary Force , which was largely composed of freed Hausa slaves in 1863. The Constabulary Force
1026-663: The Democratic Republic of the Congo ( MONUC ) 2004. Despite a disproportionate emphasis on the materiel and sophistication of the Nigerian Armed Forces, and despite possessing some formidable hardware, the Army has been hamstrung by technical deficiency and an exceptionally poor standard of maintenance. Its overabundance of foreign suppliers, including Austria , Brazil , France , Germany , Italy , Sweden , Switzerland , Romania , Turkey , Ukraine ,
1080-773: The Ghana Regiment and Southern Nigeria Regiment respectively by 1879. These regiments would be incorporated into the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF) in 1900 by the British Colonial Office , following British military experiences in the Benin Expedition of 1897 , as well as wider British efforts of complete reorganization of its African colonial units such as that of the Egyptian Army earlier in
1134-528: The Islamic Movement in Nigeria (ISMN) that he would demand full investigation of allegations of shootings of its members by soldiers deployed to the scene of the attack. On 6 November 2014, sixteen men arrested by Nigerian Army soldiers were "found dead of bullet wounds hours later." (Another source puts the number at eighteen.) On 10 November 2014 at least 46 boys were killed and 79 wounded, by
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#17327649606711188-740: The Nigerian Army College of Logistics (NACOL). The Army sponsors the Nigerian Military School at Zaria and Command Secondary Schools all over the federation. In December 1983 the new régime of the Head of State of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari , announced that Nigeria could no longer afford an activist anti-colonial role in Africa. Anglophone members of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) established ECOMOG , dominated by
1242-522: The 9 Brigade, based at Ikeja Cantonment in northern Lagos, 82nd Division (Airborne and Amphibious) HQ in Enugu in the South-East, which includes the 2 Brigade at Port Harcourt, 13 Brigade at Calabar and the 34th Artillery Brigade at Obinze / Owerri . The Composite Division at Enugu was formed in 1964 as 4 Division, in 1975 became Lagos Garrison Organization; in 1981 became 4 Composite Division; became
1296-527: The Nigerian Army in the wake of the civil war witnessed a severe decline in troop quality. The expansion process overseen by the Nigerian army command staff led to an extreme shortage of commissioned officers, with newly created lieutenant-colonels commanding brigades, and platoons and companies often commanded by sergeants and warrant officers. This resulted in tentative command-and-control and in rudimentary staff work by Nigerian army personnel. One result of
1350-466: The Nigerian Army, in 1990 to intervene in the civil war in Liberia . Smaller army forces had previously carried out UN and ECOWAS deployments in the former Yugoslavia , Angola , Rwanda , Somalia , and Sierra Leone . The anti-colonial policy statement did not deter Nigeria under Generals Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 and Sani Abacha in 1997 from sending peacekeeping troops as part of ECOMOG under
1404-651: The South-West, which includes 32 Artillery Brigade at Abeokuta ). 2nd Division also possibly includes 4 Brigade at Benin City , with 19 Battalion at Okitipupa and 195 Battalion at Agenebode . 52 Signal Regiment may be the divisional signals unit. 3 Division 's headquarters is at Rukuba Cantonment, Jos , in the North-East, and includes 21 Armoured Brigade Maiduguri , 23 Brigade Yola , and 33 Artillery Brigades. 81st Division (Amphibious) HQ in Lagos, which includes
1458-580: The artillery being raised from the North, but during the expansion of the force during the Second World War a large proportion of more educated southerners being brought in to take up posts that required more technical training. Like in Ghana , there was significant pressure to "Nigerianize" the armed forces, with, for example, two officers being promoted to Brigadier as a concession to public opinion on
1512-691: The attacks, and "proposed the establishment of an Emergency Response Centre at the General Hospital in Potiskum." He stated that the medical bills for those injured in the attack would be paid, including those injured who had been transferred to other hospitals for treatment. On 22 and 24 February 2015, suicide bombers killed 22 people. On 5 July 2015, six people were killed in a suicide bombing. The wet and dry seasons are hot and unpleasant in Potiskum, with temperatures averaging 57 °F to 104 °F and infrequently dropping below 51 °F or rising over 108 °F. From March 15 to May 23,
1566-729: The auspices of ECOWAS into Liberia and later into Sierra Leone when civil wars broke out in those countries. President Olusegun Obasanjo in August 2003 committed Nigerian troops once again into Liberia, at the urging of the United States, to provide an interim presence until the UN's force UNMIL arrived. Charles Taylor was subsequently eased out of power by U.S. pressure and exiled to Nigeria. In October 2004, Nigerian troops were deployed into Darfur , Sudan to spearhead an African Union force to protect civilians there. In January 2013, Nigeria began to deploy troops to Mali as part of
1620-531: The civil war to improve its logistics and administration. The reorganization he instituted permitted 3 Division to successfully conduct the offensive operations that would ultimately lead to the end the civil war in Nigeria. The Nigerian Army fought the Civil War significantly under-resourced; Obasanjo's memoirs chronicle the lack of any stocks of extra equipment for mobilisation and the "haphazard and unreliable system of procurement and provisioning" which lasted for
