By Onilede Titi Faith
Former Chief of Staff to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, Major General Abdullahi Mohammed (retd.), has died at the age of 86.
Born in 1939 in Ilorin, Kwara State, Mohammed reportedly passed away early Wednesday in Abuja.
A distinguished officer, he attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1958.
He served as Director of Military Intelligence, played a role in the 1975 coup that brought General Murtala Mohammed to power, and later became Governor of Benue-Plateau State.
He was also the Director-General of the National Security Organisation (NSO), precursor to the DSS, before retiring in 1979.
He later served as National Security Adviser to Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar and as Chief of Staff to Presidents Obasanjo and Yar’Adua until 2008.
The Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), described his death as “a monumental loss to the Ilorin Emirate and Nigeria,” noting his patriotism and leadership.
Condolences have poured in from national leaders, including President Bola Tinubu and the Emir of Ilorin, for the late general, remembered as a disciplined officer and statesman.
