Major General Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd.), a former Chief of Staff to Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, has died at the age of 86.

The retired general, who hailed from Ilorin, Kwara State, reportedly passed away around 1 a.m. on Wednesday in Abuja, according to family sources who confirmed the development to The PUNCH.

Born in 1939, the late Mohammed was a distinguished military officer and statesman whose career spanned several decades of Nigeria’s political and security history.

🪖 Military and Public Service Career

Mohammed attended the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst in the United Kingdom and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1958.
He rose through the ranks to become Director of Military Intelligence and played a crucial role in the 1975 coup that removed General Yakubu Gowon and brought General Murtala Mohammed to power.

Following the change of government, he was appointed Military Governor of Benue-Plateau State (July 1975–March 1976).

Under the Obasanjo military administration (1976–1979), he became Director-General of the National Security Organisation (NSO)—the forerunner of today’s Department of State Services (DSS)—a post he held until 1979.

After retiring from military service, he ventured into private business and became Managing Director of Atoto Press Limited, a respected printing company in Ilorin.

In 1998, he was recalled to public life as National Security Adviser to then Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, helping to steer Nigeria through the transition to democracy in 1999.

At the start of the Fourth Republic, Mohammed was appointed Chief of Staff to President Olusegun Obasanjo and retained the position under President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua until his resignation in June 2008.

🇳🇬 Reactions and Tributes

The Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) described his passing as a “monumental loss” to the Ilorin Emirate, the Nigerian military, and the nation as a whole.

In a statement signed by Nurudeen Ibrahim, on behalf of the union’s president, Alhaji Abdulmumini Abdullahi, the IEDPU praised Mohammed as a pioneer and patriot:

“General Mohammed 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.
He played critical roles in Nigeria’s history, fought to keep the country united, and served with rare distinction.”

The statement added that Mohammed had long supported community development efforts, including sponsoring the printing of the union’s annual calendar.

Condolences have poured in from across the country, including from President Bola Tinubu, former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji (Dr) Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

The IEDPU and other mourners prayed that Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings and grant him Aljanat Firdaus, while comforting his family and loved ones.