• Home
  • Anti-Corruption
  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
  • National
    • Government
  • Security
  • Features
  • State
  • Event
    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Search
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
Sign in
Welcome! Log into your account
Forgot your password? Get help
Password recovery
Recover your password
A password will be e-mailed to you.
PRNIGERIA PRNigeria News
PRNIGERIA PRNIGERIA
  • Home
  • Anti-Corruption
    • ICPC Secures Conviction of Rector for Running Unaccredited Degree Programmes

      Engr Abba Babagana Dalori

      Engr Dalori Forfeits Galaxy Hospital, Petrol Station, Properties & Cash

      Chinese nationals jailed in Lagos

      Court Jails Nine Chinese Nationals for Cybercrime in Lagos

      ASUU

      Tackle Corruption, Institutional Decay – ASUU Charges FG

      EFCC Arraigns Bauchi Accountant General Over N8bn Fraud as Court Sentences…

  • Fact-Check
  • Economy
    • Customs Partners US Mission to Prevent Expanded Visa Ban

      Nigeria Customs Partners China on Smarter Ports, Officer Training, Reforms

      Comptroller General Nigerian Customs Bashir Adewale

      Customs Moves Against 223 Importers in N379bn Permit Breach

      Bashir Adewale Adeniyi Customs Boss

      How Customs is Tightening Borders to Stop Illicit Cash Flows –…

      Customs boss, CGC Bashir Adewale Adeniyi with NAFDAC DG Professor Moji Adeyeye

      Codeine, Tramadol Worth ₦20.5bn Seized as Customs-NAFDAC Cooperation Deepens

  • National
    • Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun

      IG Boosts Police Intelligence Capacity with New Tech, Training for Technical…

      Army Commander keeps 100 students in school

      Army Commander’s Compassion Keeps 100 Students in School in Zamfara

      Sam Obi Sponsors 500 students

      Sam Obi Sponsors 500 Students in Evergreen, SimplifiedIQ’s Education Program

      CG Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      NIPR Hails customs Boss’ Tenure Extension as Evidence of Transformational Leadership

      Comptroller General Customs Bashir Adewale and his staffs with the representatives of the European Union, the German Embassy

      Customs Unveils Renewable Energy Handbook, Strengthens EU-Germany-GIZ Partnership

    • Government
      • Mohammed Idris Malagi, Honorable Minister of Information and National Orientation

        FG Reacts to Niger Governor’s Closure of Badegi FM

        Northern leaders at Arewa Summit

        Northern Leaders Urge Action on Almajiri Crisis, Equitable Resources at Arewa…

        Saidu Ahmed Alkali,

        Kaduna-Kano Light Rail Underway as FG Targets ₦70bn Investment

        Beyond Hoes and Sticks: The Power of Education for Peace in…

        National Blood Service Agency

        FG Pledges Stronger Support for Blood Services, Seeks Scalable Interventions from…

  • Security
    • The Director of Defence Media Operations, Major-General Markus Kangye,

      Troops Eliminate Dozens of Terrorists, Arrest 578 Suspects in July Operations

      Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun

      IG Boosts Police Intelligence Capacity with New Tech, Training for Technical…

      Nigerian Police Force

      Anambra Police Nab Wanted Kidnap Suspect in Kaduna

      Nigerian Navy

      Navy to Establish  Base in Kebbi to Tackle Inland Waterway Crimes

      Army Commander keeps 100 students in school

      Army Commander’s Compassion Keeps 100 Students in School in Zamfara

  • Features
    • CG Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      Customs Just Wrote Nigeria’s Energy Rulebook

      Okello Oculi

      Okello Oculi: A Pan-Africanist Asteroid Burns out Forever By Is’haq Modibbo…

      Leon Usigbe

      Death, you can’t be Proud of this By Abdulrahman Abdulraheem 

      Tinubu’s Plateau Gambit – Yilwatda, 2027, and the Return of the…

      Ozumi and a recipient of a wheelchair

      Wheels of Hope: How a Simple Gift is Reshaping Lives at…

  • State
    • court Judiciary

      Lawyer Sues Housing Ministry, FHA Over Alleged Property Redesign

      Army Commander keeps 100 students in school

      Army Commander’s Compassion Keeps 100 Students in School in Zamfara

      Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar, receiving the land document from Governor Pastor Umo Bassey Eno in Akwa Ibom

