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NDA ENLISTMENT: 4 Unfit Cadets Die In Kaduna

Published

8 years ago

November 5, 2016

CONTROVERSIES are currently trailing a recruitment exercise being carried out by the Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA, over the death of four Cadets who were recently enlisted into the institution for intensive military training exercises.

The Cadets were said to have died after medical complications arising from the intensive rigorous exercises which exposed their unfitness a few weeks after their admission.

The death of the four Cadets which was said to have jolted the leadership of the institution, resulted in the authorities, instituting a panel to investigate the medical and physical condition of other Cadets undergoing military training in the institution.

At the end of the panel’s sitting, the investigators who included physical training experts, physiotherapists, psychologists and medical doctors, discovered that a sizeable number of the cadets were suffering from severe medical deficiency.

Further investigation by Saturday Vanguard revealed that the situation was so bad that over 50 Cadets were discovered to be suffering from life-threatening diseases.

Tongues have started wagging as to how this large number of medically unfit Cadets were enlisted.

However, Saturday Vanguard was told by sources close to the Academy that about 53 Cadets having been screened and found to be medically unfit had been listed to be expelled.

The NDA Board is expected to approve the recommendation by the Academy. It was learnt that the authorities may have taken the stand to have the medically sick Cadets expelled because of the fear of likely outrage from the public if more deaths were recorded. Observers are however miffed that a military institution like the NDA could allow itself to be bamboozled by politicians into bending its admission rules.

It was gathered that before a cadet could be enlisted into the NDA through the Regular Combatant Intake, Short Service Intake, and Short Service Combatant Intake, the successful cadet was expected to be at least 17 years old.

He must not be less than 1.68 meters tall for a male and 1.50 meters for a female.

He must be medically and physically fit and must be of good moral character.

Findings, however, revealed that these conditions were used during the recruitment of the Cadets given that most were foisted on the institution by prominent persons.

When Saturday Vanguard contacted the Public Relations Officer of the Academy, Major Yakassai for an update on the matter, he said he was attending a meeting and promised to call back