Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army.[1] The position is often occupied by the most senior commissioned officer appointed by the President of Nigeria.[2] The current COAS is Attahiru Ibrahim, who replaced Tukur Yusuf Buratai after rising demands he be replaced.[3]

Chief of Army Staff
Seal for Chief of the Army Staff
Flag of the Chief of Army Staff
Incumbent Major General Attahiru Ibrahim since 26 January 2021
Ministry of Defence
Abbreviation	COAS
Member of	National Security Council
Reports to	Chief of Defence Staff
Appointer	President of Nigeria
Term length	2 years

Role

In the chain of command, the Chief of Army Staff reports to the Chief of Defence Staff, who in turn, reports to the Defence Minister, accountable to the President of Nigeria.[4] The Statutory duty of the Officer is to formulate and execute policies towards the highest attainment of National Security and operational competence of the force.[5]

Chiefs of the Nigerian Army

Following is a chronological list of officers holding the position of General Officer Commanding (GOC) or Chief of Army Staff (COAS).[6]

General Officer Commanding

No.	Picture	General Officer Commanding	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Major general Kenneth G. Exham	1956	1959	2–3 years	–
2		Major general Foster	1959	1963	3–4 years	–
3		Major general John Alexander Mackenzie	1963	1963	0 years	–
4		Major general Sir Christopher Welby-Everard (1909–1996)	1963	1965	1–2 years	–
5		Major general Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi (1924–1966)	1965	15 January 1966	0–1 years	–

Chief of Army Staff

No.	Picture	Chief of Army Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref
1		Lieutenant colonel Yakubu Gowon FSS (born 1934) Later military ruler	January 1966	July 1966	6 months	–
2		Lieutenant colonel Joseph Akahan OFR FSS (1937–1968)	May 1967	May 1968 †	1 year	–
3		Major general Hassan Katsina RCDS, PSC (1933–1995)	May 1968	January 1971	2 years, 8 months	–
4		Major general David Ejoor (1932–2019)	January 1971	July 1975	4 years, 6 months	–
5		Lieutenant general Theophilus Danjuma (born 1938)	July 1975	October 1979	4 years, 3 months	–
6		Lieutenant general Ipoola Alani Akinrinade CFR FSS (born 1939) Later Chief of Defence Staff	October 1979	April 1980	6 months	–
7		Lieutenant general Gibson Jalo CFR FSS, JSS (1939–2000) Later Chief of Defence Staff	April 1980	October 1981	1 year, 6 months	–
8		Lieutenant general Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi CFR FSS (born 1940)	October 1981	October 1983	2 years	–
9		Major general Ibrahim Babangida (born 1941) Later military ruler	January 1984	August 1985	1 year, 7 months	–
10		Lieutenant general Sani Abacha GCON , DSS, mni (1943–1998) Later military ruler	August 1985	August 1990	5 years	–
11		Lieutenant general Salihu Ibrahim FSS , FHWC (1925–2018)	August 1990	September 1993	3 years, 1 month	–
12		Lieutenant general Aliyu Mohammed Gusau DSS, rcds (born 1943)	September 1993	November 1993	2 months	–
13		Major general Chris Alli CRG, DSS, ndc, psc(+) (born 1944)	November 1993	August 1994	9 months	–
14		Major general Alwali Kazir DSS, Usawc, psc(+) (born 1947) as Chief of Army	August 1994	March 1996	1 year, 7 months	–
15		Lieutenant general Ishaya Bamaiyi DSS, Usawc, psc(+) (born 1949)	March 1996	May 1999	3 years, 2 months	–
16		Lieutenant general Victor Malu DSS, mni, fwc, psc (1947–2017)	May 1999	April 2001	1 year, 11 months	–
17		Lieutenant general Alexander Ogomudia (born 1949) Later Chief of Defence Staff	April 2001	June 2003	2 years, 2 months	–
18		Lieutenant general Martin Luther Agwai (born 1948) Later Commander of the UNAMID	June 2003	June 2006	3 years	–
19		Lieutenant general Owoye Andrew Azazi (1952–2012) Later Chief of Defence Staff	1 June 2006	May 2007	11 months	–
20		Lieutenant general Luka Yusuf CFR, GSS, GPP, DSO, psc(+), fwc, Msc (1952–2009)	June 2007	August 2008	1 year, 3 months	–
21		Lieutenant general Abdulrahman Bello Dambazau CFR, GSS, psc, ndc, fwc(+) (born 1954)	August 2008	September 2010	2 years, 1 month	–
22		Lieutenant general Azubuike Ihejirika CFR, GSS, psc(+), fwc, fniqs (born 1956)	September 2010	January 2014	3 years, 4 months	–
23		Lieutenant general Kenneth Minimah GSS, psc(+), fwc (born 1959)	January 2014	July 2015	1 year, 6 months	–
24		Lieutenant general Tukur Yusuf Buratai NAM, GSS, psc(+), ndc (BD) (born 1960)	July 2015	26 January 2021	5 years, 6 months	–
25		Major general Attahiru Ibrahim	26 January 2021	Incumbent	0 months	[7]

See also

• Nigerian Army Day

References

1. "Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan sacks military chiefs". BBC News. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
2. "President sacks Service Chiefs, names replacements". Daily Independent. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
3. "Buhari sack Service Chief, due to rising insecurity in Nigeria". Ejes Gist Nigeria. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
4. "Minimah, Jibrin, Amosu Appointed Service Chiefs". Thisdaylive. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
5. "Chief of Army Staff vows military will end insurgency". Premium Times. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
6. "Chronicle of Command". The Nigerian Army. Retrieved 2010-06-01.
7. "Buhari don sack im service chiefs, appoint new ones - see di new ones here" – via www.bbc.com.