Hours after being hosted by the Nigerian Navy at the Naval Dockyard in Lagos, Prince Charles visited the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja during which he laid a wreath to honour servicemen of Nigeria who died in the 1st and 2nd World Wars.
The wreath laying was in memory of the soldiers, sailors and carriers of Nigeria who gave their lives in the World War I and World War II fighting alongside the British forces.
The laying of wreath by the Prince of Wales which is part of activities lined up for him during his three-day state in Nigeria was performed alongside that of the Minister of Defence, Mansur Muhammad Dan-Ali.
Present at the occasion were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, Service Chiefs and some traditional rulers as well as two World Wars veterans.
Read Also:
- Troops Arrest 9 Vandals Stealing Bold Spikes of NNPC Floating Bouys in Lagos; Arrest Kidnappers in Ogun
- Army Rescue 16 Kidnapped Victims in Gwoza; Neutralize 4 Notorious Terrorists in Gujba, Recover Arms, Ammunition
- Foiled Attack: MNJTF Troops Neutralize 5 Boko Haram Terrorists in Mallam Fatori, Capture Cache of Arms
It would be recalled that about 1,000 Nigerian service men deployed in the British Force at the 1st world war that spanned between 1914 and 1918 lost their lives just another 1,100 died in the 2nd world war that took place from 1939 to 1945.
Prince Charles, did not however, make any remark at the solemn occasion, as did the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan Ali.
Information from Nigerian military achieves reveal that soldiers, artillerymen, and engineers of the Nigeria Regiment served in the West African Frontier Force between 1914 and 1918.
They took part in the British and French invasion of German Kamerun (now Cameroon) in August 1914 and fought in the German East Africa (now Tanzania) from mid-1916 to February 1918.
The Nigeria Carrier Corps included porters, dockyard workers and labourers who supported the military personnel.
END
