General Oladipo Diya dies at 78
A former Chief of General Staff, General Oladipo Diya is dead.
Ejes Gist News Nigeria reports that Diya, a former military governor of Ogun State, was aged 78.
Announcing the news of his death on behalf of the family was Prince Oyesinmilola Diya.
He said in a, statement that the late military leader died in the early hours of Sunday. “On behalf of the entire Diya family home and abroad; We announce the passing on to Glory of our dear Husband,Father, Grandfather,brother, Lt- General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya (Rtd) GCON, LLB, BL, PSC, FSS, mni.
“Our dear Daddy passed onto glory in the early hours of 26th March 2023.
“Please keep us in your prayers as we mourn his demise in this period. Further announcements will be made public in due course,” the statement said.
Late Diya served as the Chief of General Staff under the late military Head of State General Sani Abacha. But he was accused of planning a coup against his principal and subsequently jailed.
Oladipo Diya biography.
Oladipo Diya is a retired Nigerian military officer and politician. He was born on April 3, 1944, in Odogbolu, Ogun State, Nigeria. He joined the Nigerian Army in 1964 and rose to the rank of Major General.
Diya served as the Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria from 1993 to 1997 during the military government of Sani Abacha. He was also a member of the Provisional Ruling Council, which governed Nigeria during that period.
In 1997, Diya was arrested along with other senior military officers and charged with plotting a coup against the Abacha government. He was sentenced to death, but his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. He was eventually released from prison in 1998, after the death of Abacha and the return of civilian rule to Nigeria.
After his release, Diya became involved in politics and was a member of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He contested the party’s primary elections for the Ogun State governorship in 2003 but lost to Gbenga Daniel
