Nigeria Army Confirms Death of COAS Ibrahim Attahiru, Gives Fresh Details
- The death of Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru, has allegedly been confirmed
- Yerima Mohammed, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, was cited as confirming the sad development
- Attahiru was said to be aboard the military plane that crashed on Friday evening in Kaduna
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A report by BBC Pidgin states that the Nigerian Army has confirmed the death of the Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru, in the military plane crash in Kaduna on Friday evening, May 21.
The news media stated that the spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, Yerima Mohammed, confirmed Attahiru's death.
Source: Facebook
A statement posted on the official Twitter page of the Nigerian Army has also confirmed the tragic development.
Legit.ng gathers that 10 others, including the crew, also died alongside the COAS.
The statement reads:
"The Nigerian Army regrets to announce the passing away of its Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru. The sad event occurred following an air crash in Kaduna which also claimed the lives of 10 other officers including the crew.
"The COAS was enroute Kaduna from Abuja on Friday, 21 May, 2021 when the unfortunate incident happened. Details of the sad incident and burial arrangements will be communicated soon."
Earlier, the Nigerian Air Force, in a statement confirmed that there was an accident involving one of its aircraft in Kaduna but did not go into details.
Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, the Director of Public Relations and Information, said in the statement:
"An air crash involving a @NigAirForce aircraft occurred this evening near the Kaduna International Airport. The immediate cause of the crash is still being ascertained. More details to follow soon."
Attahiru's death has been attracting emotional reactions from Nigerians across all divides.
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Meanwhile, Attahiru who is from Kaduna state has become 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.
Source: Legit.ng
