Nigeria has lost one of its most respected soldiers, Lt. Gen. Chikadibia I Obiakor, who died on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, in Abuja at age 75.
Family sources said the retired general passed away at a private hospital in Apo after suffering a stroke on Sunday. An obituary shared on a WhatsApp platform described him as a great achiever and eminent Igbo son.
Obiakor made history as the first Igbo three-star general. Born on February 18, 1951, in Zaria, Kaduna State, he joined the Nigerian Army in 1973 and rose through the ranks to command key formations. He served as General Officer Commanding 2nd Mechanized Division and as Commander of the ECOMOG Artillery Brigade in Liberia during the 1990s.
His international profile grew when he became Force Commander of the UN Mission in Liberia in 2006. Until 2010, he was Military Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General for Military Affairs at the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York. He formally retired from the Nigerian Army in 2011.
A graduate of the National War College in Abuja, Obiakor also held a master’s degree in strategic studies from the University of Ibadan. He was widely regarded as a brilliant strategist and a respected voice in peacekeeping circles.
Tributes have poured in from Awka, his hometown in Anambra State, where community leaders described him as a son who was dearly loved and respected.
He is survived by family and a legacy that spanned national and international military service. [Adapted from News Express]
