From Molly Kilete, Abuja And Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, Friday visited the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
The Duke and Duchess, accompanied by officials of the British High Commission, arrived the DHQ at about 12:45 pm and inspected a quarter guard mounted by the Defence Headquarters Garrison, while the Duchess was received by the wife of the Chief of Defence Staff, Mrs. Oghogho Musa and wives of service chiefs.
After inspecting the guard, Prince Harry and his wife exchanged pleasantries with top military officers, their wives and some members of the Invictus Games.
The Defence Headquarters, had at a media briefing on Thursday revealed that their visit to Nigeria will focus on engaging with the nation’s wounded and injured soldiers and their families.
Prince Harry’s decision to visit Nigeria followed an invite by the military high command because of the nation’s debut appearance at the 2023 Invictus Games, held in Düsseldorf, Germany.
The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry In 2014, is an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick military personnel that offer support, recovery pathways and rehabilitation for the personnel, post-injury. The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters, Air Vice Marshal, Abidemi Marquis had during the briefing, hinted that about 80 percent of Nigerian soldiers wounded in action have been involved in the recovery programme and recuperating well.
Marquis said: “The focal point of the visit is for the wounded and injured soldiers as a result of our engagement in counterterrorism operations.” According to Marquis, that part of his visit would entail interacting with the WIS military personnel, which will in turn boost their mental health and self-esteem.
Also on Friday, Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, paid a visit to Kaduna to check on Nigerian troops, who were wounded across various theatres of operations and currently receiving treatment at the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital.
Prince Harry, who was welcomed at the Kashim Ibrahim House by the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, said his visit was to further boost the morale of the wounded soldiers, saying that hope is not lost.