The Nigerian Army has denied reports claiming that Ibrahim Nazifi, a recruit from Gombe State, died during military training at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria, describing the information as false and not supported by official records.
The denial follows an earlier announcement by the Gombe State government that Nazifi had died during training at the depot, a claim that has since generated public concern.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Depot NA Zaria, Chikadibia Viola Anele, said the attention of the depot was drawn to media reports alleging that Nazifi, a native of Gombe State with application number 90RRI-GO-9017726, died while training at the facility.
“We would like to clearly state that this information is false and less than the records,” the Army said.
According to the statement, official records of the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria confirm that Nazifi successfully passed the State Recruitment Screening Exercise held in December 2025 and was subsequently shortlisted for training at the depot.
However, the Army clarified that the recruit never reported to Zaria to commence training.
“He never reported to the depot to begin his training, and at no time was he admitted into the training program.
“As a result, deputies have no record of their attendance, participation, injury or death during training,” the statement said.
Therefore, the Army called on the Gombe State Government and other relevant authorities to establish the actual circumstances surrounding the reported death.
“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 alleged deceased died, as no such incident occurred within Depot NA Zaria,” the statement said.
The Nigerian Army acknowledged that the training is inherently demanding, as it is designed to build endurance, resilience and combat readiness in future soldiers, especially in the face of emerging security challenges.
However, it stressed that the demanding nature of the training does not equate to negligence.
“Although the training environment may be demanding and, in rare cases, may result in casualties, this does not mean negligence.
“On the contrary, strong safety measures, medical coverage and risk-mitigation procedures are firmly in place to ensure maximum safety of trainees and minimize injuries,” the statement said.
The Army also cautioned the public against circulating unverified information that could mislead the public or damage the image of the institution.
“Members of the public are therefore urged to disregard the reports and refrain from spreading unverified information that is likely to mislead the public and malign the image of the Nigerian Army,” it said.
The statement confirmed that Depot NA Zaria is fully committed to the professionalism, transparency and welfare of all recruits undergoing training in the service of the nation.
This clarification comes after Gombe State Senior Special Assistant on Security Affairs, Yusuf Danbayo, on Thursday announced the death of Nazifi, whom he described as “one of our promising recruits undergoing training at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria”.
Danbayo also expressed condolences to the family of the deceased and the people of Akko Local Government Area of Gombe State.