      Akwa Ibom Boosts National Security with Land Donation for Nigerian Air…

      Nigerian Army

      Army Denies Allegations of Misconduct in Imo Community

      Military Troops in Action

      Troops Repel Bandit Attacks in Katsina, Plateau, Recover Rustled Cattle, Sustain…

  • Event
    • court Judiciary

      Lawyer Sues Housing Ministry, FHA Over Alleged Property Redesign

      Sam Obi Sponsors 500 students

      Sam Obi Sponsors 500 Students in Evergreen, SimplifiedIQ’s Education Program

      Comptroller General Customs Bashir Adewale and his staffs with the representatives of the European Union, the German Embassy

      Customs Unveils Renewable Energy Handbook, Strengthens EU-Germany-GIZ Partnership

      University of Maiduguri

      UNIMAID Mass Comm becomes Faculty of Communication and Media Studies

      CG Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

      Tinubu’s Extension of Customs CG Bashir Adeniyi’s Tenure Draws Widespread Praise…

    • PR Nigeria Award
  • E-Paper
Home General An Encounter with Gen Attahiru, Spy Chief a Week Before their Death
  • General

An Encounter with Gen Attahiru, Spy Chief a Week Before their Death

By
Yushau A. Shuaib
-
May 28, 2021
Generals Attahiru Kuliya
Generals Attahiru Kuliya

An Encounter with Gen Attahiru, Spy Chief a Week Before their Death
By Yushau A. Shuaib

“Mallam Yushau, can you see me at Niger Barrack today?” – General Attahiru

I received the above phone message on Sallah Day, Thursday May 13, 2021, from the late General Ibrahim Attahiru, the former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff (COAS) just a week before his death alongside other military officers in a plane crash in Kaduna.

The nation was thrown into mourning over his death even as his immediate past predecessor and Ambassador-Designate, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), noted that Attahiru was on the verge of making the nation proud in the national counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism efforts when the tragedy occurred.

Gov Babagana Zulum of Borno State also admitted that the late COAS was evidently committed to the fight against Boko Haram and determined to contribute significantly to ending the insurgency.

Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari praised Attahiru for his gallantry in the war against insurgency and described him as a military chief who led from the front. Equally, former President Goodluck Jonathan highly commended the late Army Chief and other officers who died in the course of service to the country as patriots who died with their boots on.

On that Sallah Day when I received his invitation, I reached out to the Army spokesperson, Brigadier-General Mohammed Yerima and we both drove to General Attahiru’s residence. There, we were received by his then ADC, the now late Major Lawal Hayat, who ushered us into the lobby, since the COAS was then with the Chief of Intelligence, now late Brig-Gen Abdulrahman Kuliya, and his Chief of Staff, also now late Brig-Gen Mohammed Abdulkadir.

While waiting in the lobby, I recalled my first encounter with Attahiru about eight years ago, precisely on November 29, 2013, when the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) had hosted security spokespersons and top editors of media houses to an interactive forum intended to create and sustain a working relationship between the media and the security sector, towards promoting the national interest.

Attahiru was then the Army spokesperson and Director of Army Public Relations. It was the outcome of that meeting that gave birth to the Forum of Spokespersons of Security and Response Agencies (FOSSRA). During the meeting, he was articulate and demonstrated eloquence, as he emphasised the desirability of information-driven by the media, intelligence gathering inspired by communities, and counterterrorism championed by the military and other security services.

It was after that encounter that we sustained a brotherly relationship and I gradually came into a greater awareness of Attahiru, not only as a very keen professional who understood his brief at each point and always delivered on this to the best of his ability, but equally as a highly humane person with a strong sense of empathy, support and solidarity.

As fate would have it, he had recorded successes in the various offices he held, even if these were just brief stints. He accomplished assigned tasks when he was a Military Commander in the Bakassi Peninsula and the Niger Delta region before becoming General Officer Commanding, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu.

While he was Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole in North-Eastern Nigeria for just six months in 2018, he brought relative stability to the region, with the elimination of several Boko Haram commanders and the surrender of their combatants.

