Gen Ibrahim Attahiru Becomes Second Nigerian Army Chief to Die in Air Crash
- The Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru died in a plane crash on Friday evening, May 21
- He was among those who lost their lives when a Beechcraft King Air 350 crashed near the Kaduna International Airport
- Attahiru is the second Nigerian Army chief to die in a plane crash while in office
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It was a black Friday for Nigeria as the country's Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash alongside other senior officers.
Though details are still sketchy as at the time of filing this report, a military source said that it happened close to the Kaduna International Airport on Friday evening, May 21.
Already, the Nigerian Air Force, in a statement has confirmed that there was an accident involving one of its aircraft in Kaduna but did not go into details.
Source: Getty Images
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Attahiru, from Kaduna state, becomes the second Nigerian Chief of Army Staff to die in a plane crash while in office.
The first was Lt. Colonel Joseph Akahan who was Chief of Army Staff from May 1967 until May 1968, when he was killed in a helicopter crash during the Nigerian Civil War.
Akahan, from Gboko local government area of Benue state attended Government College Keffi where he obtained his Cambridge School Certificate (1952–1956).
He trained as an officer cadet at the RWAFF Training School Teshi, Ghana (1957–1958) and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom (1958–1960). He was commissioned on 23 July 1960.
He also served with the Nigerian Contingent during the United Nations peacekeeping operations in Congo.
Akahan was one of the leaders of the Nigerian counter-coup of 1966 in which Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed and replaced by General Yakubu Gowon.
Akahan was appointed Chief of Army Staff in May 1967 shortly before the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War.
He was said to be the brain behind the concept of the sea-borne operations led by Lt. Colonel Benjamin Adekunle that captured Bonny in July 1967 during the war.
When he died in a helicopter crash in May 1968, he was replaced as COAS by General Hassan Katsina.
Joe Akahan Barracks located in Makurdi, capital of his home state of Benue is named after him.
Legit.ng had earlier reported that a military plane crashed-landed on the runway of the Kaduna International Airport.
The incident was said to have occurred at about 6 pm while it was raining heavily.
Legit.ng had also listed 7 things to know about the Late COAS here.
Source: Legit.ng
