The Nigerian Army has confirmed the death of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru. According to report, he passed away in a plane crash on Friday in Kaduna State.
In a statement issued by Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima, it was gathered that the plane crash also killed ten other military officers including crew members.
It said the deceased were returning from Kaduna to Abuja when the incident happened.
The statement reads:
“The Nigerian Army regrets to announce the passing away of its Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen 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”, the statement read.
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.”
Meanwhile, Attahiru who is an indigene of 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.
