Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun has described the death of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt- Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others in a plane crash in Kaduna on Friday as shocking and devastating.
Oyetola, in a condolence message by his Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan, on Saturday in Osogbo, said the late COAS was a brave, assertive and distinguished army General.
He said that the late COAS gave his best to his country by leading the war against insurgency in the North-East and banditry in other parts of the country from the front.Oyetola said: “For me, the death of the COAS is shocking and devastating.
“On behalf of the government and good people of Osun, I commiserate with President Muhammadu Buhari, Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.- Gen. Lucky E.O Irabor and the entire country on the unfortunate death of Attahiru and other persons on board the ill-fated aircraft.
“My thoughts and prayers are with families of the deceased. May God grant their souls eternal rest.
“But as we mourn, I urge us all not to mourn like unbelievers who don’t believe in the existence of God and life after death.
“Both Islam and Christianity preach that no leaf can fall from the tree without the knowledge of the Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth, the knower and seer of all things, long before they were planned and before they happened.
“Let’s mourn like Muslims and Christians, who know God and pray for the repose of the souls of the deceased, while praying God to grant the families they left behind and us all the courage and fortitude to bear the irreplaceable loss.
“We should take solace in this saying of Prophet Mohammad (SAW): “What has reached you was never meant to miss you and what has missed you was never meant to reach you”.
Oyetola said the COAS was a gallant officer, an administrator par excellence and an uncommon patriot who gave his best to the fatherland and prayed Allah to grant him Aljanat Firdaus.(NAN)
