NDA gets new battalion after bandits raided institution

The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, has operationalised the 37 Nigerian Defence Academy Demonstration Battalion in Afaka, Kaduna State.

This comes six months after the nation’s premier military institution came under an attack by armed men suspected to be bandits.

During the ceremony held on Friday on the premises of the NDA, Yahaya stated that timely review and adjustment of Order of Battle for the Nigerian Army has become imperative due to the fluidity and dynamic nature of contemporary threats to national security.

He explained that this necessitated the need to establish the new battalion which he said had been approved by the NDA Council.

According to the army chief, the activation of the battalion is a practical demonstration of the force’s commitment to enhancing national security by complementing the capacity development efforts of the NDA, which has the mandate of producing quality junior military officers for the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

He stressed that in his effort to enable the battalion achieve its dual mandate of supporting the training of cadets and the provision of security to Kaduna State, he has authorised the issuance of vehicles, arms, ammunition, and other enablers to facilitate a smooth take-off for the new battalion.

Yahaya also commissioned the headquarters of the battalion and conducted a foundation laying ceremony to commence the construction of a standard barrack for its officers and soldiers.

In his address to the troops, he asked them to be exemplary and live by the battalion’s motto – ‘Resilience and Adaptability’, as well as demonstrate the traits of its mascot – ‘Honey Badger’, a creature known to be fearless, resourceful, resilient, and adaptable.

Channels Television had reported the attack by bandits on the permanent site of the NDA during which two officers were killed and one other abducted in August 2021.

The bandits were said to have come in a vehicle and 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 a major and a squadron leader while another major was taken away through the nearby bush inside the institution.