Nigerian army denies reports of recruit’s death at Depot NA Zaria

The Nigerian Army has dismissed media reports alleging that a recruit, Ibrahim Nazifi, died during military training at the Depot Nigerian Army (NA), Zaria, describing the claims as false and misleading.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, Depot NA Zaria, Captain Chikadibia Viola Anele, the Army said there was no record of any such death at the training facility.

According to the statement, Ibrahim Nazifi, an indigene of Gombe State with application number 90RRI-GO-9017726, successfully passed the state recruitment screening exercise conducted in December 2025 and was shortlisted for training at Depot NA Zaria. However, the Army clarified that he never reported to the Depot for the commencement of training and was never admitted into the programme.

“Consequently, the Depot has no record of his presence, participation, injury or death during training,” the statement read.

The Army urged the Gombe State Government and other relevant authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the reported death, noting that the incident did not occur within Depot NA Zaria.

While acknowledging that military training is rigorous and designed to build endurance, resilience and combat readiness, the Nigerian Army stressed that strict safety measures, medical coverage and risk-mitigation procedures are in place to protect trainees and minimise injuries.

The Army therefore called on members of the public to disregard the reports and avoid spreading unverified information capable of misleading the public and tarnishing the image of the Nigerian Army.

Depot NA Zaria reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, transparency and the welfare of all recruits undergoing training to serve the nation.