The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) has confirmed that one of its cadets, Stephen Gani, went missing under mysterious circumstances but asserted that it duly notified the family about his absence.
In a statement issued, the Academy insisted that proper procedures were followed after the cadet absented himself from the institution. SaharaReporters exclusively reported that the family of 21-year-old Stephen Kubuma Gani appealed to authorities for urgent clarity and intervention following his unexplained disappearance from the NDA, located in Kaduna State. The family has expressed anguish over the past seven months due to the lack of any official resolution regarding his case.
SaharaReporters learned that Gani, a native of Wukari Local Government Area in Taraba State, was admitted into the Academy in 2024. In a statement signed by the NDA’s Public Relations Officer, Major Reuben Kovangiya, claims suggesting that the Academy failed to act were described as “false” and not reflective of the true situation.
“The report alleged that the cadet mysteriously went missing from the Academy without appropriate actions taken by NDA to ascertain his whereabouts,” the statement read.
According to the NDA, Cadet Stephen K. Gani was part of the 76 Regular Course and began training on August 26, 2024. “Cadet SK Gani was admitted into the Academy as a member of the 76 Regular Course and reported for training on 26 August 2024,” the Academy stated, further explaining that the cadet’s training progressed normally until he absented himself without authorization.
“His training progressed without any hitch, but he was observed to have absented himself from the Academy with effect from 28 April 2025 without official permission,” the statement noted. The Academy clarified that, in line with its regulations, the cadet’s parents were formally informed three days after his absence was noted. “In accordance with established procedures and extant regulations guiding cadets’ administration in NDA, his parents were formally notified three days after his absence,” it added.
Seven days later, the NDA stated that the cadet was struck off the Academy’s strength following due administrative processes. However, the institution disclosed that investigations were reopened after the cadet’s parents later informed the school that his whereabouts remained unknown. “Feedback received later from his parents revealed that his whereabouts could not be ascertained, which led to renewed investigative procedures by the Academy, which are still ongoing,” the statement continued.
The cadet, who was attached to the Burma Battalion with registration number NDA/15131, was a Naval cadet studying Geography in the Department of Geography. His family claims they have exhausted nearly every available channel—emotionally, financially, and institutionally—yet have received no documented explanation regarding what happened to their son.
According to the family, the last communication they received from Gani was on Sunday, April 27, 2025, at about 2:00 p.m. He called using his roommate’s phone to notify them that he had returned safely to the Academy after spending the Easter holiday with his family in Jos. However, shortly after the call, all attempts to reach him again failed. His phone stopped connecting, and subsequent calls went unanswered.
“He told us he had arrived safely. That was the last time we ever heard his voice,” his father, Mr. Gani Agby, wrote in a formal inquiry submitted to the NDA Panel of Investigation on November 5, 2025. “We never imagined that phone call would be our final contact,” the father lamented.
The family recounted that their ordeal began on April 29, 2025, when they received a call from Lt. Makka, Deputy Battalion Commander of Burma Battalion, informing them that their son could not be found anywhere within the Academy. Makka reportedly told them that Gani had been present during the night bed check and lights-out the previous night. He further relayed accounts from Gani’s roommate, Cdt. Bamaiyi H. Maidoki, who claimed that around 3:00 a.m., Gani woke him up, asked him to prepare for morning routines, and then stepped out to “ease himself,” after which he vanished without a trace.
The family also received informal communication from a senior cadet, Cdt. N. O. Abdul, who wrote to them via WhatsApp, stating that Gani had not been seen in the academy. According to Mrs. Blessing Gani, he advised her “not to tell anyone about it,” a detail the family said deepened their fears.
Despite these conversations, the parents insisted that no official written notification of their son’s disappearance has ever been issued by the NDA. They expressed concern over discrepancies in the narratives provided to them, stating that initially, they were informed Gani participated in bed checks and lights-out, but later information suggested that his roommates might have played a role in his disappearance.
In their submission to the NDA investigative panel, Gani’s father alleged that his son was the only Christian in a room of four cadets and suggested that the circumstances surrounding his disappearance “sound like a prearranged setup.” “As a father, I believe Stephen was hypnotized and taken by his roommates to a waiting vehicle parked outside their room by someone within the military,” Gani’s father claimed. “After his disappearance, his SIM card was used to communicate with his abductors.”
The family further questioned why Gani’s SIM card was initially declared missing but later “found” under unclear circumstances. They noted that the Battalion Commander first stated that the roommate, Bamaiyi, did not have it, but after further inquiry, the cadet claimed to have later discovered it. “These contradictions are disturbing,” the family remarked.
The parents were informed that an internal committee of investigation had been set up by the Academy; however, they claim they have never been granted a physical meeting with the committee members. “All our communications with those said to be the chairman and secretary happened only via telephone,” the family noted. “No written report, no official update, nothing concrete. We are completely in the dark.”
They added that they visited the NDA on May 1 and May 5, 2025, but were not allowed to search or access any part of the Academy where their son may have been last seen. The family reported the incident to the police station near the Academy and later at the Kaduna State Police Headquarters, but they alleged that they were not issued any reference number for their report, complicating their ability to formally track the complaint. Their efforts to reach their elected political representatives also hit a dead end, with a message sent to their senator going unanswered.
On July 18, 2025, nearly three months after Gani’s disappearance, his father received a mysterious call from a private number at about 2:01 p.m. “The caller asked if I was Stephen’s father,” he recounted. “When I said yes, I asked for the caller’s identity, who refused to answer. He simply said, ‘Your son will be with you,’ speaking in Hausa.” The family described the cryptic call as further heightening their distress.
Since April, life has been at a standstill for the family. “We cannot sleep. We cannot eat. Our business has collapsed,” Gani’s parents said, adding, “Every day we wake up with fear. Every night, we do not know if he is alive or dead.” They explained that they have taken loans, halted their work, and traveled repeatedly in search of answers, yet none have come. “What hurts most is the silence,” Gani’s mother lamented. “We are being treated this way because we are nobodies in Nigeria.”
Leave a Reply