Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru commanded the Nigerian army for less than six months. Yesterday, May 22, the BBC news agency reported that the crew of the Beechcraft King Air 350 aircraft of the Nigerian Air Force and 11 of its passengers were killed in a plane crash near Kaduna International Airport.
In addition to General Attahiru, there were 10 high-ranking officers on board, including his aides, as well as three crew members. The press service of the Nigerian Air Force reported that the car crashed while trying to land.
Aftermath of the Nigerian Air Force plane crash
In recent years, criticism of the authorities in Nigeria has increased due to the growing movement of extremists in the north of the country. Ibrahim Attahiru, 54, became chief of the General Staff in January this year, when Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari made a significant reshuffle in command. Attahiru graduated from the Nigerian Defense Academy, and has also been educated abroad, including in China and the United States. He began his military career as a military observer to the UN in Sierra Leone. Prior to his appointment in January of this year, Attahiru was the commander of the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army.