New Telegraph

Dogonyaro, ex-Chief of Defence Staff, dies at age 80

…Jang mourns, says ‘he was a brave officer”

A former Chief of Defence Staff during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha, Lieutenant-General Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro (retd), is dead. A family source disclosed this to New Telegraph in Jos, yesterday that Dogonyaro died in the early hours of yesterday at the Jos University Teaching Hospital, where he was receiving treatment after a brief illness. New Telegraph gathered that his remains, however, has been deposited at the Air Force Hospital in Jos, Plateau State.

Meanwhile, a former governor of Plateau State, Senator David Jang, yesterday described the former chief of defence staff as a brave, distinguished and accomplished officer whose military career was of first class ranking by all standards. While mourning Dongoyaro, Jang in a statement he personally signed in Jos, said he received with deep sense of sorrow, the passing of his elder brother, former boss and senior colleague, Lieutenant General Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, PSC, mni, FSS. He described the deceased as a man of peace, who rose to the peak of his military career, serving as the chief of defence staff and as a member of the Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC). He continued: “As a senior military officer, his exploits in peacekeeping operations have left an indelible mark in the sands of time.

As the Task Force Commander of a Peacekeeping force in Chad and later Commander of the ECOMOG in Liberia, the late Dogonyaro distinguished himself and displayed the professionalism for which the Nigerian Armed Forces was known. “After retirement he continued to serve as a father and mentor to all military officers from Plateau State and beyond, in addition to serving as a guide to those who joined politics, having risen to senior administrative positions in Nigeria while in service.

“He was a very loyal, dedicated and committed officer, who spent his life in the service of Nigeria, Africa and as elder statesman to his people, the Taroh nation. He was an embodiment of humility, a devout Christian and a father to many.

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