The Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi has described as a rude shock the unfortunate death of the 21st Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru who died in a plane crash barely four months after his appointment.
General Magashi in a condolence message said the Air mishap that claimed the live of the Chief of Army Staff, alongside other senior officers and his aides represents a huge national disaster.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Special Assistant to the Minister of Defence on Media and Publicity, Mohammad Abdulkadri.
The statement, while condoling the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Army, the Military in General, his immediate family and the entire nation, described the late General as “gallant, dogged, disciplined and a dedicated senior officer who died in the line of duty to his fatherland”.
He recalled his unblemished track record of service to the nation as Director Army Public Relations,(DAPR), Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole and as General Officer Commanding, which culminated into his elevation to the enviable three star status as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) in January this 2021.
General Magashi further stated that the general’s short but eventful tenure as the Chief of Army Staff and over three decades of dedicated, selfless and patriotic service will never been forgotten.
Emmanuel Ukoh
