{"id":95868,"date":"2025-11-05T22:29:24","date_gmt":"2025-11-05T22:29:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95868"},"modified":"2025-11-05T22:29:24","modified_gmt":"2025-11-05T22:29:24","slug":"nigeria-mourns-general-mohammed-abdullahi-adangba-veteran-soldier-and-statesman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/?p=95868","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria mourns General Mohammed Abdullahi Adangba, veteran soldier and statesman"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigeria is in mourning following the death of Major General Mohammed Abdullahi Adangba (Rtd.), a towering figure in the nation\u2019s military and political history, who passed away in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja at the age of 86. Tributes have poured in from across the country, honoring his decades of service and profound impact on national security and governance.<\/p>\n

Born in Ilorin, Kwara State, in 1939, General Abdullahi attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in the United Kingdom, and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1958. Over an illustrious career spanning more than three decades, he rose through the ranks to become Director of Military Intelligence and played a notable role in the 1975 coup that brought General Murtala Mohammed to power.<\/p>\n

Following the change of government, Abdullahi was appointed Military Governor of Benue-Plateau State, serving from July 1975 to March 1976. Under General Olusegun Obasanjo\u2019s military regime, he became the pioneer Director-General of the National Security Organisation (NSO)\u2014the precursor to today\u2019s Department of State Services (DSS)\u2014a position he held from 1976 to 1979.<\/p>\n

After retiring from active service in 1979, Abdullahi ventured into private enterprise as Managing Director of Atoto Press Limited in Ilorin. His commitment to national service continued when he was appointed National Security Adviser (NSA) to Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar in 1998, playing a crucial role in the nation\u2019s transition to democracy. With the advent of the Fourth Republic, he was appointed the pioneer Chief of Staff to President Olusegun Obasanjo, a position he retained under President Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua until his resignation in 2008.<\/p>\n

\"\"
He was an aide to Late President Umaru Musa Yar\u2019Adua, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Throughout his distinguished career, General Abdullahi was widely regarded as a disciplined officer, trusted aide, and silent power broker whose efforts contributed significantly to Nigeria\u2019s political stability and national security.<\/p>\n

President Bola Tinubu led tributes to the late general, describing him as \u201ca disciplined, loyal, and patriotic officer\u201d whose contributions to Nigeria\u2019s security architecture were \u201cindelible.\u201d Tinubu praised his \u201chumility, efficiency, and unwavering commitment to the Nigerian project,\u201d noting that Abdullahi\u2019s leadership helped shape the modern workings of the Presidency.<\/p>\n

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq expressed deep sorrow, calling his death \u201ca painful closure of a bright page in Nigeria\u2019s political and military history.\u201d He described Abdullahi as \u201ca fine soldier, administrator, and community leader,\u201d adding that his passing was a profound loss not just to the Ilorin Emirate but to the entire nation. The governor extended condolences to the Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, the late general\u2019s family, and the military hierarchy, praying to Allah to grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.<\/p>\n

The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, also mourned the loss, calling Abdullahi \u201ca proud son of the Ilorin Emirate and a distinguished Nigerian who used his influence to promote national unity and humanity.\u201d The Emir prayed for Allah\u2019s mercy upon his soul and for his admittance into paradise.<\/p>\n

Former Senate President Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki described Abdullahi as \u201ca great soldier, administrator, and patriot\u201d who rendered selfless service to the nation. \u201cOur country has lost a good soldier, intelligence officer, and patriot,\u201d Saraki said, adding that his wisdom would have been invaluable in today\u2019s security climate.<\/p>\n

The Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) also paid tribute, noting that Abdullahi was the first son of Ilorin to govern a state and attain the rank of a two-star general. The union highlighted his pivotal roles during critical moments in Nigeria\u2019s history and his lasting contributions to community development.<\/p>\n

Condolence messages also poured in from the Nigerian Armed Forces, the governments of Kwara and Plateau States, and former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar.<\/p>\n

As Nigeria bids farewell to one of its most influential statesmen, General Mohammed Abdullahi Adangba\u2019s legacy will endure through the institutions he helped build and the countless lives he touched. According to family sources, burial arrangements will be announced later in accordance with Islamic rites.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nigeria is in mourning following the death of Major General Mohammed Abdullahi Adangba (Rtd.), a towering figure in the nation\u2019s military and political history, who passed away in the early hours of Wednesday in Abuja at the age of 86. Tributes have poured in from across the country, honoring his decades of service and profound […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":95870,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5781],"tags":[6491,1845,3944,440,7430,4032],"class_list":["post-95868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-obituary","tag-abdulahi","tag-general","tag-ilorin","tag-obasanjo","tag-statesman","tag-yaradua-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=95868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/95868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/95870"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=95868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=95868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=95868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}