The Nigerian Military is building capacity in intelligence gathering in order to surmount the menace of terrorism in the country soon, Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), Major General Sanni Audu has said.
Audu, speaking in Abuja at the graduation of National Security Training Seminar and Advanced Intelligence Officers’ Course 07/13, stated that the Nigerian Defence Intelligence School has been elevated to the status of a college with international recognition and assured that intelligence gathering is spreading fast within the civil service.
“The graduation is a combination of two courses and the first of its kind, as the institute’s nomenclature has changed from Defence Intelligence School to Defence Intelligent College,” he said.
“The Defence Intelligence Agency has gotten approval to establish Medical Intelligence Unit and a Joint Military Attaches School, which will prepare potential Defence Adviser/Attaches for diplomatic duties before reporting to mission areas.”
He added that with the upgrade, any certificate awarded from the institution will now be recognised internationally.
Earlier during the graduation, Commandant of the College, Commodore Adekunle Olawunmi stated the college’s readiness to partner all Ministries, Department and Agencies of government in curtailing the menace of terrorism that has bedeviled the country.
“The Defence Intelligence College has advanced even more than our counterparts in advanced countries.
“We have affiliation with the National Defence University, Washington; and they are surprised by the programme we run. Today, for instance, we have participants from EFCC, ICPC, Ministry of Defence, Central Bank, NDLEA, from across the MDAs.
“This is our strategy to be able to contain terrorism that has bedeviled the nation, because our collaboration and synergy with the MDAs are having multiplier effects. Now we have a lot of contacts within all the MDAs and intelligence gathering has been very easy for the agency.”
He commended the Chief of Defence Intelligence his support and encouragement that account for the success attained so far.
Graduates of the College who spoke with newsmen after the ceremony include Major Abubakar Monmoni-Bashi, Mrs Lara Owoeye-Wise of AIT, and Commodore Desmond Igbo of the National Defence College. They all expressed satisfaction with the training from Israeli instructors, who exposed them to handling intelligence gathering and its use.
