He was rumoured dead two days ago, but Nigeria’s one-time number two man, Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe, bravely fought to stay alive until last night. The former Chief of General Staff finally lost the battle to cancer in a New York, USA, hospital at around 7pm Nigerian time, aged 68.

Akhigbe, who was the second in command to the former military ruler, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, had for years battled cancer, away from public glare. A close friend of his told News Express that he underwent surgery in Germany and was required to frequently go for check-up. “To reduce stress and expenses, he had to relocate to the UK, from where he went to Germany to keep the appointment with his doctors,” the source said.

The source disclosed that Akhigbe continued to show interest in affairs back home in Nigeria, including in the electoral fortunes of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), of which he was a member.

His health, however, suddenly degenerated and he could not be helped by his German doctors, making his family to move him to the United States of America, where he went into a coma, finally dying last night.

“He was a man who loved Nigeria but Nigeria abandoned him at his hour of need,” the source said. “He used to lament his ordeal to me and even spoke of how none of his text messages to President Goodluck Jonathan was ever acknowledged.”

Mourning Akhigbe, Senate President David Mark, who was his course mate at the Nigerian Defence Academy, described his death as the loss of “a brother, confidant, friend and comrade-at-arms.”

Continuing, Mark said: “Mike was fearless and very diligent in our course. He took these attributes to all the formations where he was privileged to have been posted either in his core military postings or political offices.

“He was one of the poster boys of our Course 3 and we were all very proud of him. His death is a huge personal loss to me, the members of Course 3, the Armed Forces, Edo State, and the nation.”

•Photo shows late Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe.