COAS unveils Nigerian Army Airborne School, tasks troops on special operations readiness

By: Zagazola Makama

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Waidi Shaibu, has unveiled the Nigerian Army Airborne Training School at Jaji Military Cantonment, Kaduna State, with a charge to personnel to attain the highest standards of specialised training and operational readiness.

Shaibu, who unveiled the School on Friday, September 25, 2026, said the establishment of the institution represents a strategic investment in developing highly skilled, agile and mission-ready personnel capable of undertaking complex airborne and special operations.

He said the changing character of warfare and the increasing sophistication of asymmetric threats require a force that is highly trained, adaptable and capable of operating effectively across difficult and diverse operational environments.

According to him, airborne and special operations capabilities are increasingly important to contemporary military operations, particularly in counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency and other asymmetric security environments.

The COAS therefore tasked the Commandant and instructors of the new School to develop and continually refine rigorous, operationally relevant training programmes that reflect global best practices while addressing Nigeria’s peculiar security challenges.

He said the School would serve as a centre of excellence for airborne operations, parachuting, air assault and other specialised military skills.

Shaibu explained that the initiative would enhance combat readiness and operational flexibility, while strengthening the Army’s ability to rapidly deploy appropriately trained personnel in support of joint and multi-agency operations.

The Army Chief assured the institution of continued support from Army Headquarters through the provision of necessary infrastructure, equipment and manpower required to fulfil its mandate.

He said the initiative formed part of ongoing efforts to build a more professional, adaptable, combat-ready and resilient Nigerian Army capable of effectively discharging its constitutional responsibilities.

Earlier, the Commandant of the Nigerian Army Airborne School, Brig. Gen. Muhammed Sani Usman, said the institution had been upgraded from a wing of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji, into a full-fledged school.

Usman explained that the upgrade was driven by the Army’s continuing force-development efforts and the need to strengthen specialised capabilities, particularly those required to complement the operational employment of Nigerian Army Aviation.

The establishment of the School is expected to provide a dedicated institutional framework for developing personnel with specialised airborne capabilities and improving the Army’s capacity to generate forces for rapidly evolving operational requirements.

The event underscores the Army’s broader emphasis on specialised force development as it confronts increasingly complex security challenges requiring speed, mobility, precision and interoperability across conventional and asymmetric operational environments.

COAS unveils Nigerian Army Airborne School, tasks troops on special operations readiness

Three Locals killed in Kassa in Reprisal to killing of fulani herder, rustling of 30 livestock, 10 sheep along Barkin Ladi–Mangu axis

By: Zagazola Makama

The security situation along the Barkin Ladi–Mangu axis of Plateau State has escalated following a fresh attack in Kassa village that left three locals dead, coming hours after a Fulani herder was killed by Berom Militia and 40 animals were reportedly rustled in the area.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama that the latest incident occurred at about 12:40 a.m. on Sept. 25, when troops of Sector 4, Operation Enduring Peace (OPEP), responded to reports of sporadic shootings in Kassa, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.

The troops’ swift intervention reportedly forced the gunmen, suspected by security sources to be Fulani militias, to flee the area.

A search of the location led to the recovery of three bodies identified as Ishaya Pam, 48; Barnabas Gyang, 27; and Daniel Mutuwal, 30.

The troops also recovered an abandoned AK-47 rifle loaded with nine rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition at the scene.

The Kassa attack occurred shortly after another incident around the boundary between Barkin Ladi and Mangu Local Government Areas, where a Fulani herder was killed and livestock were reportedly rustled by Berom Militiamen.

In that earlier incident, troops of Sector 8, Sub-Sector 81, Gyambwas, responded at about 3:55 p.m. on Sept. 24 to a report of cattle rustling and an attack on a herder.

On arrival at the location, the troops discovered the body of a 24-year-old herder identified as Abubakar Mudi, who had sustained gunshot wounds.

Other herders told the troops that about 30 cows and 10 sheep were suspected to have been taken by the attackers during the incident.

Security sources said the attackers were suspected to be members of a Berom militia group, although investigations are ongoing to establish the identities and motives of those responsible.

The troops have since commenced tracking operations to locate the suspected rustlers, recover the stolen livestock and arrest the perpetrators.

Security personnel and local vigilantes have also intensified patrols and offensive operations across the affected areas following the two incidents.

The sequence of attacks highlights the retaliatory nature of violence along parts of the Barkin Ladi–Mangu corridor, where attacks on communities and herders, livestock rustling and reprisal killings can rapidly trigger further violence.

Troops said they are intensifying efforts to prevent further retaliatory attacks.

Three Locals killed in Kassa in Reprisal to killing of fulani herder, rustling of 30 livestock, 10 sheep along Barkin Ladi–Mangu axis

Zulum Named 2026 Quintessence Award, First Northern Governor to Win Pan-Africa’s Top Leadership Award

By: Our Reporter

Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Quintessence Award, the preeminent Pan-African Leadership Award in North America, becoming the first governor from Northern Nigeria to receive this honour.

Zulum, who is currently in New York for the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81), is part of the Nigerian delegation to accompany the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, who is leading the Federal Government team to deliver Nigeria’s national statement at the General Debate and will also participate in several sideline engagements, including the Nigeria Investment Forum.

Before proceeding to the United States, the Governor held a series of high-level strategic engagements in Canada, where he signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of Borno State Government with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) on technical education, workforce development and skills transfer among other areas designed to strengthen the human capital base driving Borno’s post-insurgency recovery.

The Governor’s nomination was conveyed in a letter from the Executive Director of the African Writers Endowment (AWE), the New Jersey-based non-profit organisation, Dr Ugorji O. Ugorji, who said Zulum was selected in recognition of his “remarkable accomplishments as an academic, scholar and educational administrator,” alongside his distinguished tenure as Governor of Borno State, particularly for stemming the tide of insecurity and significantly reshaping the infrastructural landscape of the state.

The award will be presented at the “Quintessence Ball: A Celebration of African People in World History,” which brings together African people from Africa, North America, and the Caribbean. This year’s ceremony will be held on Friday, September 25, 2026, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, New Jersey, United States of America.

According to Dr Ugorji, the Quintessence Award is presented each year to at least one continental African leader and one African American leader, “for distinguished accomplishments in the person’s field of endeavour, and for outstanding contributions to the history and heritage of African people.”

This year’s edition of the Quintessence Conference and Awards will be chaired by Professor Ibrahim Gambari, CFR, former Chief of Staff to the late President Muhammadu Buhari and one-time Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, who was himself the maiden recipient of the award in 1998.

A major highlight of the conference will be a special symposium titled “Investment Opportunities in Borno State: Doorway to the Chad Region.” The interactive session will spotlight the vast economic, agricultural, and cross-border trade opportunities opening up in Borno State, as well as the Governor’s development record in rebuilding communities, restoring livelihoods, and repositioning the state as a strategic gateway to the Lake Chad Basin.

With this recognition, Governor Zulum joins a distinguished roll of past laureates that includes Professor Chinua Achebe, Professor Ngugi wa Thiong’o, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN, Congressman Donald Payne, Professor Toyin Falola, Professor Molefi Kete Asante, and former Governors Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi, among other eminent Africans and African Americans.

The organisers disclosed that the Quintessence Award is traditionally accompanied by a proclamation from the Governor of New Jersey and a joint resolution of the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly in honour of the recipients.

Governor Babagana Zulum is a multiple award-winning governor who received the Forbes Magazine African Leadership Award in 2024.

Zulum Named 2026 Quintessence Award, First Northern Governor to Win Pan-Africa’s Top Leadership Award