1674-515: The country. The 7th Division (also known as JTF-RO) was established in August 2013 for the war against Boko Haram . The creation of the new division brought to six the number of divisions. The 7th division is headquartered in Maiduguri. The division includes a combat motorcycle unit as part of its 25th Task Force Brigade. The purpose of this unit is stated as securing roads in Yobe and serving as
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1728-533: The end of the war. The FMG is neither very efficient nor dynamic, but the recent announcement that it intends to retain power for six more years has generated little opposition so far. The Nigerian Army, vastly expanded during the war, is both the main support to the FMG and the chief threat to it. The troops are poorly trained and disciplined and some of the officers are turning to conspiracies and plotting. We think Gowon will have great difficulty in staying in office through
1782-467: The entire period of the war. Arms embargoes imposed by several Western countries made the situation more difficult. At the end of the Civil War, the three divisions of the Army were reorganised into four divisions, with each controlling territories running from North to South in order to deemphasise the former regional structure. Each division thus had access to the sea thereby making triservice cooperation and logistic support easier. This deployment formula
1836-778: The former Soviet Union , the United States and the United Kingdom , has also complicated logistics. Calculating the size and scope of replacement inventories alone is impossible given the menagerie of equipment in use. The Nigerian Army maintains at least eighty-two different weapon systems and 194 types of ammunition, of sixty-two different categories, from fourteen manufacturers. The Nigerian Army achieved an historic milestone after it activated its Aviation Corps in 2024 when it took delivery of two Bell UH-1H, "Huey" helicopters. The Nigerian Army Aviation Corps has over 60 aircraft on order which includes: About $ 3.2 million
1890-788: The governor of Yobe State under the Party APC (All Progressive Congress) and Idi Barde Gubana is the Deputy-Gorvenor of the state. The major ethnic groups living in Yobe state are the Fulani , Karai-karai and Kanuri , while other ethnic communities include Bolewa , Ngizim , Bade , Hausa , Ngamo , Shuwa , Bura , Marghi and Manga . Languages of Yobe State listed by LGA: Other languages of Yobe State are Duwai , Shuwa Arabs , and Zarma etc. The tourist attractions sites in Yobe state include: Tertiary institutions in Yobe state include: The Nguru–Gashua–Damask road across
1944-409: The hot season, with an average daily high temperature exceeding 100 °F, lasts for 2.2 months. With an average high of 103 °F and low of 75 °F, April is the hottest month of the year in Potiskum. From July 18 to September 27, the cool season, which has an average daily high temperature below 90 °F, lasts for 2.3 months. With an average low of 58 °F and high of 90 °F, January
1998-399: The largest correctional facilities in Nigeria. Therefore, Potiskum is known for the following markets: Potiskum is the largest city in Yobe State with booming business in the area. It has one of the largest cattle markets in Africa and the largest in West Africa . Most of the cattle are transported to other parts of the country. As of 2006, the population of Potiskum was 156,859. In 2022,
2052-481: The north of the state via Baiomari and Geidem to Maine-Soroa . The 1067 mm Cape gauge Western Railway Line northeast from Kano via Jigawa State terminates at Nguru . Potiskum Airstrip The inhabitants of Yobe are mainly Muslims and Sharia law was established in the state in 2000 by governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim . However, there are Christians in the State although no Roman Catholic diocese has its seat in
2106-463: The north which was earlier annexed by Germany before the United Kingdom took over. The aim of constructing the airport was to make the movements of the white men in and out of Potiskum easy because the town was also the gateway to other nearby towns in the north, which had enhanced trading activities and other associated commercial services in the region. In July 2009, Boko Haram members set
2160-532: The occasion of the last British commander arriving in Lagos . From a force of 8,000 in five infantry battalions and supporting units, strength rose to around 120,000 in three divisions by the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970. In terms of doctrine, the task of the Federal Nigerian army did not fundamentally change: its task remained to close with and defeat an organized enemy. The rapid expansion of
2214-475: The old Borno State also contributed to the decision. On 3 September 2024, Islamic State militants attacked a village in Yobe State, killing at least 130 villagers accused of collaborating with the Nigerian military. On 14 May 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in Yobe State along with nearby Borno and Adamawa States , due to the jihadist terrorist network Boko Haram 's insurgency . Boko Haram's leader Abubakar Shekau
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2268-488: The period which he said is necessary before the turnover of power to civilians. His sudden removal would dim the prospects for Nigerian stability." The influence of individual personalities is generally greater in the armies of developing states, as they tend to have weaker institutional frameworks. Key personalities involved in Nigeria included then-Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo . Obasanjo was particularly important due to his efforts to reorganize his command, 3 Division , during