Similarly, his outstanding records are glaring when he was Deputy Chief of Policy and Plans at the Army Headquarters, and later as the Chief of Defence Transformation and Innovation, and the Chief of Defence Logistics at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

Read Also:

  • Troops Eliminate Dozens of Terrorists, Arrest 578 Suspects in July Operations
  • FG Reacts to Niger Governor’s Closure of Badegi FM
  • Information Ministry Inaugurates Anti-Corruption Unit to Deepen Transparency

Apart from acquiring higher levels of education at the Salford, Bournemouth, Nairobi, China and Geneva, Attahiru had served as an Instructor at the Depot Nigerian Army, Nigerian Defence Academy and the Nigerian Army School of Infantry. He later became Chief Instructor at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji, Nigeria.

On his appointment as Chief of Army Staff, the late military tactician had exhibited a very national outlook in the deployment of officers, with his approach also anchored on the principles of seniority, professionalism, and competence. For strategic reasons, he had deployed heroic field commanders of Southern origin for operations in the North of Nigeria, and similarly, gallant officers from the North were assigned to operations in the South. It was, therefore, not surprising when he retained some of his course mates in the service and assigned one of the most senior Army officers, General Ben Ahonatu from Anambra State as the Chief of Policy and Plan (COPP) at the Army Headquarters.

Apart from his nationalistic deployment of officers, he undertook several risky missions to the theatres of operation nationwide to motivate the troops and give assurance to host communities. He occasionally gave deadlines for military operations. For instance, on February 22, 2021, while on the frontline in Dikwa, he ordered the troops of the then Operation Lafiya Dole under the command of General Faruq Yahaya to clear and recover “Marte, Chikungu, Wulgo, Kirenowa and Kita in Borno State from terrorists within 48 hours.” The nation was delighted when the military met the deadline by eliminating scores of terrorists and rescuing many victims. He had also been very resolute and passionate on the indivisibility of Nigeria that he was determined to tackle secessionist agitators frontally.

While it would be inappropriate to delve into the nitty-gritty of intelligence work, the late COAS’s deployment of Brigadier General Kuliya as the spy chief was widely celebrated in the security services as that decision played significant roles in disorganising terrorist camps through strategic infiltration.

Following the penetration Kuliya had engineered, violent confrontations broke out among fighters of the Boko Haram and ISWAP groups, leading to the reported death of the erstwhile Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, among others.

As I ruminated over Attahiru’s accomplishments within a short period in office, Major Hayat walked into the lobby with the information that the Army Chief was ready to receive us on that Sallah day. We then ran into and exchanged greetings and banters with Brigadiers-General Kuliya and Abdulkadir, who were on their way out of the residence.

On meeting him, General Attahiru had asked after the preparations we were making for the then forthcoming training of Army Public Relations Officers (PROs), which was scheduled for the following week, from May 19 to 22, 2021. I informed him that everything was going well, according to the coordination plan of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) and the Department of Army Public Relations (DAPR).

Attahiru believed that a mutual relationship between military spokespersons and the media would go a long way in achieving positive results in counter-insurgency campaigns. He always advised security spokespersons to enhance their conflict-sensitive communications skills, in order to build mutual trust with the civil populace.

General Attahiru had assured us that he would be present at the Opening Ceremony of the workshop before we left him that day as he prepared to travel to the frontline to celebrate Sallah Festivity with the troops the following day.

On the first day of the workshop, he could not make it because he attended a Conference of General Officers Commanding (GOCs) in Ibadan, Oyo State. On the second day, he could not make it because he attended an Air Force programme with the Minister of Defence in Makurdi, Benue State. On the third day and closing ceremony of the PR workshop, General Attahiru could still not make it because he was attending important security engagements and preparing for another official trip the same day. After his afternoon prayers, he was flown out of Abuja to Kaduna for the newer official assignment, and the plane crashed just before their arrival at the destination.

