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Remembering Ex-COAS, Ibrahim Attahiru (1966 – 2021)

Published

4 years ago

May 21, 2022

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Barely 48 hours after news filtered in that the dreaded Boko Haram commander, Abubakar Shekau, has been killed by ISWAP, it was reported that less than five months in office Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, had died in plane crash while flying with 10 others from Abuja to Kaduna. The plane, a Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft B300 King Air 350i, crashed shortly before landing near the Kaduna Airport on May 21, 2021.

The ill-fated aircraft killed all 11 military officers onboard, including Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru. The officers were on their way to the passing out parade of regular recruits slated for the following day. Attahiru had only assumed office as the Chief of Army Staff, following his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26 alongside the Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor; Chief of Naval Staff, Gambo Awwal, and Chief of Air Staff, Isiaka Amao.

Exactly one after the ill-fated trip, the main cause of the incident remains unknown though unconfirmed sources have blamed the accident to bad weather in addition to preliminary reports submitted to the Chief of Air Staff three months after the accident. The details of the preliminary as contained in a statement jointly signed by Air Force Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet and the General Manager, Public Affairs, AIB, Tunji Oketunbi, stated that the preliminary report contained a total of 27 initial findings and eight safety recommendations for immediate implementation.

Preliminary reports are “only contain details of the initial facts, discussions and findings surrounding the occurrences, which include information gathered from witness statements, flight recorders, Health and Usage Monitoring System Data, Flight Data Monitoring data, and preliminary inspection of the accident sites and the wreckages,” Oketunbi said.

Nothing has been heard of General Attahiru and his ill-fated flight of May 21, 2021 ever since, even as only few weeks ago, precisely on April 26, 2022, the AIB released preliminary reports on four air crashes.

The reports released were those of the crashes involving a United Nigeria Airlines Limited aircraft on November 17, 2021; Max Air aircraft on November 22, 2021; Air Peace aircraft on November 22, 2021 and Nigeria Police aircraft on January 26, 2022. No one can tell if there is a foul play as regards the crash that killed Attahiru.

A Punch enquiry on why the crash that killed Attahiru was excluded from the reports released by the AIB, revealed that only the military could make the report public.

“We have submitted the preliminary report to the Nigerian Air Force and we presented it openly to them, although the full report is not in the public domain. You know it is not a civil accident. It is only the military that can make it public or give us the go-ahead to do so. To make it public is not part of our agreement; they invited us to investigate, we have done it and handed it over to them.”

He added that the military is yet to give the Bureau the permission to conclude the investigation as regards the accident of May 21, 2021

“The outcome of final report depends on NAF if they give us the necessary things we need,” he added.

Attahiru’s plane crash is one of the five crashes the military has suffered in the last one year and half, and the causes have remained a mystery.

ATTAHIRU’S BACKGROUND

Ibrahim Attahiru was born in Doka, Kaduna North LGA on August 10, 1966, attended the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), before commencing the cadet training in 1984.

He was commissioned as an infantry officer in the rank of a second-lieutenant with the Nigerian Army in December 1986.

Rising through the ranks, Attahiru commanded various military formations and operations which include 146 battalion (operation Harmony IV) in the Bakassi Peninsula, 13 Brigade (Operation Pulo Shield), 82 division Nigerian Army.

He was also Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole.

At different times, he served as Deputy Director Military Secretary 2 at the army headquarters, and Director of Army Public Relations.

The slain combatant undertook leadership and security policy courses at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA; Graduate School of Media and Communication, Agha Khan University, Kenya; Bournemouth University Disaster Management Center and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

He also had a Master’s degree in Strategic Management and Policy Studies from the NDA and Masters in Human Resources Management and Development from Salford University in the United Kingdom.

The 21st chief of army staff will go down in history as the shortest serving chief as at today.

Though his tenure was short, cut down by unfortunate mishap, Attahiru no doubt left his footprints in the sands of time, achieving notable landmarks within four months of stewardship.

