By Ismail Auwal
President Muhammadu Buhari, in a phone call on Sunday, commiserated with the wife of the late Chief of Army Staff, (COAS) Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, on the tragic death of her husband.
A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Sunday evening, said that the president sympathized with the wife of deceased COAS via a phone call.
The president described the late Gen Attahiru as an outstanding soldier and an institution builder, who fought valiantly for Nigeria until he breathed his last, Garba noted.
The statement said, “In a telephone conversation, Sunday evening, with Mrs Fati Ibrahim Attahiru, the wife of the late COAS and the spouses of the other deceased military officers through her, President Buhari hailed the sacrifices of the military men who lost their lives and the Armed Forces in general, saying that Nigerians will continue to appreciate and support the fearlessness with which our courageous soldiers are confronting the threats facing the nation.
“He gave the grieving spouses assurances that the nation will never forget the supreme sacrifice of their spouses, urging them to take solace in the surge of extraordinary feelings of emotion across regions, religions and tribes all over the country in appreciation of their sacrifices.
“The President, who had earlier given directives to the Defence Headquarters and the Ministry of Defence to do everything a government can do to provide comfort and ease the hardships of the families of the deceased, prayed to Almighty God to repose their souls and grant their families the fortitude to bear the losses.
“Mrs Attahiru, on behalf of the rest of the families, thanked the President for the love and care he has shown to them.”
In a related development, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, also on Sunday, paid a condolence visit to the family of the deceased COAS.
The First Lady, on her verified Twitter handle said, ”I paid a condolence visit to the Family of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.
“The death of the Chief Of Army Staff and the other military officers aboard the ill-fated aircraft is a monumental loss to their families and the Nation at large,” Garba further said.
