By NIRAN ADEDOKUN

Today, May 21, 2026, marks exactly five years since an unprecedented tragedy in Nigeria's history shook the nation to its core. On that day in 2021, the country’s 21st Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, died alongside ten other gallant officers and men in an air crash.

The incident that took Attahiru’s life occurred during a trip for the passing-out-parade of a new set of recruits at the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria scheduled for Saturday, May 22, 2021. The depot is the institution that trains Nigeria’s army recruits, and although he didn’t need to be there, Attahiru argued that his physical presence would boost the morale of these new entrants before their deployment to the different formations of the Army where they would serve. So, on the preceding Friday, he boarded a military aircraft with some of his closest aides. Less than sixty minutes later, the aircraft encountered challenges that, though remain undefined till date, resulted in the death of everyone on board. The event shook the nation to its foundations.

Officers and men who travelled and died with the former Chief of Army Staff included the Acting Chief of Military Intelligence, Brigadier General Abdulkadir Kuliya; Chief of Staff to the late COAS, Brigadier General Mohammed Idris Abdulkadir; Acting Provost Marshal, Brigadier General Olatunji Lukman Olayinka; Aide-De-Camp to the COAS, Major Lawal Aliyu Hayat; Major Nura Hamza, Flight Lieutenant Taiwo Olufemi Asaniyi, Flight Lieutenant Alfred Ayodeji Olufade, Sergeant Opeyemi Isaiah Adesina, Sergeant Umar Saidu and Aircraftman (ACM) Olamide Matthew Oyedepo.

At the time of his death, Attahiru had spent just three months in office within which he left no one in doubt as to his commitment to reform the Nigerian Army and take it to a place of pride. He had and shared an urgent desire to improve the welfare of Army officers and men and was emphatic about raising the quality of training the Army offered its personnel. He matched this belief with decisive action.

The late Army chief also took the encouragement and mobilisation of his forces personally. A few times in the weeks leading to the crash, Attahiru had discussed the need to overhaul the curriculum at the depot to enhance effective deployments with the then Chief of Training at Army Headquarters, Major Gen. Okwudili Azinta, as the latter testified in Attahiru’s posthumous biography.

A Legacy of Action and Strategy

In those three months he spent in office, Attahiru spoke and acted in ways that gave Nigerians a renewed sense of security. Noted for his readiness to lead from the front, he orchestrated the dramatic recovery of several territories captured by Boko Haram insurgents in February 2021. Visiting the war theatre on Sunday, February 21, 2021, he famously gave the troops a 48-hour ultimatum to clear Marte, Chikingudo, Kirenowa, Kirta, and Wulgo, then notorious strongholds of insurgents, telling them: "You cannot let this nation down. You must go there and do the needful, and I will be right behind you."

The soldiers picked up the gauntlet and recovered the territories within 24 hours. Attahiru's "take the attack to the enemy" principle had an enduring impact, later contributing to the historic surrender of about 35,000 Boko Haram fighters. He confidently told colleagues that Boko Haram would, "Insha Allah," be history before the end of 2021. Sadly, he did not live to see that year's end.

Yet, visionaries who share their dreams do not die with their visions. Attahiru fiercely championed unity, changing the North-East counter-insurgency operation's name from Lafiya Dole (Peace by force) to Hadin Kai (Heads put together). He pioneered joint-force synergy alongside his colleagues in the Air Force and Navy, a cornerstone strategy that successors have built upon over the last five years.

He promoted the "Theory of the Trinity,” an essential partnership between the Army, the government and the people, which boosted community-based intelligence and robust media relations. He initiated human rights and re-orientation seminars for Army personnel, ensuring the military respected civilian rights, a foundational shift that veteran journalist Babajide Otitoju later praised as "eventful and pacesetting."

Regardless of detractors, Attahiru fiercely defended the dignity and pride of the Nigerian Army. This was put on full display during a meeting with a House of Representatives committee in April 2021. Refusing to be cowed by political posturing, he resolutely maintained that his role as Chief of Army Staff tasked with the existential duty of securing Nigeria, was in no way inferior to that of elected politicians. The tense encounter captivated Nigerians from all walks of life, with many applauding the COAS for his unwavering backbone and refusal to let the military be diminished for political theater.

Honouring Service, Empowering Futures: The General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF)

But while General Attahiru's life was cut short by this tragic incident, his wife and friends quickly rallied to preserve his legacy of service within months of his transition. On the first anniversary of his death, the General Ibrahim Attahiru Foundation (GIAF) presented his posthumous biography, The Man, the Soldier, the Patriot, and a documentary to a mammoth crowd of colleagues, family members and admirers of the late General in Abuja. And in the years after, it continues to invest in military families and the communities that support them. Some of the initiatives and intervention of the GIAF include:

Community Infrastructure and Widened Access

From its earliest days, GIAF focused on tangible, dignity-building initiatives. The foundation successfully completed vital community projects originally envisioned by the late COAS, including new classroom blocks and mosques in Dambatta (Kano State) and Funtua (Katsina State), immediately widening educational access for local children.

The Battle Against Silent Suffering

GIAF also launched the Campaign Against Suffering in Silence (CASIS) in recognition of the hidden psychological toll of military service. Run in collaboration with International Alert and the Psychotrauma Relief Society of Nigeria, this weekly radio programme actively raises awareness about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and mental health struggles among veterans, providing critical referral pathways for professional medical care and promoting deep healing across both military and civilian communities.

Educational Scholarships and Mentorship

To sustain the late General's passion for welfare and youth development, GIAF rolled out a comprehensive scholarship programme for the dependents of Nigerian Army personnel. Today, more than 200 university students benefit from continuous financial support, quarterly mentorship sessions led by trained facilitators, and a thriving alumni network that equips them with life skills, resilience, and post-graduation career pathways. This intervention has become amplified through strategic partnerships and powerful collaborations; the Nigerian Army now sponsors 50 scholars annually, while the Niger and Plateau state governments partner with the foundation on infrastructure projects and programme delivery.

Five years after that dark Friday evening in 2021, honest assessors of the country’s history still remember General Ibrahim Attahiru's short tenure as COAS as pacesetting and effective. Those who knew him personally testify that he was a man of firm discipline and extraordinary compassion. And through the enduring love of his family and the institutional triumphs of his Foundation, the late Kaduna State-born General, exemplary husband, father, and humanitarian, continues to serve the nation he loved.

May he, and the ten patriots who died with him, continue to rest in perfect peace.

• Adedokun, author of The man, the soldier, the patriot: Biography of later Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, wrote in from Lagos.

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