Depot NA Refutes Death Of Recruit At Training

By Sani Aliyu, Zaria

The attention of Depot Nigerian Army (NA), Zaria, has been drawn to a series of media reports alleging that one Ibrahim Nazifi, an indigene of Gombe State with application number 90RRI-GO-9017726, has died during military training at the Depot.

In a Press release issued by Captain Chikadibia Viola Anele, Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Depot NA Zaria it was categorically stated that the information is false and falls short of record.

Accordingly, the available records at Depot NA Zaria has clearly shown that the Ibrahim Nazifi on their records, had successfully passed the State Recruitment Screening Exercise conducted in December 2025 and was subsequently shortlisted for training in Deport Zaria.

However, he never reported to the Depot for commencement of his training and at no point was he admitted into the training programme.

Consequently, the Depot NA has no record of his presence, participation, injury or death during training.

“In view of this, Depot NA Zaria urges the Gombe State Government and relevant authorities to conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain where, when and under what circumstances the purported deceased died, as such an incident did not occur within the Depot NA Zaria.

“The Nigerian Army acknowledges that military training is rigorous and deliberately designed to build endurance, resilience and combat readiness in would-be soldiers, especially as they are prepared to face the evolving security challenges,” the statement added.

While training environments can be demanding and in rare cases, record casualties, it does not imply negligence, according to the statement.

“On the contrary, robust safety measures, medical coverage and risk-mitigation procedures are firmly in place to ensure maximum protection of trainees and to minimise injuries.

“In view of this, members of the general public are therefore urged to disregard the reports and avoid spreading of unverified information capable of misleading the public and tarnishing the good image of the Nigerian Army.

It also pointed out that “the Depot NA Zaria remains fully committed to professionalism, transparency and the welfare of all recruits undergoing training to serve the nation honourably.”