THE city of Kaduna  came under heavy security checks yesterday at the Passing Out Parade (POP) of 196 cadets of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA). Both invited and uninvited guests were subjected to thorough screening.

The graduating cadets were drawn from the Army, Navy and Air Force. The security presence was obviously spurred by the frequent bombings in parts of country, by the sect, Boko Haram.

Speaking shortly after reviewing the parade, President Jonathan tasked the Armed Forces to ensure internal security of the nation in addition to their professional duty of defending the territorial integrity of the country.

“My administration will continue to give premium to security, and therefore the Armed Forces, apart from defending the territorial integrity of this country, must ensure internal security of the nation.

“Let me reiterate that my administration places much premium on security. The development of any nation is hinged on security and peace. It is for this reason that this administration is taking all necessary measures to create harmonious and peaceful atmosphere in every part of this country, so that we can achieve the goals of our all important transformation agenda.

“I urge you (the cadets) to comply strictly by the rules of engagement, based on universal practices in any security operations you may be involved in, either within or outside our dear nation,” he stressed.

As early as 7a.m. security operatives comprising military intelligence, military police, State Security Service (SSS) and others, had formed about 20 check points within the premises of the NDA, subjecting every guest to rigorous anti-bomb scanning.

In addition, no vehicle was allowed to go near the POP ground except fleets of vehicles that followed the President and the few that accompanied the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Abubakar Sa’ad III. All other vehicles were forced to park about three kilometers from the parade ground.

Female guests, who carried handbags, had them thrown into a nearby culvert; others ran back to their vehicles to drop the bags. An AIT cameraman, Umar, was frog-jumped for being, “so much in a hurry to the venue of the event.”

However, the NDA Public Relations Officer, Lt. Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the staff must have spoken to the security men with uncomplimentary language.

The most embarrassing security moment was at the Cadet Mess, venue of the convocation and lecture ceremony, as most dignitaries could not find their way into the hall because of security checks.

The Sultan’s Dongaris (palace soldiers) had to force the entrance open to enable the monarch have unhindered access to the lecture hall. The deputy governor of Kaduna State, Rahmalan Yero, was almost denied entrance.

Meanwhile, the former military administrator of Kaduna State, Col Hamid Ali (rtd), was refused entry into the hall. He had to loiter until the event ended.

-Tribune

Posted by admin on Sep 18 2011. Filed under Armed Forces, Latest Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry