14th December, 2012
One hundred and thirty cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) have completed a special training on counter-terrorism to beef up the ongoing campaign against terrorism in the country.
The special force, drawn from the 60 Regular Course Cadets comprising of Army and Air force personnel, were assembled on 2 October for the 11 week training programme at the Counter Terrorist and Counter Insurgency Centre, Jaji, Kaduna.
Speaking at the graduation ceremony on Thursday, the Acting Commander, Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, Maj.-Gen. Kennet Osuji said the country’s contemporary security challenges informed the need for the course.
“It is apparent that these contemporary security challenges have highlighted grey areas in our doctrine on internal security and counter insurgency which need to be immediately addressed to enhance the overall operational efficiency of our nation’s security agencies.
“Experience has shown that fundamentalist activities are now characterised by acts of terrorism, insurgency, ethno-religious violence, political unrest and growing rank of criminal elements.
“The relevance of this course in current global asymmetric warfare cannot be over emphasised.
“I congratulate and commend you on your perseverance and commitment to join the ranks of the special forces in the Nigerian Military,” Osuji said.
He urged them to give a good account of themselves after spending such period in acquiring the basic tenets and skills on how to handle special operations.
Earlier, the Director of the centre, Brig.-Gen. Tijjani Golau said the graduates were subjected to rigorous special training on arms skill, map reading, house breaking/clearing, urban patrol, unarmed combat and rescue operations.
“Others include identification of terrorists and their dynamics, attacking terrorists’ camp, IED identification and disposal as well as post blast investigation,” he said.