Former Presidential Chief of Staff, Abdullahi Mohammed is dead

Major General Abdullahi Mohammed (retd.), who once served as Chief of Staff to former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, has passed away.

Mohammed, a native of Ilorin in Kwara State, reportedly died around 1 a.m. on Wednesday in Abuja at the age of 86.

Family sources confirmed his death toVery Nigerian in Ilorin, describing it as a great loss to the Ilorin Emirate, the nation, and the Nigerian military community.

Born in 1939, the late General Mohammed attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, United Kingdom, and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1958.

He rose through the ranks to become the Director of Military Intelligence and played a key role in the 1975 coup that toppled General Yakubu Gowon and brought General Murtala Mohammed to power.

Following the change of government, Mohammed was appointed Governor of Benue-Plateau State, serving from July 1975 to March 1976.

Under General Olusegun Obasanjo’s military administration, he became the Director-General of the National Security Organisation (NSO)—the precursor to today’s Department of State Services (DSS)—a position he held until 1979.

After his retirement that same year, he ventured into private business and became Managing Director of Atoto Press Limited, a notable printing company in Ilorin.

In 1998, General Mohammed was recalled to public service as National Security Adviser to then Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, a position he held until the transition to civilian rule in 1999.

At the advent of the Fourth Republic, he was appointed Chief of Staff to President Olusegun Obasanjo, a role he retained under President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua until his resignation in June 2008.

Throughout his career, Mohammed was widely regarded as a disciplined officer, an influential administrator, and a silent power broker in Nigeria’s political and security landscape.

Meanwhile, the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) has described the death of the retired General as a monumental loss to the Ilorin Emirate and Nigeria at large.

In a condolence statement issued by union’s National Publicity Secretary, Nurudeen Ibrahim, on behalf of the National President, Alhaji Abdulmumini Abdullahi, the IEDPU said the death of the elder statesman was “even more painful at this critical time when the nation needs the wisdom of tested patriots to navigate its challenges.”

The union praised the late Mohammed for his pioneering roles, noting that he was the first son of Ilorin to serve as a state governor and the first to attain the rank of a two-star General in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

The statement added, “General Mohammed played critical roles in Nigeria’s history. He was a patriot who fought to keep the country united and later served as National Security Adviser and the first and longest-serving Chief of Staff to the President.”

It further recalled that the late General supported the IEDPU for several years, including sponsoring the printing of its annual calendar free of charge.

The IEDPU extended condolences to President Bola Tinubu, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, over the passing of the distinguished Ilorin-born leader.

Abdullahi prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the deceased’s shortcomings and grant him Aljanat Firdaus, while also praying for strength for his family and loved ones to bear the loss.

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