Insurgency and terrorism that have laid siege on some parts of this country reached a new low with the attack recently on the main campus of Nigeria Defence Academy [NDA] Kaduna, the nation’s premier military training facility. The assailants killed two military officers and abducted another officer, whose whereabouts are still unknown.
This was not the first time that military and other security formations have come under attack by insurgents and terrorists. Still, the NDA incident stood out not just for its brazenness, but also for the cavalier manner in which the elitemilitary training institution was breached by criminal actors.
The significance of NDA to the Nigerian military needs to be appreciated in order to understand the gravity of this attack. It is the place where future officers are trained and moulded to lead the military. NDA is Nigeria’s equivalent of America’sWest Point, Britain’s Sandhurst and France’s St Cyr. Every officer across the services has been a product of NDA, and the attackers struck at the very institution that symbolizes the heart and symbol of the Nigerian military.
Questions have thus been justifiably asked by Nigerians on the security procedures at NDA and other military establishments such that they could easily be attacked by bandits. For the assailants to strike so brazenly in the manner they did and to escape without being challenged or accosted has alarmed Nigerians.
The anxiety of Nigerians is also heightened by the fact that many days since the attack, the military and security authorities have not been able to track down the culprits or rescue the abducted officer.
NDA is not an isolated military establishment. It is a sprawling base located in the immediate vicinity of other military formations in a city known to host several similar bases.
The attack at NDA is one too many on military formations in the country. From the way and manner these attacks have occurred, it is clear that diligence on internal security within the military is lax. This encourages would be attackers to plan and launch their attacks with impunity.
Going forward, Nigerians expect to see more seriousness on the part of the military towards addressing the internal lapses that make military formations vulnerable to attack. If the military cannot defend itself and its facilities, how then can itdefend the country?
The military top brass should see this episode as a direct challenge and responsibility to their profession as men of arms and also as the institution charged with the constitutional duty of defending the country. That NDA attack should be the last on any military establishment in the country.
