NDA Just Like Any Other School, We Saw No Need To Fortify It – Irabor

Lucky Irabor, chief of defence staff, has explained why the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) is not fortified as expected.

He said the institution is like every other school and the military did not see any need to intensify security around it.

Recall that the academy was attacked by bandits in August, resulting in the abduction of one officer and the deaths of two others.

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Speaking on the attack during the Urgent Conversations programme of RadioNow on Friday, Irabor said: “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?”

“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.

“In any case, 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.

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“Of course, I was embarrassed that we did not foresee such a threat. 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. That is a lesson that we have factored but that does not in any way dampen the preparedness of the armed forces to do defend the nation.”