By STEPHEN ADELEYE

The Nigerian Army, alongside government officials and the entire Bassa‑Nge Kingdom, on Wednesday paid their final respects to late retired Brig.-Gen. Abu Ali, and the former Military Administrator of Bauchi State.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Ali passed on Monday, at the age of 82.

Ali, the revered Etsu Bassa‑Nge, Paramount Ruler of Bassa‑Nge Kingdom, was buried in Gboloko, Bassa, Kogi, after Islamic rites and full military honours ceremony.

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. -Gen. Waidi Shaibu, represented by the Commander, 12 Brigade, Lokoja, Brig.-Gen. Kasim Sidi, extended heartfelt condolences to the family and commended the late officer’s legacy of professionalism.

Waidi hailed the deceased as “a beacon of honour, a pillar of military ethics, and a leader whose selfless dedication will continue to inspire generations.”

Gov. Ahmed Ododo, represented by Kogi State Security Adviser, Cdr Jerry Omodara (Rtd), described the late Ali as a custodian of unity and development whose loss reverberates across the state and nation.

The Governor added that the loss of the Etsu Bassa-Nge was not only a blow to the state but to the entire nation.

The funeral oration, delivered on behalf of Shaibu by Sidi, traced Abu Ali’s life from his 1945 birth in Gboloko, Kogi State, through enlistment in 1963 to retirement as a Brig.-Gen. in 1999.

It highlighted his distinguished military career—including command and staff roles such as Squadron Commander of 3 Reconnaissance Regiment, Deputy Adjutant & Quarter Master General, Military Administrator of Bauchi State.

It also included: Deputy Military Secretary 1, Director of Training at TRADOC, Commander of 15 ECOWAS Monitoring Group Brigade, Deputy Chief of Intelligence (DIA), and Commandant of the Armoured Corps Centre & School—and his transformative reign as the Etsu Bassa‑Nge.

The oration praised his professionalism, patriotism, integrity, and dedication to youth development, community cohesion, education, and national service.

It noted his extensive trainings in the UK, Pakistan, India, and USA, and remembered his son, the late Lt.-Col. Muhammad Abu-Ali, a decorated hero of Nigeria’s fight against insurgency.

The burial ceremony featured final prayers, lowering of the national flag, and the presentation of national colours to the next of kin.

In attendance were senior officers from Army HQ Abuja, Commander, Nigerian Navy Ship Lugard, spiritual as well as traditional leaders, and other dignitaries.

The Nigerian Army extended heartfelt condolences to the family, Bassa‑Nge Kingdom, and all Nigerians, affirming the deceased lasting legacy as a patriot, statesman, and symbol of honour. (NAN)