Yushau A. Shuaib
Author An Encounter with the Spymaster
[email protected]

VISIT OUR OTHER WEBSITES
PRNigeria.com EconomicConfidential.com PRNigeria.com/Hausa/
EmergencyDigest.com PoliticsDigest.ng TechDigest.ng
HealthDigest.ng SpokesPersonsdigest.com TeensDigest.ng
ArewaAgenda.com Hausa.ArewaAgenda.com YAShuaib.com
  • TAGS
  • Abdulrahman Kuliya
  • Bokom Haram
  • COAS
  • Faruq Yahaya
  • Features
  • Ibrahim Attahiru
  • ISWAP
Previous articleNASS Team in America to Assess Progress on NAF A-29 Super Tucano Aircraft
Next articleNigerian Troops Tackle IPOB Militants at Agbochia Forest
Yushau A. Shuaib
Yushau A. Shuaib
https://prnigeria.com/

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

Ministry of Information and National Orientation has inaugurated an Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU)

Information Ministry Inaugurates Anti-Corruption Unit to Deepen Transparency

Inspector-General of Police Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun

IG Boosts Police Intelligence Capacity with New Tech, Training for Technical Intelligence Unit

Comptroller General Customs Bashir Adewale and his staffs with the representatives of the European Union, the German Embassy

Customs Unveils Renewable Energy Handbook, Strengthens EU-Germany-GIZ Partnership

University of Maiduguri

UNIMAID Mass Comm becomes Faculty of Communication and Media Studies

CG Customs Bashir Adewale Adeniyi

Tinubu’s Extension of Customs CG Bashir Adeniyi’s Tenure Draws Widespread Praise and Reactions

Saidu Ahmed Alkali,

FG Secures China Funding to Fast-Track Kaduna–Kano Rail Completion

nipr logo

NIPR Slams Fake News Peddlers over Alleged Lafia Flyover Collapse

Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki, Commissioner of Information, Kaduna State

Kaduna Governor Appoints Strategic Communicator, Ahmed Maiyaki as Information Commissioner

Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani

Gov Sani sacks Commissioner, Announces New Appointment

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar with the President of NIPR, Dr. Ike Neliaku during the unveiling of the National Reputation Management Group at Abuja on 15th October 2024.

NRMG Charged to Lead Battle Against Fake News, Reframe Nigeria’s Image

IMPR Interns

Unpacking Dr. Fatima Binta’s NIPR Vision: A Candid Chat with PRNigeria Interns

Dr. Ahmadu Fatimah Binta

Beyond the Clinic: Dr. Fatimah Binta Reveals PR’s Impact on Medicine

Recent Posts

  • Troops Eliminate Dozens of Terrorists, Arrest 578 Suspects in July Operations
  • FG Reacts to Niger Governor’s Closure of Badegi FM
  • Information Ministry Inaugurates Anti-Corruption Unit to Deepen Transparency
  • IG Boosts Police Intelligence Capacity with New Tech, Training for Technical Intelligence Unit
  • Anambra Police Nab Wanted Kidnap Suspect in Kaduna
  • Home
  • About
  • Adverts
  • Contact
© 2020 PRNigeria. All Rights Reserved.
Latest News
Troops Eliminate Dozens of Terrorists, Arrest 578 Suspects in July OperationsFG Reacts to Niger Governor’s Closure of Badegi FMInformation Ministry Inaugurates Anti-Corruption Unit to Deepen TransparencyIG Boosts Police Intelligence Capacity with New Tech, Training for Technical Intelligence UnitAnambra Police Nab Wanted Kidnap Suspect in KadunaCustoms Just Wrote Nigeria's Energy RulebookLawyer Sues Housing Ministry, FHA Over Alleged Property RedesignNavy to Establish  Base in Kebbi to Tackle Inland Waterway CrimesArmy Commander's Compassion Keeps 100 Students in School in ZamfaraSam Obi Sponsors 500 Students in Evergreen, SimplifiedIQ's Education ProgramNIPR Hails customs Boss' Tenure Extension as Evidence of Transformational LeadershipAkwa Ibom Boosts National Security with Land Donation for Nigerian Air Force BaseCustoms Unveils Renewable Energy Handbook, Strengthens EU-Germany-GIZ PartnershipUNIMAID Mass Comm becomes Faculty of Communication and Media StudiesTinubu’s Extension of Customs CG Bashir Adeniyi’s Tenure Draws Widespread Praise and Reactions
X whatsapp