It would be recalled that prior to his assumption of office, it was relatively obvious that many officers and soldiers had lost interest in the war against Boko Haram under his predecessor, Tukur Buratai, whose call for replacement was re-echoing across platform. On assumption, he quickly effected a change in formations and began winning the interest of his officers and soldiers as well as winning battles.

“I and my colleagues took over command of our respective services at a very critical period due to daunting security challenges,” he had said.

“In line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directives and my intent to rebuild the Nigerian army into a formidable force, I conceived the vision of having ‘A Nigerian army that is repositioned to professionally defeat all adversaries in a joint environment.’”

He also introduced the philosophy of readiness, capacity, continuous leadership development and duty to control into the army.

”As I speak, we will soon be receiving combat enablers that would enhance and boost our operations. Concerted effort is also being made to eliminate the threat of improvised explosives devices which has been a major impediment to troops and operations in operation Lafiya Dole,” he had said.

In his attitude of never say never, Attahiru gave the troops a 48-hour ultimatum to recapture all lost areas to insurgents while assuring them of improved equipment.

“It is now high time we get back and fight through and support our forces ahead of you.

“Areas around Marte, Chikingudo, Kirenowa, up to Kirta, Wulgo must be cleared in the next 48 hours. Be rest assured of all the support required in this very onerous task,” he had said.

It is on record that the listed communities were recaptured by the army at the expiration of the ultimatum.

During his appearances in the National Assembly, Attahiru was bold to call on a definite probe on the disputed arm purchase, and let those who had held the country to ransom face the music.

He was strict, but very accommodating, prompting a former Governor of Lagos to say the following of him at his death: “COAS Attahiru had a most distinguished career. The army and the nation will miss his excellent character and fine leadership at this moment when we are fighting terrorism or banditry in many parts of the nation.”

Soyinka, Others Remember Late COAS Attahiru

The General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation will on Saturday hold a memorial in Attahiru’s honour, one year after his demise.

The memorial holding in Abuja is expected to the attended by Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka; the Emir of Bichi, Kano Emirate, Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero; and environmentalist, Dr Newton Jibunoh, among other prominent citizens.

The Programme Coordinator, General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation, Dr Titus Orngu, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said Soyinka will deliver a short tribute titled, “To All, Who Give Their All for All.”

“Apart from the launch of GIAF, there will be the premiere of Ibrahim Attahiru, a Soldier’s Soldier, a documentary on the life and times of the late Army chief, produced and directed by Adeola Osunkojo.

“The foundation will also present Attahiru’s posthumous biography, ‘The man, the soldier, the patriot, biography of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim,’ written by Niran Adedokun, at the event,” Orngu said.

The late COAS is survived by his wife, Fati Attahiru, and they are blessed with children.

Headline

Israeli Ambassador Accuses Iran of Spreading Terror, Sponsoring Extremist Activities in Nigeria

Published

3 days ago

March 6, 2026

Eric

Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Michael Freeman, has accused Iran of sponsoring extremist activities in Nigeria and other parts of the world, alleging that Tehran supports groups aimed at destabilising countries while pursuing its hostility against Israel.

Freeman made the remarks on Friday while speaking during an interview on The Morning Show on Arise News.

The envoy claimed that Iran is the only country within the United Nations that openly expresses a desire to destroy another sovereign state, referring to repeated threats against Israel.

According to him, the Iranian government has, over several decades, supported militant groups and terror organisations around the world in pursuit of that objective.

Freeman alleged that Iran has backed groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, adding that Tehran was also behind the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas against Israel.

He further claimed that Iranian activities aimed at spreading instability have been observed across several regions, including Europe, Australia, and parts of Africa.

Speaking specifically about Nigeria, the Israeli ambassador alleged that the Islamic Movement of Nigeria receives backing from the Iranian government.

According to Freeman, statements of support from Iran’s leadership, including posts by Ali Khamenei on social media, have openly indicated such ties.

