The family of Stephen Kubuma Gani, a 21-year-old Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) cadet, has raised urgent appeals for intervention following his unexplained disappearance from the NDA in Kaduna State, leaving them in anguish for over seven months without any resolution.

Gani, a native of Wukari Local Government Area, Taraba State, was admitted to the Academy in 2024. He was a Naval cadet attached to the Burma Battalion, with registration number NDA/15131, studying Geography in the Department of Geography.

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Last Known Contact

The family said their final contact with Gani was on Sunday, April 27, 2025, around 2:00 p.m., when he called using his roommate’s phone to confirm his safe return to the Academy after Easter holiday in Jos.

“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 submission to the NDA Panel of Investigation on November 5, 2025.

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Discovery of Disappearance

The ordeal began April 29, 2025, when Lt. Makka, Deputy Battalion Commander of the Burma Battalion, informed the family that Gani could not be located within the Academy.

Accounts from cadets suggested that around 3:00 a.m., Gani woke his roommate, Cdt. Bamaiyi H. Maidoki, to prepare for morning routines, then stepped out to “ease himself” and never returned.

A senior cadet, Cdt. N.O. Abdul, reportedly messaged the family via WhatsApp, instructing them not to tell anyone, further increasing their fears.

Despite this, the NDA has not provided any official written notification of Gani’s disappearance.

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Conflicting Accounts and Suspicions

The family has highlighted discrepancies in the narratives provided by the Academy. Initially, Gani was said to have been present during bed checks, but later reports suggested roommates might have been involved.

Gani’s father raised concerns that his son, the only Christian among four cadets in the room, might have been targeted.

“As a father, I believe Stephen was hypnotised and taken by his roommates to a waiting vehicle parked outside their room by someone within the military,” he alleged.

The family also questioned the handling of Gani’s SIM card, which was initially reported missing but later “found” under unclear circumstances.

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Investigation Without Transparency

While the Academy reportedly set up an internal committee, the family has never met its members.

“All our communications with those said to be the chairman and secretary happened only via telephone. No written report, no official update, nothing concrete. We are completely in the dark,” the parents said.

Visits to the NDA on May 1 and May 5, 2025, did not allow them to search or access areas where Gani was last seen.

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Police Contacts Without Documentation

The family reported the disappearance to local police and Kaduna State Police Headquarters, but no reference numbers were provided, limiting their ability to track the case. Efforts to involve political representatives also failed.

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Mysterious Phone Call

On July 18, 2025, nearly three months after Gani’s disappearance, his father received a cryptic call from a private number:

“Your son will be with you,” spoken in Hausa, without revealing the caller’s identity, deepening the family’s distress.

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Family Plea and Formal Submission

The Gani family has submitted a detailed complaint to the NDA Panel of Investigation, requesting:

• An independent and transparent investigation
• Written briefing from the Academy
• Protection for witnesses
• Official disclosure of any findings to date

“Stephen is our first son. Our child. We are begging the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Nigerian government: help us find him. Tell us the truth. Give us answers,” Mr. Gani said.

Over seven months after his disappearance within one of Nigeria’s most secure military training environments, the family continues to seek answers, but official silence persists.