Nigeria’s top-ranking army commander Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and other military officers have been killed when their plane crashed in the country’s north, according to officials.
The incident on Friday occurred “due to inclement weather” as the plane was landing at the Kaduna International Airport, the armed forces said in a statem. There was no immediate information provided about what may have caused the plane crash, but Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima said more details would be released soon. The names of the other military officials who died were not made public.
Chief of Army Staff Attahiru was only appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in January as part of a shake-up of the top military command to better fight surging violence, including the more than decade-long battle against the Boko Haram armed group.
Buhari, a former general first elected in 2015, has been under increasing pressure from allies and critics alike over his government’s handling of mounting security problems in the country.
In a statement, the president said the crash “was one mortal blow to our underbelly, at a time our armed forces are poised to end the security challenges facing the country”.
