The death, on Friday in a military plane crash, of the recently appointed Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, is “suspicious”, the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety) said on Saturday,

The unfortunate incident “is likely going to end the same way the suspicious death of Gov Patrick Yakowa, DIG John Haruna and others ended without any form of comprehensive, conclusive and satisfactory investigation and its outcomes. With the Nigerian Army headed Defense Headquarters’ latest hasty and uninvestigated conclusion, blaming the crash on “bad weather”; barely a day after, the COAS’s suspicious death, ‘investigatively’, is sealed, carpeted and added to the long list of unresolved others. This is to the extent that no senior military official has been held directly or vicariously culpable and no credible enquiries launched and concluded so as to prevent future occurrence or fish out the perpetrators if found conspiratorially or culpably involved. Nigeria has in barely four months or since Feb 2021 lost no fewer than 20 military personnel mostly commissioned officers and till date, no single sanction has been meted or any form of detailed investigations carried out,” intersociety said in a statement signed by its Principal Officers: Emeka Umeagbalasi, Chinwe Umeche, Esq., and Chidimma Udegbunam, Esq.

According to the statement, “The heart of International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law is hereby saddened by the tragic and suspected “perfect killing” of Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, who was killed alongside ten others; namely: Brig Gen MI. Abdulkadir, Brig Gen Olyainka, Brig Gen Kuliya, Major LA Hayat, Major Hamza, Sergeant Umar, Flight Lieutenants Asaniyi and Olufade; Sergeant Adesina and ACM Oyedepo. If our suspicion of “perfect killing” of the COAS is ‘investigatively’ anything to go by, then the ten slain others are likely victims of “collateral killing”. Intersociety makes bold to say that the death outside the law and natural causes of any member of human family, irrespective of his or her age, tribe, religion, gender and class is totally unacceptable and condemnable. This includes the late Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru and ten others.

“However, there are two regrets at the heart of Intersociety, associated with the sudden and suspicious demise of Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru. As GOC of 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu between late 2015 and late 2016, Major Gen Ibrahim Attahiru (as he then was) and past weeks as the new Chief of Army Staff, late Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru (as he recently was) was directly and vicariously responsible for the mass murder of no fewer than 280 unarmed and defenseless Judeo-Christians of Eastern Nigeria. Therefore, we regret not seeing him alive to account someday for his conduct atrocities. We also deeply regret his death on account of the fact that he might have died as a result of intra governmental cold war possibly over military contract scandals that have been raising dust in government circles of late. The late Army Chief publicly was noted to have taken a hard stance including distancing himself and his new office and calling the oversight agencies to do independently do the needful. This explains why we said that his suspicious death is likely to go the same way of late Gov Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa of Kaduna State and DIG Haruna John and several others whose death and causes of same remain concretely unmasked till date.

“It must be remembered that DIG John Haruna (then DIG in charge of operations) was killed in a suspicious police helicopter crash on 15th March 2012 in Kabong area of Jos in Plateau. He died when the helicopter flying him back to Abuja, which was delivered in December 2011 crashed into buildings located in Kabong, near Jos, killing him alongside three others including ACP Garba Yelwa (pilot), CSP Alexander Pwol (co-pilot) and Sergeant Sonatian Shirunam (his orderly). DIG John Haruna’s suspicious death came after he visited the scene of the jihadist terror bomb blast at St Finbar’s Catholic Church in Jos, Plateau State. The State had been under fierce attacks by Jihadist Fulani Herdsmen and Boko Haram. As if that was not enough and nine months after, Gov Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, the first and last Christian civilian Gov of Kaduna State was killed in another suspicious helicopter crash on 15th Dec 2012. He died alongside National Security Adviser, Lt Gen Owoye Andrew Aziza and four others. The suspicious crash happened while flying them from Bayelsa State to Port Harcourt. Gov Yakowa was also killed two years after he became the first Christian Gov of Kaduna State in 2010 following the appointment of Gov Namadi Sambo, a Muslim, as Vice President of Nigeria. The death of DIG Haruna John and Patrick Yakowa was strongly believed to be the handiwork of Muslim hardliners linked to Nigerian security forces.

“For purpose of technical explanation, “Perfect Killing” is faked natural killing or death planted using state machinery or that done using moveable or immoveable critical equipment or gaseous substances; involving killing of an important state actor or non state actor-perpetrated leaving little or no evidential traces. “Perfect Killing” types include “arrange” aviation or automobile accidents or crashes or injection or spraying of killer-gaseous substances insider the target victim’s body or car or living room; or planting of explosive devices in the latter, etc. Similar to “perfect killing” is public officer’s “malevolent exit strategy” involving “clean killing” of “hostile friends” or “straw-men” or “planted friends” with ties to a top public office holder whose tenure is about to end. It is done for purpose of closing traces of wrong doings of the outgoing public officer especially as they concern financial improprieties or scandals, or human rights atrocities, or scandals involving scandalous love affair, etc. “Perfect Killing” is very difficult to investigate by Government owing to conflict of interest and cover-ups and only becomes successful when investigated by a formidable and credible neutral third party outside the Government such as an international criminal or civil enquiry commission.”

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