By Joy Odor – Reportcircle News
In a move signalling stronger synergy between Nigeria’s education sector and its counterinsurgency architecture, the Theatre Commander of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, on Wednesday assured the Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB) of full military backing and expanded collaboration to strengthen security and capacity development across the Northeast.
The commitment came during a strategic engagement with the Vice-Chancellor of NAUB, Professor Lawal Bala Buratai, who led a high-powered delegation to the OPHK headquarters in Maiduguri.
The visit, described by insiders as “an overdue handshake between academia and the battlefield,” underscores the growing relevance of military-grade knowledge, research intelligence and technology in modern asymmetric warfare.
Arriving alongside the Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Military), Colonel Yusuf Bello, and the Commanding Officer of NAUB’s Administrative Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Musa, the Vice-Chancellor said the visit aimed to deepen institutional cooperation and expand joint programmes beneficial to both the university and the theatre.
Professor Buratai praised OPHK personnel for their sacrifices, operational resilience and stabilisation efforts that have progressively restored normalcy to Borno State.
He highlighted NAUB’s rapidly expanding academic portfolio covering Engineering, Cybersecurity, Security Management, Military Sciences and emerging technology programmes and encouraged OPHK personnel to participate in these courses to enhance technical capacity.
“Our university stands ready to support the military with world-class academic training, research and innovation,” the VC said. “Today marks the beginning of a deeper collaboration that will benefit both national security and academic development.”
Responding, Major General Abubakar described NAUB as “the flagship university of the Nigerian Armed Forces” and a cornerstone of Nigeria’s security-education ecosystem.
He reaffirmed OPHK’s unwavering commitment to safeguarding the university, emphasising that its location in the Northeast makes it a national strategic asset.
“Education is the backbone of national development, and NAUB is central to the Armed Forces’ intellectual strength,” he said.
“Operation HADIN KAI will continue to protect the university community and support all initiatives that enhance our operational and administrative efficiency.”
The Theatre Commander noted that the proposed academic programmes especially in cybersecurity, engineering innovation and defence management would be immensely valuable to officers within the theatre.
He further applauded the university’s role in producing research insights relevant to counterterrorism operations and national security planning.
The visit warm, symbolic and strategically loaded culminated in:
Signing of the Visitors’ Register
Exchange of institutional souvenirs
A commemorative group photograph
But beyond ceremony, the subtext was unmistakable:
The Nigerian military is formally cementing a new frontier where academics, research, and battlefield realities intersect to shape future operational success.
With OPHK’s assurance of full support, NAUB is expected to deepen its role as a knowledge hub for modern security solutions, while the theatre stands to benefit from enhanced manpower capacity and research-driven innovation.
In a region rebuilding from more than a decade of insurgency, this partnership could mark a pivotal shift in how Nigeria integrates education into its long-term stabilisation strategy.
