A military Beachcraft 350 aircraft has crashed claiming all 11 souls onboard including the newly appointed Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.
According to sources the aircraft crashed at the Kaduna international airport at about 6 pm while it was raining heavily.
Although information of the accident is still sketchy, there are indications that none of the 11 passengers on board the craft survived.
The late COAS was said to be on his way to the Passing Out Parade of new army recruits billed to hold tomorrow, Saturday, at Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria.
Full list of officers on board the Ill-fated aircraft
1. LT GEN I ATTAHIRU.
2. BRIG GEN MI ABDULKADIR.
3. BRIG GEN OLAYINKA LUKMAN (Ag. PROVOST MARSHAL OF THE ARMY).
4. BRIG GEN KULIYA.
5. MAJ LA HAYAT.
6. MAJ HAMZA.
7. SGT UMAR.
CREW
8. FLT LT TO ASANIYI.
9. FLT LT AA OLUFADE.
10. SGT ADESINA.
11. ACM OYEDEPO.
This is the second time Nigeria will lose a Chief of Army Staff in an air crash. In 1968 Lt Col Joseph Akahan died in helicopter crash, 1 year into his tenure as COAS.
Attahiru was appointed Chief of Army Staff on January 26, 2021.
Born on 10th August 1966 in Doka, Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Attahiru commenced cadets training in January 1984 at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna and was commissioned into the rank of Second Lieutenant in December 1986 as an Infantry Officer.
He also earned a Masters degree in Strategic Management and Policy Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy.
General Attahiru has held several appointments on the staff, instructional and in command during his military career. He had a tour of duty with the United Nations in Sierra leone as a Military Observer, where he facilitated United Kingdom military engagement, Operation BARASS in September 2000.
He was an Operation Officer and later Company Commander in NIBATT 19 ECOMOG Operations in Liberia. Also, he had the unique privilege of having commanded with distinction all through the chain of command in the Nigerian Army.
Prominent among these appointments are Commanding Officer 146 Battalion Nigerian Army (Operation HARMONY IV) in the Bakassi Peninsula, Commander 13 Brigade Nigerian Army (Operation PULO SHIELD), General Officer Commanding 82 Division Nigerian Army.
He was one time Theatre Commander Operation LAFIYA DOLE which was in charge of restoring peace to North Eastern Nigeria.
