Nigerian military trains 129 paratroopers

The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) Kaduna has completed the training of 129 paratroopers of the Basic Airborne Course 7/2022, among its Cadets of 70th Regular Course who graduated on Tuesday.

Training of the Academy, Brig.-Gen. Emmanuel Emekah, said that the training was in line with the curriculum of the NDA for Cadets Training as reviewed by the Chief of Defence Staff.

Emekah added that it is the Academy’s Commandant training philosophy which laid much emphasis on physical fitness of Cadets to meet up with contemporary security challenges.

Emekah said that in line with that, the academy trained the Cadets on specialised warfare courses which includes the airborne course.

He said that the purpose of the Basic Airborne Course was to qualify the Cadets in the use of parachute as a means of combat deployment, also to develop their leadership, self-confidence, and an aggressive spirit through mental and physical conditioning.

Emekah stated that in a few days, the Cadets would be taken to Calabar, Cross River State for an amphibious course.

The overall objective, according to him, is to have officers that are physically fit, mentally alert and ready to confront the nation’s contemporary security challenges.

The Commandant of the NDA, Maj.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, had reaffirmed the Academy’s commitment to ensuring disciplined and thorough bred Cadets in both academy and training.

He enjoined the paratroopers on continuous resilience, discipline, courage and dedication in achieving their goals towards the path of officership.

Some of the graduate paratroopers, Cadet Hassan Ibrahim, and Esther Adeleke, said they went through the rigours of ground training, tactical and jump phases where they did five requisite jumps, which included three Hollywood and combat equipment jump, and a night jump.

They thanked the Commandant and the Academy’s management for giving them the opportunity of undergoing courses as Cadets.

There was a display of live jumps with parashutes from airplanes by the Cadets at various points in the bush before they were decorated with their airborne badges.