- Ogohi passed away on Sunday morning in Abuja, the federal capital territory.
- A prayer session will be held at the National Mosque in Abuja, followed by his funeral later in the day.
The first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) in the 4th Republic, Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (rtd), is dead.
The Director, Defence Information, Brigadier General Tukur Gusau, in a terse statement on Sunday, confirmed the news of Ogohi’s death, saying the former CDS died in the early hours of Sunday, June 30, 2024 in Abuja.
Admiral Ogohi, who hailed from Kogi State, was appointed Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff from 1999 to 2003 by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The Defence spokesman said, “With deep sorrow, I announced the death of Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (rtd), a former Chief of Defence Staff (1999-2003). He passed on in Abuja in the early hours of today,” adding that more details will be communicated later.”
His legacy as a respected military leader will be remembered and honored by his family, colleagues, and the nation.
He was the first naval officer to reach a four-star rank in the Nigerian military and the first chief of defence staff from the navy.
He joined the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) in 1968 and received training in India, the UK, France, and the US.
Ogohi’s career began in the role of watchkeeping duties on the Nigeria Navy Ship (NNS) Enugu before becoming a gunnery and navigation officer in Ibadan from 1972 to 1973.
He became a laboratory officer of the naval armament depot Kirikiri in 1976 and an executive officer at NNS Akaso, Port Harcourt, from 1977 to 1978;
Ogohi became the commanding officer at NNS Eken in France in 1982 and was named the commanding officer of the NDA’s naval wing from 1986 to 1987.
He was then promoted as the NDA’s director administrator. He was also appointed chief of plans of the naval headquarters and flag officer commanding the western naval command.