Former Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier-General Usman Kukasheka (retd), has showered tributes on late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.
Attahru was among 11 military officers which died in a plane crash on Friday.
Others included his principal officers, personal aides and crew members.
And Kukasheka who worked under Attahiru said he was shocked by the news of his demise.
According to him, the country has lost one of it’s finest officers in General Attahiru.
“I became blank and confused, not wanting to believe that it was true. But as a Muslim, one cannot question Allah’s will. I have taken solace in the injunction that Inna lil lah wa Inna ilaihirrajiun (From Allah we came and unto Him, we will go back),” he said via his official Twitter account on Saturday.
“Words may not suffice to express the heartfelt sorrow for the Chief of Army Staff ’s passing and these gallant and promising senior military officers.
“I was so devastated because I knew General Attahiru and all the victims of the plane crash. The Chief of Army Staff was once a Director of Army Public Relations. At the same time, I was assistant director and later deputy director, Army Public Relations from 2012-2014. As a matter of fact, he was determined to work with me. He posted me as his chief of staff at the Directorate of Army Public Relations when he was appointed commander, 13 Brigade Nigerian Army. We maintained a cordial relationship till the unfortunate incident.
“There is no doubt that Nigeria has lost one of the best and finest officers in General Attahiru and those principal staff officers, personal staff, the pilots, crew and the gallant soldiers on board,” he said.
