Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, on Friday presided over the ceremony marking the formal take off of the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare School (NACWS), at Abuja, with a mandate to tackle insecurity and territorial warfare in cyberspace.
Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said in a statement titled, ‘Modern battle not limited to land, air and maritime domain – COAS,’ that the establishment of the school also involved the inauguration of the maiden Digital Literacy Internet and Core Computing Certification Course and the Basic Cyber Laboratory for the NACWS.
Speaking at the event, General Yahaya, who was represented by the Director General, Land Forces Simulation Centre, Major General Felix Omoigui, stated that modern battles are not limited to land, air, and maritime, because warfare now affects cyberspace.
The Army Chief said that this has necessitated the need to properly defend the territorial integrity of the nation in cyberspace, hence, the establishment of the Nigerian Army Cyber Warfare Command.
He explained that the NACWC and other cyber affiliated formations were established to combat cyber threats and cybercrimes within the Nigerian Army sphere of influence.
However, he said that “there is a need for requisite manpower to effectively operate in that space. This he further said, is necessary to build capacity that will enhance the proficiency of personnel to counter these threats.”
The Commandant of the NACWC, Brigadier General Adewale Adetoba, stated that a total of 20 students will undergo the IC3 course, adding that it was a global benchmark for basic computer literacy and specialist certification.