Nigeria: Army Chief, wife die in air crash 2 weeks after presidency alleged plans to overthrow Buhari

Late Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru

Nigeria: Army Chief, wife die in air crash 2 weeks after presidency alleged plans to overthrow Buhari

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru on Friday died, alongside his aides, in an air crash of Nigeria’s military aircraft Beachcraft 350. Attahiru was in Kaduna, North-Central to attend an official meeting

The aircraft crashed at the airport’s runway about 6pm. Attahiru’s wife, Fatimah is reported to have died alongside 7 other occupants of the aircraft.

President Muhammadu Buhari has described Attahiru’s death as the one that hit the “ Nigeria’s underbelly”.

Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer of the Accident Investigation Bureau, Nigeria, Akin Olateru, said eight souls died onboard. 

“Beachcraft 350. 8 souls on board. Unfortunately all dead,” he wrote.

Also, Nigerian Air force spokesperson Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, confirmed that a crash involving its plane occurred in Kaduna but did not provide any details of those onboard.

“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,” Gabkwet said in a tweet.

General Attahiru with Army Number 8406 was appointed army chief by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2021. He was born on August 10, 1966.

He is from Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna state and a member of the Regular Course 35 of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).

Before his appointment as the Chief of Army Staff, he was the General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu. He was also a former Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole.

Two weeks ago, Nigeria’s Presidency raised alarm over ‘unimpeachable evidence’ that some people wanted to topple the government of Muhammadu Buhari in an undemocratic way.

However, the Nigerian defence issued a statement, saying that the military was solidly behind the administration of Buhari, warning politician to desist from plans to topple the government.

The Guardian of Nigeria reported that what began as a rumour or idle talk – whispers of a putsch – gathered a life of its own as state actors kept giving life to the notion, which is turning and turning in the widening gyre.

“First was the pledge by the military that it would not overthrow President Muhammadu Buhari, a former army general and head of state whose government has come under strident criticisms over growing insecurity in the country.  

“In a statement issued by Acting Director, Defence Information, Brigadier-General Onyema Nwachukwu, the military said it has no intention of taking over power again in Nigeria. This, it said, is because it believes that despite tough times, democracy is the way to go and militarism is no longer fashionable. The army also warned politicians nursing ambition of ruling Nigeria outside the ballot box, saying it would continue to defend the country’s democracy.  

“We shall continue to remain apolitical, subordinate to the Civil Authority, firmly loyal to the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari and the 1999 Constitution as Amended. We shall continue to discharge our constitutional responsibilities professionally, especially in protecting the country’s democracy, defence of the territorial integrity of the country as well as protection of lives and properties of citizens,” the statement said in part.

This statement was in reaction to agitation by some secessionist and opposition figures for a restructuring of the government, coming two days after the Department of State Services (DSS) also issued same warning.

Immediately after the army’s pledge of loyalty, the Presidency, raised the alarm, warning of a subliminal plot by some past leaders working with foreigners to forcefully sack President Buhari from office. However, it did not provide names of the leaders and their cohorts.

The Presidency predicated its conclusion on what it described as ‘unimpeachable’ evidence made available to it by DSS operatives. It, however, warned of dire consequences of such plot, especially where the citizens have opted for democratic rule, saying the only accepted way to change a democratically elected government is through elections.

In a statement issued by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the Presidency said: “The Department of State Services (DSS), on Sunday alerted on sinister moves by misguided elements to wreak havoc on the government, sovereignty and corporate existence of the country.

“Championed by some disgruntled religious and past political leaders, the intention is to eventually throw the country into a tailspin, which would compel a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership.

“Further unimpeachable evidence shows that these disruptive elements are now recruiting the leadership of some ethnic groups and politicians round the country, with the intention of convening some sort of conference, where a vote of no confidence would be passed on the President, thus throwing the land into further turmoil.

“The agent provocateurs hope to achieve through artifice and sleight of hands, what they failed to do through the ballot box in the 2019 elections. Nigerians have opted for democratic rule, and the only accepted way to change a democratically elected government is through elections, which hold at prescribed times in the country. Any other way is patently illegal, and even treasonable. Of course, such would attract the necessary consequences.”

In response to the salvo fired by the Presidency, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the allegation that some Nigerians were plotting a forceful and undemocratic change of leadership, as a resort to blackmail in the face of failure. The PDP, in a statement by its national publicity secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, asked Buhari to look closely at his past before accusing it of plot to overthrow democratically elected government.

“Perhaps, the Presidency has forgotten that in 1983, Brigadier Muhammadu Buhari, as he was then known, led a military coup to truncate a democratically elected government thereby causing our nation a huge drawback on democratic governance.”