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ABUJA: Nigeria’s army chief, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, died in a plane crash on Friday on an official visit to the northern state of Kaduna, the presidency said.
The air force said in a statement that its plane crashed near Kaduna airport and that it was investigating the cause. The presidency said the army general and other military officers died in the crash on Friday.
President Muhammadu Buhari, in a presidency statement, said: “This crash is one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our Armed Forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country. “
This crash is one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our Armed Forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country. My condolences to the families of the deceased, the entire military, and all Nigerians. The deaths of these officers will not be in vain!
— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) May 21, 2021
According to reports, Nigerian Air Force Beechcraft 350 plane with registration NGR203 carrying the country’s chief of army staff from Abuja to Kaduna military airport was diverted due to inclement weather but skidded off the runway and burst into flames. All eight military personnel on board including Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru and four crew died in the crash.
President Buhari appointed Attahiru alongside other military chiefs in January after years of mounting criticism over spreading violence by insurgents and armed gangs.
Attahiru died as news was emerging that Nigeria’s Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau had been seriously wounded after clashes with fighters from a rival Islamic State-allied faction.
Nigeria’s military has been battling an insurgency in the northeast since 2009, a conflict that has killed more than 40,000 and displaced around two million more.
