The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Faruk Yahaya, has assured the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) of army’s support to enhance the security at the military university.
The COAS gave the assurance on Tuesday when he visited the academy, according to a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Maj. Bashir Jajira, on Wednesday in Kaduna.
Jajira said the COAS’s visit to the academy is to get a firsthand brief on the incident and to commiserate with the commandant NDA, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, and its community.
He added that the COAS had assured the academy that the Nigerian Army would also provide the academy with additional operational enablers to further enhance security of the academy.
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He appealed to the academy’s staff to remain loyal to the country and not allow the unfortunate incident to deter them from their ultimate objective of grooming officer cadets for the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
He further enjoined all officers, soldiers and civilian staff in the Academy to remain vigilant, “because the fight against insecurity must be a collective effort.”
“The COAS vowed that no matter how long it takes, the perpetrators of this heinous act would be brought to justice,” he added.
Jajira disclosed that the COAS also undertook an on-the-spot assessment of the scene of the incident before departing from the Academy.
He also disclosed that the NDA commandant, Maj.-Gen. Yusuf, briefed the COAS on the security breach into the academy which occurred on Aug. 24, 2021.
He also expressed his appreciation to the COAS for his encouragement and support for the academy before and after the incident, particularly efforts being made to ensure the safe return of the abducted officer.
He particularly thanked the COAS for upgrading the Academy Demonstration battalion to a full-fledged battalion, providing six gun trucks to the Academy, and deploying more instructors and staff.
Another commendable interventions, he said, was the provision of other numerous operational enablers, to enhance the security of the academy and its environs.
He said the commandant informed the COAS that these support measures have really boosted the morale of the staff and the security of the Academy.
The commandant also briefed the COAS on the new security measures being taken in collaboration with 1 Division Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Air Force and other security agencies in Kaduna state, to prevent any future security breach in the Academy.
For these collaborative efforts, the COAS commended the Commandant NDA, the GOC 1 Division, the Air Officer Commanding, Air Training Command, and Heads of other security agencies in Kaduna State.
According to Jajira, the incident had reinforced the cohesion of the entire Academy’s Community,” who have vowed to provide formidable support and prevent future occurrence.”
Jajira said the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, had paid a similar solidarity visit to the academy on Aug. 24.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the academy had on Aug. 24 confirmed the attack by unknown gunmen, disclosing that one officer was abducted and two others died. (NAN)