He said: “The issue here is about Iran. Iran is the only country in the world, in the United Nations, who expressly desires to wipe another country off the face of the earth. Iran has stated its very policy is to destroy Israel. Is to wipe Israel off the map is to make sure they kill every single person and no regime, no country that has an express desire to destroy Israel, and it’s not only an expressed desire.

“We’ve seen over 47 years, they’ve taken all the actions they can in order for that to happen. We’ve seen them sponsor terror organizations. They were behind October the seventh massacre of Hamas. We’ve seen them sponsoring Hezbollah. We’ve seen them acting in Europe. We’ve seen them acting in Australia. We’ve seen them acting in Nigeria.

“We’ve seen these people acting all across the world in order to spread disturbance for them to try and carry out their aim of destroying Israel, and Israel will not allow another country to have nuclear weapons when they’ve expressly stated they want those weapons to destroy Israel”.

“I think that it is well documented. We know that there are certain movements, for example, the Islamic movement of Nigeria is sponsored and is backed by the Iranian regime. This is not me saying this, we’ve seen that documented by the Iranian regime.

The Supreme Leader posted on X his support and his backing there. So that’s very open. And there are other areas as well that Iran is working for, destabilizing, not only Nigeria, but all of West Africa.”

Headline

Why Nigerians Must Reject INEC’s Revised Timetable – ADC

Published

1 week ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), during the week, released a fresh elections timetable, with major amendments to accommodate the just passed and signed Electoral Act 2026 by the National Assembly and President Bola Tinubu respectively.

Following the repeal of the Electoral Act, 2022 and the enactment of the Electoral Act, 2026, which introduced adjustments to statutory timelines governing pre-election and electoral activities, the Commission has reviewed and realigned the Schedule to ensure full compliance with the new legal framework.

Accordingly, the Commission has resolved as follows:

Presidential and National Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 16th January 2027 as against the earlier stated February 20, 2027
Governorship and State Houses of Assembly Elections will now hold on Saturday, 6th February 2027 as against the former date of March 6, 2027

Also in accordance with the approved Schedule of Activities, the electoral bidy noted in the revised timetable that:

Conduct of Party Primaries, including resolution of disputes arising from primaries, will commence on 23rd April 2026 and end on 30th May 2026.

Presidential and National Assembly campaigns will commence on 19th August 2026.

Governorship and State Houses of Assembly campaigns will commence on 9th September 2026.

As provided by law, campaigns shall end 24 hours before Election Day. Political parties are strongly advised to adhere strictly to these timelines. The Commission will enforce compliance with the law.

But in a swift reaction, the opposition coalition, African Democratic Congress (ADC), rejected the revised 2026–2027 general election timetable, describing it as a politically biased schedule designed to favour the re-election agenda of President Bola Tinubu, and calling on all Nigerians to speak up enmasse to reject the revised timetable.

The ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Friday argued that the new deadlines and compliance requirements under the Electoral Act 2026 create near-impossible hurdles for opposition parties seeking to field candidates.

On February 13, INEC initially scheduled the 2027 Presidential and National Assembly elections for February 20, 2027, while the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections were fixed for March 6, 2027.

The timetable, however, faced objections from some Muslim stakeholders who noted that the dates coincided with the 2027 Ramadan period.

Following the concerns, the National Assembly amended Clause 28 of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, reducing the required election notice period from 360 to 300 days, allowing INEC to adjust the election dates.

Subsequently, INEC released a revised schedule on Thursday, signed by its Chairman, Joash Amupitan, moving the Presidential and National Assembly elections to January 16, 2027, and the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections to February 6, 2027.

Reacting, the ADC said the requirement that political parties submit a comprehensive digital membership register by April 2, 2026, effectively bars opposition parties from participating.

