President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the national flag be flown at half-mast in all public buildings, facilities, and official residences across the country from Monday, May 24, 2021, to Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

The presidential directive is in honor of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, as well as the other senior military officers and servicemen who died in a plane crash on Friday, May 21, 2021.

This disclosure is contained in a statement issued and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Sunday, May 23, 2021.

Mustapha, in the statement, said that the President also approved Monday as a work-free day for members of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

President Buhari speaks with the wife of the late Chief of Army Staff
President Buhari described Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, the late Chief of Army Staff, as an outstanding soldier and an institution builder, who fought valiantly for Nigeria until he breathed his last.

In a telephone conversation on Sunday evening with Mrs. Fati Ibrahim Attahiru, wife of the late COAS, and the spouses of the other deceased 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 would continue to appreciate and support the fearlessness with which the country’s courageous soldiers were confronting the threats facing the nation.

He gave the grieving spouses assurances that the nation would never forget the supreme sacrifice of their spouses, urging them to take solace in the surge of extraordinary feelings of emotions across regions, religions, and tribes all over the country in appreciation of their sacrifices.

Mrs. Attahiru, on behalf of the rest of the families, thanked the President for the love and care he had shown to them.