Flashback: How 10 Army Generals Died in Benue Plane Crash in 2006 and What Obasanjo Did Afterwards
- On Friday, May 21, Nigeria lost the COAS Attahiru and 10 other military officers in a plane crash
- The tragic recent incident evoked the memory of a similar air crash that killed 10 army generals and three other military officers in 2016
- Obasanjo who was in charge as Nigeria's president at the time had to cut short his Singapore trip and return home
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The colossal loss of the Chief of Army Staff, Ibrahim Attahiru, and 10 other military officers in a plane crash in Kaduna on Friday, May 21, has brought back another painful memory: the 2006 Benue crash.
In September 2006, during the later years of the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a Dornier 228 air force aircraft crashed in Benue shortly before it was due to land.
Source: Getty Images
According to TheCable, the military officers comprising 10 army generals, a lieutenant-colonel, and two wing commanders, 13 in all, were killed in the crash.
Legit.ng gathers that the officers were going o the Obudu Cattle Ranch in Cross River state for a retreat.
They were part of a presidential committee set up by the former president to “reposition the army”
List of the officers who died in the crash:
Major-Generals
1. A.N. Bamali
2. J.O. Adesunloye
3. J.O. Agboola
4. P.M. Haruna
5. J.T.U. Ahmedu
6. S.O. Otubu
7. B. Duniya
8. S.M. Lemu
Brigadier-Generals
9. Y.J. Braimah
10. M.B. Bawa
Wing Commanders
11. E.O. Adekunle
12. O. Balogun
Lieutenant-Colonel
13. N.A. Mohammed
However, unlike the latest Kaduna crash, three colonels reportedly survived the 2016 crash.
The colonels that survived
1. O.C. Ajunwa
2. N.I. Angbazo
3. A.L. Dusu
How Obasanjo reacted
According to Financial Times, the incident happened while Obasanjo was away in Singapore for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting.
The crash prompted the former president to return home hastily from the IMF meeting and call for an investigation into what he described as a “monumental national tragedy”.
Obasanjo also declared a three-day national mourning.
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Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has declared Monday, May 24, a work-free day for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces in honour of Attahiru and the 10 others who died in an air crash on Friday, May 21.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said this in a statement on Sunday, May 23.
The Nigerian leader also ordered the national flag to be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, facilities and official residences from Monday, May 24 to Wednesday, May 26.
In other news, an emerging report claims President Buhari is already making plans to replace the late COAS as soon as possible.
A source who does not want to be named said the Nigerian president is considering a senior officer from the southeast to correct the alleged imbalance in the composition of his security team.
Nevertheless, the source noted that agitation and attacks on security agents and formations in the southeast may hinder the chances of the COAS emerging from the zone.
Source: Legit.ng
