I was embarrassed we didn’t foresee attack on NDA – CDS

Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has said that he was embarrassed that the army did not foresee the attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

“Nigerian Defence Academy is not a place where we could think that we should fortify to such a level that liberty that is required to be able to emplace the level of leadership learning and skills will be lost,” he said during a programme – RadioNow’s Urgent Conversations – aired on Channels Television on Friday.

“But that, of course, is a lesson we have factored, and it does not in any way dampen the preparedness of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to what it should. And it does not in any way speak to our weakness and our inability to defend the nation,” he added.

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.

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 bandits who attacked the Academy in August killed two officers and abducted a Major. This raised concerns among Nigerians regarding the military’s ability to effectively carry out their duty in defending the country.

However, the CDS dismissed those concerns noting that the Army was always under attack, describing the attack on the NDA as a robbery attack.

Irabor added that the incident did not dampen the morale of the Armed Forces since they are still capable of defending the country.

“Have we not been under attack? That an attack happened at the NDA does not imply that we are not under attack on a daily basis. Do you know how many of the attacks that we have had to ward off?” he asked.

“The troops in the frontline, the terrorist elements, who are they attacking? Even in the South-East, who have they attacked? Police and military. The attack on the NDA is what I would likely describe as an armed robbery attack of any unsuspecting individual.

“But that, of course, is a lesson we have factored, and it does not in any way dampen the preparedness of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to what it should. And it does not in any way speak to our weakness and our inability to defend the nation,” Irabor added.

The academy was attacked by bandits in August, resulting in the abduction of one officer and the death of two others.

The bandits, who came in a vehicle, were said to have passed through the security gate into the academy, disguised in military uniforms, after which they proceeded to the officers’ quarters.

On arrival, they began shooting sporadically and in the process, killed two officers (a Major and a Squadron Leader), and later on, took another Major away through the nearby bush inside the academy.

The sound of the gunfire, however, alerted the troops of the NDA Quick Response Team, who arrived at the scene, but were unable to rescue the kidnapped officer as the bandits were already gone with the victim.