The Nigerian Army has firmly denied reports of the death of a recruit from Gombe State during military training at the Depot Nigerian Army (NA) in Zaria, stating that the individual in question never arrived for the program.
In a statement on January 23, 2026, by Captain Chikadibia Viola Anele, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations at Depot NA Zaria, the military clarified that Ibrahim Nazifi, identified by application number 90RRI-GO-9017726, was indeed shortlisted for training after passing the state recruitment screening in December 2025. However, Nazifi “never reported to the Depot for commencement of his training and at no point was he admitted into the training programme.”
“The attention of Depot Nigerian Army (NA), Zaria, has been drawn to a series of media reports alleging that one Ibrahim Nazifi… died during military training at the Depot,” the statement read.
“We wish to categorically state that this information is false and falls short of the record. Consequently, the Depot has no record of his presence, participation, injury or death during training.”
The Army urged the Gombe State Government and other relevant authorities to launch a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the alleged death, emphasizing that no such incident occurred within the Zaria facility.
“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,” the statement added.
While acknowledging the demanding nature of military training, designed to foster “endurance, resilience and combat readiness” amid Nigeria’s security challenges, the Army stressed that robust safety protocols are in place.
“While training environments can be demanding and in rare cases, result in casualties, this does not imply negligence,” it noted. “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.”
The statement concluded with a call to the public to ignore the circulating reports and refrain from spreading unverified information that could mislead citizens or damage the Army’s reputation. “Depot NA Zaria remains fully committed to professionalism, transparency and the welfare of all recruits undergoing training to serve the nation honourably,” Captain Anele affirmed.
