There appears to be some controversy over the alleged arrest of a Nigerian Air Force officer, Sergeant Torsabo Solomon, over an alleged connection with the attack on the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, where two officers were killed and another one abducted.
A report has it that the suspect, Solomon, who is currently attached to the Air Force Comprehensive School, Yola, was arrested on Monday in Yola, the Adamawa State capital.
An eyewitness informed Nigerian Tribune in Yola that “Sergeant Solomon was arrested on the order of the Base Commander as requested by the NDA Commander for an offence connected with the recent bandits’ attack on NDA, Kaduna.” An insider source who pleaded for anonymity said, “on November 8, at about 6:00 a.m., NAF07/23922, Sergeant Torsobo Solomon of 153 BSG (Air Force Comprehensive School, Yola) was arrested on the order of the Base Commander. “At about 8:15 a.m., ATR with registration number NAF 930 [plane] arrived to convey him from Yola to NDA Kaduna for further interrogation.”
However, the NDA has denied the arrest of Sergeant Torsabo Solomon over his involvement on the security breach at the academy.
This was even as it refuted the claim that the Airforce personnel was in its custody.
In a statement issued by the NDA spokesman, Major Bashir Muhammad Jajira on Tuesday said the arrested sergeant has no connection with Academy’s attack.
According to the statement, NDA is a Military Training Institution not Investigative Security Agency.
To this end, it advised the general public to disregard the information trending on the social media, saying, the perpetrators of the security breach at the academy will definitely be apprehended.
The full statement: “The attention of the Nigerian Defence Academy has been drawn to a viral publication on social media regarding the arrest of one Sgt Torsabo Solomon for his involvement on the security breach in Nigerian Defence Academy and was conveyed to the Academy for investigation.
“This is to inform the general public that the above-named person is not in the Nigerian Defence Academy’s custody as alleged and has no connection with the Academy.
“The Nigerian Defence Academy is a Military Training Institution and not an Investigative Security Agency. The general public is hereby advised to disregard this misinformation and refer to relevant Investigative Security Agencies for clarification.
“The Nigerian Defence Academy wishes to reassure the general public that the perpetrators of the security breach on the Nigerian Defence Academy architecture will sooner rather than later be apprehended.”