Major General Ibrahim Attahiru Biography, Death and Burial

General Ibrahim Attahiru was a Nigerian military officer who served as Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army. Read further for detailed information about Major General Ibrahim Attahiru Biography.

Attahiru was born on 10 August 1966, he died in a plane crash on 21 May 2021. He is from Doka, Kaduna State. He was a member of regular course 35 of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Before we dive further into Major General Ibrahim Attahiru Biography, below is a table of quick information about him.

Major General Ibrahim Attahiru Biography
Full Name	Ibrahim Attahiru
Date of Birth	August 10, 1966
Died On	21st of May, 2021
Place of Birth	Kaduna, Nigeria
Education	M.SC in Human Resources Management and Development (Salford University, United Kingdom) Diploma in International Studies (University of Nairobi, Kenya)
Successor	Major General Faruk Yaha
Wife	Fati Attahiru
Awards	UNAMSIL Medal ECOMOG Medal Forces Service Star Meritorious Service Star Distinguished Service Star

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Education

Attahiru was a graduate of Nigeria Defence Academy, Armed Forces Command and Staff College, and Nigeria Army School of Infantry. The former Major General started off as an officer cadet in 1984. He attained the rank of Second Lieutenant in December 1986 as an Infantry Officer.

Also, he had a master’s degree in Strategic Management and Policy Studies from the prestigious Nigerian Defence Academy.

In addition, he went further to secure another master’s degree in Human Resources Management and Development from Salford University, United Kingdom. 

He is also a graduate of the University of Nairobi, Kenya where he had a Diploma in International Studies.

Military Career

General Attahiru was a brave officer of the Nigerian Army, he supervised several missions and held several positions in the Nigerian Military, somewhere he was an instructional officer, consultant and commanding officer.

Attahiru was part of an expedition journey to Sierra Leone in partnership with the United Nation as a Military Observer on Operation Barras in September 2000.

Also, he was part of ECOMOG operations in Liberia as an Operation officer. Later, he was promoted to the position of Company Commander during the course of the mission.

He was once the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole where he successfully regained a captured region from insurgency caused by the terrorist sect Boko Haram. He was heaped with praises from General Burutai who was the Chief of Army Staff then.

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Deputy Chief Policy and Plans

Also, he served as the Deputy Chief Policy and plans at the Army Headquarters. In addition, he was the chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation and also Chief of Defence Logistics at Defence Headquarters in Abuja.

As an instructor, he was an instructor at the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Nigerian Army School of Infantry. He became a directing staff and the chief instructor at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji in Kaduna State.

As a staff officer, he was part of unit Adjutant, 7 Battalion Nigerian Army, 1 Brigade Nigerian Army in Sokoto. He was a General Staff Officer Grade 1 Training/Operations and was former Director of Army Public Relations and Spokesperson for the Nigerian Army.

General Attahiru was an astute leader and a lover of knowledge. He demonstrated this by going further to expand his knowledge on Leadership and Security.

He took professional courses in National Defence Management and Security Studies at the National Defence College in Kenya. Also, he took the Basic and Advanced Special/Operations Commando Forces Courses at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Special Forces Academy, China.

In addition, he undertook courses on leadership and security from the following institutions

• Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA
• Graduate School of Media and Communication, Aga Khan, Pakistan
• University of Nairobi, Kenya
• Bournemouth University Disaster Management Center
• Geneva Centre for Security Policy

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Chief of Army Staff

Major Ibrahim Attahiru was appointed as the 21^st Chief of Army Staff of the Nigerian Army by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021. Unfortunately, his tenure lasted for just four months before his demise.

However, his tenure was not short of good deeds. He achieved greatness and the results of his administration were clear for everyone to see. His administration was responsible for a series of planned attacks aimed at fishing out terrorist groups, Boko Haram from their hideouts.

Wife

Mrs Fati Attahiru is the wife of the late General Ibrahim Attahiru. She is a development practitioner, she is so vast in experience when it comes to designing and developing solutions to targeted problems.

She was the former chairperson of the National President of the Nigeria Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA). It is a non – governmental organization that helps to see to the improvement of the welfare of the needy and also improving the living condition of the Nigerian Army Barracks.

She graduated from the University of Sussex with a master’s degree in Development Studies where she specializes in Power, Participation and Social Change.

Furthermore, she is also has a master’s degree in Information Technology from Cranfield University, UK and a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics from the University of Leicester.

She is the only wife of the late General Ibrahim Attahiru. Their union is blessed with three children before the demise of her husband.

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Major General Ibrahim Attahiru Death

Major General Ibrahim Attahiru alongside ten others were in a ghastly air crash on the evening of 21 May 2021. The sad incident happened in Kaduna State, the travelling parties were on official assignment to witness the Passing Out Parade of 80RRI (recruits) in Depot Nigeria Army scheduled for the next day.

The Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft King Air 350 was reportedly said to have crashed due to stormy weather which impacted the landing of the aircraft negatively.

Major General Ibrahim Attahiru Burial

The remains of General Ibrahim Attahiru and the other ten victims were laid to rest at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja. The burial commenced at 2:05 pm. The absence of President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo sparked a distasteful debate on social media.

A moment of silence followed by a 21- gun salute was used to honour the victims. The families and friends paid their last respect amidst tears and agony.  

Below are the names of the ten victims involved in the air crash

• Mohammed Idris Abdulkadir (Brig-Gen)
• Olatunji Lukman Olayinka (Brig-Gen)
• Abdulrahman Kuliya (Brig-Gen)
• Maj Lawal Aliyu Hayat
• Maj Nura Hamza
• Sgt Umar

Crew members include:

• Flt-Lt T.O Asaniyi
• Flt-Lt A.A Olufade
• Sgt Adesina
• Acm Oyedepo

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Awards and Recommendation

The late Major General Attahiru was a decorated officer during his time in the military. He won numerous awards for his bravery, work and leadership role. Some of his awards are

• UNAMSIL Medal
• ECOMOG Medal
• Forces Service Star
• Meritorious Service Star
• Distinguished Service Star
• Grand Service Star
• Corp Medal of Honour
• Command Medal of Honour
• Field Command Medal
• Field Command Medal of Honour

Summary of Major General Attahiru Biography

Former Major General Attahiru was born on the 10th of August, 1966. He was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Nigerian Army in January 2021. Unfortunately, he was involved in a crash that led to his demise.

Attahiru was married to Fati Attahiru and the couple had 3 children together.

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