The Nigerian Army, has announced plans to celebrate 160 years of existence and would showcase its capabilities in operations, research, and development since 1863.
According to the Army spokesman, Onyema Nwachukwu, the history of Nigerian Army dates to 1863 when Lt Glover of the Royal Navy selected 18 indigenes from the northern part of the country and organised them into a local force, known as the ‘Glover Constabulary’.
In 1865, the constabulary became a regular force and performed both police and military duties for the colonial government.
The Chief of Army Staff , Maj. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, while speaking with journalist on Tuesday in Abuja, said the Nigerian army had evolved in all ramifications in the last 160 years of its existence.
Lagbaja, who was represented by the Chief of Special Services and Programmes (Army), Maj. Gen. Emeka Onumajuru, said the Nigerian army, as an enviable national institution saddled with the constitutional mandate of defending Nigeria’s territorial integrity, had a rich history of service dating back to 1863.
Lagbaja also said the 2023 NADCEL slated to hold in Ibadan on July 6, was to commemorate the day the Nigerian Civil War broke out.
According to him, it also marks the day the very first shot of the war was fired at Garkem in the present-day Cross River State.
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO THEM