The party stated: “The African Democratic Congress rejects the updated 2026–2027 electoral timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission. What has been presented as a routine administrative schedule of the upcoming general elections is, in fact, a political instrument carefully structured to narrow democratic space and strengthen the incumbent administration ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“According to the timetable, party primaries are to be conducted between April 23 and May 30, 2026, just 55 to 92 days from today. However, more significant is that, pursuant to Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act 2026, political parties are required to submit their digital membership registers to INEC not later than April 2, 2026.

“That is only about 34 days away. Section 77(7) further provides that any party that fails to submit its membership register within the stipulated time shall not be eligible to field a candidate. These are not routine administrative rules but are deliberately constructed barriers designed to exclude the opposition from participating in the election.”

The party further noted that Section 77(2) of the Electoral Act 2026 requires the digital register of members to contain name, sex, date of birth, address, state, local government, ward, polling unit, National Identification Number (NIN) and photograph in both hard and soft copies, while Section 77(6) prohibits the use of any pre-existing register that does not contain the specified information. It warned that failure to meet these requirements would lead to disqualification.

The ADC questioned the fairness of the digital membership requirement, noting that the ruling All Progressives Congress began its registration process in February 2025, long before the requirement became mandatory.

“It is not a product of foresight but insider advantage. They knew what was coming. They therefore had one full year to carry out an exercise that other political parties are expected to complete in one month, during which they must collect, process, collate and transmit large volumes of digital data to INEC under the threat of exclusion. This is practically impossible.

“Democratic competition is based on a level playing field that does not give any contestant an undue advantage. A system where one party exploits incumbency to gain a one-year head start on a requirement that other parties only became aware of when it was nearly too late is a rigged system.”

The ADC said it has joined other opposition parties in rejecting the Electoral Act 2026, adding that the INEC timetable is equally rejected as it appears designed to serve what it described as a self-succession agenda.

“Let it be clear that ADC will not take any action that appears to confer legitimacy on a fraudulent system. We are reviewing our options and will make our position known in the coming days,” the party said.

The party also called on civil society organisations, democratic stakeholders and Nigerians to scrutinise the timetable and demand fairness, stressing that democracy cannot survive when electoral rules are structured to produce predetermined outcomes.

The party has consistently accused the Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress (APC) of scheming to silence the opposition as the 2027 General Elections draw closer, citing his manipulation of state governors and Assembly members from jumping ship, and settling with the ruling party.

Presently, the president’s party has a total of 31 out of 36 states governors, more than majority of the national and states Houses of Assembly.

A frontline publisher and chieftain of the ADC, Chief Dele Momodu, has warned that Tinubu is gradually transforming into full-blown dictatorship, stressing that his second term in office would turn state governors into ‘total slaves’.

Headline

Second Term for Tinubu Will Turn Governors into Total Slaves, Dele Momodu Warns

Published

1 week ago

February 28, 2026

Eric

Chairman, Ovation Media Group, and former presidential aspirant, Aare Dele Momodu, has expressed strong concern over what he described as growing political support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu among state governors across the country.

Speaking during an interview on News Central TV, Momodu said he was shocked by the level of backing the president is reportedly receiving, warning that Nigeria’s democracy could face serious risks if the current political trend continues.

The media entrepreneur cautioned that allowing Tinubu to secure a second term in 2027 could, in his view, lead to excessive concentration of power. He particularly criticized what he described as a growing wave of opposition figures aligning with the ruling All Progressives Congress> (APC).

Momodu referenced reports of opposition governors, including Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, allegedly moving closer to the ruling party, describing the development as politically troubling.

According to him, some governors are allegedly competing to demonstrate loyalty to the president ahead of future elections.

“The governors are fighting to ensure Tinubu wins a second term, fighting to be the biggest thug for him. If a man in his first term can capture the bodies and souls of Nigerians this way, imagine what he would do with a second term. It will be a full-blown dictatorship, and the governors will regret it as they become total slaves to him,” Momodu said.

He concluded by urging Nigerians to remain vigilant and actively protect democratic institutions, warning that unchecked consolidation of political power could threaten the nation’s democracy and future stability.

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