Prince Harry plays volleyball with injured military veterans in Abuja

The Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry, participated on Saturday in a sitting volleyball contest featuring the nation’s wounded and injured military personnel in Abuja as part of his itineraries to promote his Invictus Games.

Prince Harry and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Gwabin Musa led each half of the wounded personnel in the contest on Day 2 of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s visit to Nigeria.

On the Duke’s team was former Nigerian soldier peacemaker, Azuegbulam, who lost his leg in combat in the northeast and became the first African to win gold at the Invictus Games in Germany last year.

The euphoric event that lasted for about 30 minutes witnessed both rival teams joyfully targeting each other to emerge as the winners of the game.

The CDS team, however, emerged as the winner.

Speaking after the event, the CDS expressed his elation over the participation of the injured military personnel in the Invictus Games, noting that the high morale of the men and officers is paramount to the overall success of the military’s operation.

He spoke about the nation’s bid to host the Invictus Games in the future, saying, “Nigeria is a sporting nation, and we have done that internationally. This is just part of what we are doing.

“The Invictus Games commenced in 2014; I was wondering why we haven’t been a part of it, but it is never too late now that we are in; we are going to go all the way out.”

The CDS revealed that the nation hopes to host the Invictus game in 2029, and plans are underway to bring that to fruition.

He said the military high command is also building the capacity of the participating personnel to achieve that goal.

Following the CDS’ invitation, the Duke of Sussex is in Nigeria on a three-day visit to engage with the nation’s wounded and injured military personnel.

The couple, on arrival in Abuja, the nation’s capital, visited the Lightway Academy on Friday, where they spent time with the students and kicked off an inaugural mental health summit.

The Defence Headquarters was their next stop to meet with the CDS in preparation for the meeting with the wounded soldiers on Saturday.