It is with great, utter shock and sadness that I will have to put on my writers’ cloak again for the first time in seven years to write on a topic that I would consider to be one of the most tragic events in my short lifetime.
That is the death of late Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, the 21st Chief of Army Staff along with 10 other brave and courageous officers of the Nigerian Army and Airforce. Three of the deceased were Brigadier Generals, namely; Brigadier General Olatunji Lukman Olayinka, the Provost Marshall of the Nigerian Army; Brigadier General Mohammed Idris Umar, Chief of Staff to the late COAS and lastly, Brigadier General Abdulrahman Umar Kuliya, the Chief of Military Intelligence.
Also, among the deceased were Major Lawal Hayat, the Aide-De-Campe to the late COAS, and Major Nura Hamza, Deputy Director Finance to Office of the COAS. Sergeant Umar, the Orderly to the late COAS, and Sergeant Adesina. Also not forgetting the two pilots and one plane crew, Fl Lt. Asaniyi, Fl Lt. Oludafe, and ACM Oyedepo.
This is one of the most tragic events for me because there is no parallel in the history of this country since independence in 1960 where a sitting COAS along with three of the most highest-ranking officers next to him all perish, all at once. This alone is food for thought. This is the biggest loss to the Nigerian Army since its inception. Made more so by the fact that Lt. General Attahiru was a soldier’s soldier. He led from the front like all other great generals. He cared about the lives and welfare of his troops above himself, above his health and safety.
Lt. General Attahiru was a battle-hardened commander, he was a military observer in Sierra Leone, he was an Operations Officer during ECOMOG operations Liberia, he was General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division headquartered in Enugu, he was a one-time Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole and performed well given the circumstances at the time.
I, along with 200 million other Nigerians salute you and commiserate with your families and pray that God Almighty grants you the strength to bear this greatest of losses. These 11 officers, eight of the Nigerian Army, and three of the Nigerian Airforce.
As a millennial, it may come as a shock to readers that on May 21st, 2021, a tragic day, where we lost the 21st COAS along with 10 other gallant officers of the Nigerian Army and the Airforce. I heard the news from my mother. And when she said “Have you heard the bad news?”, I replied, “what news”, she goes on to say “The plane crash of the COAS”, and I then responded in utter disbelief, “Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru?”, and she said “Yes”.
Immediately, I was overcome with emotion because the late COAS seemed to be the best that has been appointed in my short lifetime. I barely spent five more minutes and I went home. On the way home, I had concluded in my mind that something didn’t seem right. I slept that night without reading any news or information on the crash. Now I woke up the second day, May 22nd, 2021, and I decided to have an open mind. I watched live as the burial ceremony started and not long into it Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State was sighted by the camera and he was in tears.
Now say what you want about Governor El-Rufa’i but I do not believe he is a man that would shed tears just for shedding tears sake. Instantly it dawned on me that Governor El-Rufa’i was probably the most distressed personality there, outside of Lt. General Attahiru’s immediate family and some military figures, because for him to shed those tears means he knew the calibre of man Lt. General Attahiru was and he knew the magnitude of this loss, first and foremost, always, to the family of Lt. General Attahiru and the 10 other gallant officers
And secondly vis-a-vis the fight against insurgency and all other forms of violence waged across this country. Of course, I was a real believer in Lt. General Attahiru because he was a charismatic soldier, he could galvanize the troops better than any Army Chief I had seen. I remember watching the video when he visited Yobe and spoke to the troops. He spoke to them as most great generals do. He roused them, he encouraged them, he assured them of his support, of the Federal Governments’ support, and that he would lead from the front. Now, that alone stands him apart. So, when Governor El-Rufa’i shed those tears, it told me a lot more about late Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru.
As the live event went on, the Chief of Policy and Plans Army was called to give the funeral oration for the late COAS. He gave a brief biography, positions held and awards received for meritorious service. And when he reached the end, and as he uttered these words, “He was a caring husband, loving father and a great friend, especially to me”.
He took a deep breath, the kind when one is overcome with emotion. He continued in a sobering, shaky tone, “Late Lt. General Attahiru, Adieu, May your gentle soul rest in peace, Amen”. He barely held it together and in that split moment, it should have dawned on 200 million Nigerians as it did with me the immense impact the late COAS made as a professional soldier since before assuming the role of Army Chief and the genuine relations he had with his fellow servicemen in the course of his career in the Nigerian Army.
After the oration by the Chief of Policy and Plans Army, the program of events for the last funeral rites for the deceased officers carried on and Brigadier General J.H. Abdulsalam was called to give the orations for the three Brigadier Generals that passed away in this tragic crash. He began with that of Brigadier General Abdulrahman Umar Kuliya.
Likewise, he recited a short biography and various positions he held. Hearing that the late Brigadier General was a BSc holder in Mathematics, my instincts kicked in and I listened with added attention being paid to every word Brigadier General Abdulsalam uttered henceforth.
When he began reciting the awards and medals in recognition of Brigadier General Kuliya’s meritorious service to the nation, like the Chief of Policy and Plans before him, emotions got the better of him. In a shaky and sobering tone as he was reciting the awards, he continued “General operations medal, Field command medal of honour, Corps medal of honour. It is said that from dust we come and to dust we shall return”.
