Nigeria’s 21st Army Chief, 10 Others Die in Air Crash

•Buhari: Death of Attahiru, others, a mortal blow to our underbelly

Festus Akanbi in Lagos, Deji Elumoye, Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja and John Shiklam in Kaduna

Nigeria was yesterday thrown into mourning, when its 21st Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, along with six senior officers and four crew members perished in an air crash in Kaduna.

Attahiru and the others were onboard Nigerian Air Force Kingair 350 from Abuja to Kaduna, ahead of today’s passing out parade of soldiers from the Nigerian Army Depot in Zaria, when the crash happened amid torrential rainfall.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed deep sadness over the air crash, saying the military officers would not die in vain.
Giving detailed information on the air crash, the Acting Director Defence Information, Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement last night said: “It is with a heavy heart that the Armed Forces of Nigeria (AFN) regrets to announce that this evening at about 1800 Hours, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru in company of his entourage, who were on official trip from Abuja to Kaduna, were involved in an air mishap.

“The unfortunate incident occurred after landing at the Kaduna International Airport due to inclement weather. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Lucky Irabor has therefore directed that an Accident Investigation Board be constituted to unravel the immediate and remote cause(s) of the unfortunate accident.

“As we pray for the repose of the souls of our gallant and committed Chief of Army Staff and other personnel on board with him, the AFN solicits the support and understanding of all Nigerians in the face of this tragic incident. We wish to state that the Armed Forces of Nigeria remains resolute in combatting the security challenges bedeviling our nation. The sacrifices of our dearly departed heroes will not be in vain.

“Meanwhile, the CDS urges all military personnel and their families to take heart and be condoled on this tragic loss. The CDS also reassures all Nigerians of the commitment and loyalty of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the Constitution and Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as it continues to carry out its responsibilities,” the statement said.

Also the Nigerian Army in a statement issued by its spokesman, Brigadier-General Mohammed Yerima, said “details of the sad incident and burial arrangements will be communicated soon”.

An independent source gave the names of the COAS entourage involved in the crash as Brig Gen MI Abdulkadir; Brig Gen Olayinka; Brig Gen Kuliya; ADC to the late COAS, Maj LA Hayat; Maj Hamza and Sergeant Umar.
The list of the crew members were given as Flt. Lt. T.O Asaniyi, Flt. Lt. AA Olufade, Sgt Adesina and ACM Oyedepo.

Attahiru, a Gallant Soldier

Attahiru was named as the nation’s Chief of Army Staff on January 26 this year alongside other service chiefs.
He was a strong advocate of one Nigeria as evident in his handling of rising cases of agitations by some sectional advocates in the country.

Attahiru was born on 10 August 1966 in Doka, Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State. He was a graduate of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, and Nigerian Army School of Infantry.
He had his cadets training in January 1984 and was commissioned into the rank of Second Lieutenant in December 1986 as an Infantry Officer.

He holds a Master degree in Strategic Management and Policy Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy. Others include Masters of Science in Human Resources Management and Development from Salford University, United Kingdom, and Graduate Diploma in International Studies from the University of Nairobi.

General Attahiru had held several appointments on the staff, instructional, and in command during his military career. He had a tour of duty with the United Nations in Sierra Leone as a Military Observer, where he facilitated United Kingdom’s military engagement, Operation BRASS in September 2000.

He was an Operation Officer and later Company Commander in NIBATT 19 ECOMOG Operations in Liberia. Also, he had the unique privilege of having commanded with distinction all through the chain of command in the Nigerian Army.

Prominent among these appointments is Commanding Officer 146 Battalion Nigerian Army (Operation Harmony IV) in the Bakassi Peninsula, Commander 13 Brigade Nigerian Army (Operation Pulo Shield), General Officer Commanding 82 Division Nigerian Army.

He was a one-time Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole (the Counter-Terrorism and Counter-Insurgency Outfit in North-Eastern Nigeria). It is on record that he brought relative stability to the region with the surrender of several Boko Haram combatants.

Buhari: The Fallen Soldiers will Not Die in Vain

The President, in a statement last night by his Media Adviser, Femi Adesina, condoled with families of the deceased, the military, and Nigerians in general, describing the late senior army officers as “heroes who paid the ultimate price for peace and security in the land.”

While praying that God receives the souls of the patriots, the President said the crash “is one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country.”

President Buhari pledged that the departed would not die in vain.
In his own reaction, former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi who described the crash as painful to the nation, commiserated with the Nigerian Army, the Air force and Mr. President and prayed for the peaceful repose of the souls of the dead.

PDP Governors Forum Mourns

In its condolence message, the Peoples Democratic Party’s Governors Forum described as painful and tragic the air disaster that claimed the life of General Attahiru and other officers in Kaduna State.

The Forum, in a statement signed by its chairman, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State said “it is most painful that this tragedy is coming at a time the Army Chief is leading the war against insecurity in the land having just recently taken command of the Nigerian Army.

“This is a very sad loss and a huge blow to our nation and her effort to secure the nation.”
The PDP Governors Forum noted that “General Attahiru served the nation with dedication, skill, gallantry, and total commitment, employing his long years of experience and expertise in the service of our fatherland.

“May his soul and those of his colleagues who died in the aircraft rest in peace and may God forgive them their sins as death is inevitable for all mortals.”