The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, on Friday said he was embarrassed that the Nigerian Army did not foresee the August 24 attack by gunmen on the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna State.
Irabor stated this when he spoke on Radio Now 95.3FM’s programme, ‘Urgent Conversations’.
The gunmen had attacked the Afaka campus of the NDA – Nigeria’ foremost military university – killing two officers, identified as Lieutenant Wulah and Flight Lieutenant Okoronkwo, and abducting one Major Christopher Datung, while another officer was hospitalised within the institution as a result of gunshot wounds.
The bandits were also said to have reached out to the military, demanding N200m ransom for the release of the abducted officer.
Datung was, however, said to have regained his freedom after 24 days in his captors’ den, following the efforts of troops of the Nigerian Army, Air Force and other security agencies.
But speaking on Friday, Irabor stated that the NDA was just like any normal school, so the Army did not see a need to give it any special fortification.
The CDS also dismissed concerns about the capacity of the military, noting that the Army was always under attack and describing the invasion of the NDA as a robbery attack.
He said, “That is a training institution. That it is called Nigeria Defence Academy or military academy does not mean that it is not the same as any other school. Of course, I was embarrassed that we did not foresee such a threat.
“The NDA is not a place we think that we should fortify to such a level that the liberty that is required to be able to emplace the level of leadership, learning, and skills are lost.”