Emotions further got to him but he summoned the strength within that is imbibed in every soldier and carried on courageously with these words, “Late General Abdulrahman Umar Kuliya”, a pause to get a hold of himself, which proved unsuccessful, then continued, “has answered the call of his creator. His death is a great loss to his family, to the Nigerian Army and the Nation in general. We love him but God loves him more”, wiping away tears he concluded, “Mr President Sir, distinguished ladies, and gentlemen, here lies on this day 22nd May 2021 the body of late Brigadier General Abdulrahman Kuliya, a gallant professional soldier, a gentleman officer and a worthy son of Nigeria. A caring husband, a loving father, and a true friend. Late General Kuliya, may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace”. He wiped away tears again and apologized, then went on to finish the funeral orations for Brigadier General Olatunji Lukman Olayinka and Brigadier General Mohammed Idris Abdulkadir with great poise. Again, another very uncommon sight for Nigerians, a high-ranking Army officer showing that even soldiers are human and nothing is more human than grief and sorrow for the loss of another human being, especially someone close or dear to you. That struck me again and another realization of the magnitude of this loss hit me.
It then came time for the Chief of Defence Staff to give his remarks. His was titled, “Love for Country”. To paraphrase him, “Why are we here? Love for country. How did we get here? Love for country. What is the purpose of the oath of allegiance? Love for country”. I have to say, as I sat watching the CDS narrate his eulogy, I was drawn to the expression on his face.
As the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor is the number one soldier in the country. He must hold it together, he must be on top of his emotions, he must exude strength in this most trying of times for the Armed Forces and the Nation. His speech was solemn but also very clear in what the message was, Love for the country.
General Irabor went on and he narrated a personal story of he and Late Lt. General Attahiru at the training and doctrine command where they served together. Where General Irabor informed us that he fondly called the late COAS his “second in command”. As he rightfully said, it is only human for him to recall a personal story. He went on further to mourn with the families of Late Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, Brigadier General M.I. Abdulkadir, Brigadier General O.L. Olayinka, Brigadier General A.U. Kuliya, Major L. Hayat, Major U. Hamza, Sergeant Umar, Fl Lt. Asaniyi, Fl Lt. Oludafe, Sergeant Adesina, and ACM Oyedepo.
He prayed that God grant the families of the deceased officers the strength to bear this irreplaceable loss to their families. He then spoke to them directly, “We in the Armed Forces, we say to you, weep not as we encourage you that the sacrifices of these our comrades at arms to our fatherland will not be in vain. The spirits of our colleagues truly live on. The Armed Forces of Nigeria will not leave you alone, the Commander-in-Chief will not leave you alone”. And to fellow Nigerians, he reassured, “The challenges are but for a moment, the Armed Forces of Nigeria remain undaunted, we are immovable”.
As he said that, he went further, and this is the most important part of his speech because he had an immediate realization that to honour the legacies of the late COAS and the 10 other gallant officers and to be able to bear the magnitude of the loss to their families, first and foremost, to the Army, to the nation and the war against insurgency and insecurity, he said or should I say he put down the gauntlet which is that “The war against insecurity must be won, truly, must be won”.
And in that instance, I said to myself this is a great man. For to immediately realize and put down a gauntlet he must have concluded within himself that he would do whatever it takes to end this war against insecurity and all forms of wanton violence being waged and perpetrated across this country. All he asked of us Nigerians is to “keep praying for us”.
He concluded his moving statement like so, “to the able, gallant and courageous officers and men of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as we mourn our colleagues, let us march on in the determination to defend our country against every form of threat. Your spirit is unquenchable. Rise up in strength, rise up in faith, the death of our colleagues is not in vain”.
His speech titled “Love for Country” tells you all you need to know about General Irabor. A unifier, a gentleman officer, and a leader who commands the respect of all service chiefs. I want to encourage General Irabor to continue to show leadership, to galvanize and rally all security arms, the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. General Irabor must also assume more responsibility because the deaths of these officers will leave a vacuum. A vacuum that the CDS must occupy. General Irabor must continue to strive to improve the welfare of active-duty personnel on the frontlines who while we sleep at night are awake protecting the territorial integrity and unity of this nation.
Last but not the least, the families of the departed must always be remembered, always. I would like to take this chance to honour the memory of the late COAS. He was a believer in inclusion, cooperation, camaraderie, very charismatic but also brave and courageous. One of the finest examples of professional military officers the Nigerian Army has the capability of producing.
I would also like to send a goodwill message to the new COAS, Major General Farouk Yahaya. The Federal Government must firstly be commended for the appointment because it is a sign of continuity.
Major General Yahaya was the theatre commander for Operation Hadin Kai which the late COAS launched. He is a seasoned military officer, he has maintained stability wherever he served, over the last few years he has occupied various positions including being an adviser to a Minister of Defence. He has led divisions, he is battle-tested and hardened, he appears to carry people along, he is a listener, and is well-liked by his troops. All Nigerians wish you well. Your success is our success. May God continue to bless and protect the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Closing Note
The closing remarks to this article will be the closing remarks of Colonel N.I. Abdullahi, the anchor for that solemn event. “At this moment, I must say that it is indeed a sunset for the 21st Chief of Army Staff, the Generals, and unfortunately the Generals not to be. Their legacy lives on. God be with you till we meet to part no more.”
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