2322-435: The plurality of the vote and over 25% of the vote in at least two -third of the State local government Areas. If no candidate passes this threshold, a second round will be held between the top candidate and the next candidate to have received a plurality of votes in the highest number of local government areas. Yobe State has deposits of trona and gypsum . The state's administration has improved healthcare delivery lifted
2376-458: The population of Potiskum stands at 483,346. As of 2023, the population of Potiskum was 511,885. Potiskum is projected to be the seventh fastest-growing city on the African continent between 2020 and 2025, with a 5.65% growth. Potiskum Airstrip is located in city's GRA from the western part of the town along Kano road. The Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) office in the field, which
2430-489: The results of this failure of command experience and professionalism was the 1967 Asaba massacre , resulting in the deaths of some one thousand civilians and individuals of Igbo descent. In November 1970, the U.S. intelligence community concluded the following: "The Nigerian Civil War ended with surprisingly little rancor. The defeated Igbos are accepted as fellow citizens in many parts of Nigeria, but not in some areas of former Biafra where they were once dominant. [Iboland]
2484-554: The security roles hitherto performed by the defunct Lagos Garrison Command. However a later undated article in a Nigerian online newspaper says the 81st Division was later again renamed the Lagos Garrison Command. In the 1980s, the Army's brigades included the 7th Infantry Brigade in Sokoto. There are also Divisional Artillery Brigades, among which are the 32 and 34 Artillery Brigades, ordnance corps units as well as Combat Engineer Regiments, and many other service support units spread across
2538-539: The state. The state government is headed by a governor who is elected through a democratically process. The governor works closely with the State House of Assembly , which is the law-making arm in the state. Just like every other state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria , the electoral system of Yobe State is that of a modified two-round system. To be elected in the first round, a candidate must receive
2592-476: The sunniest month and rainy day is between August and December Yobe State came into being on 27 August 1991. It was carved out of the old Borno State by the Babangida administration. Yobe State was created because the old Borno State was one of Nigeria's largest states in terms of land area and was therefore considered to be too large for easy administration and meaningful development. Ethnic rivalries within
2646-527: The weak direction was that the federal government's three field divisions fought independently, and competed for men and material. Writing in a 1984 study, Major Michael Stafford of the United States Marine Corps noted the following: "Inexperienced, poorly trained and ineptly led soldiers manifested their lack of professionalism and indiscipline by massacres of innocent civilians and a failure to effectively execute infantry tactics." Among
2700-534: The west and the Republic of Niger to the north for about 352 km. It borders to the north the Diffa and Zinder Regions of Niger . Because the state lies mainly in the dry savanna belt, conditions are hot and dry for most of the year, except in the southern part of the state which has more annual rainfall. The climate condition of Yobe is warm with daily temperature of 37 °C (98.6 °F). November being
2754-564: The year. During the Second World War , British-trained Nigerian troops saw action with the 1st (West Africa) Infantry Brigade , the 81st and the 82nd (West Africa) Divisions which fought in the East African Campaign (World War II) and in the Far East. The roots of the ethnic cleavages which started to rip through the army after independence had some of their origins in colonial recruiting practices, with line infantry and
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#17327649606712808-834: Was born in Shekau village of Yobe. Boko Haram's attacks in Yobe include those in Damaturu in November 2011 , December 2011 and June 2012 , Gadaka in December 2011 , Potiskum in December 2012 , November 2014 and July 2015 , Mamudo in July 2013 , Gujba in September 2013 , Buni Yadi in February and May 2014 and Dapchi in 2018 . Yobe State consists of 17 local government areas (or LGAs). They are: While Yobe state
2862-671: Was established with the primary goal of protecting the Royal Niger Company and its assets from constant military incursions by the neighboring Ashanti Empire . This policing force would slowly grow in size and capability to meet the needs of the British Empire in its West African territories, and would later form the nucleus of both the Gold Coast and the Hausa Constabulary, both of which would become
2916-531: Was later abandoned in favour of the present assignment of sectors to the divisions. Thus 1 Division with HQ at Kaduna is allocated the North West sector; 2 Division with HQ at Ibadan South West sector, 3 Division with HQ at Jos North East sector and 82 Division with HQ at Enugu South East sector. Its formations include the 1 Division , headquartered in Kaduna in the north-west, and 2 Division (HQ Ibadan in
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