Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Ezenwa Wike, has not condoled the Nigerian Army over 24 hours after it lost one of his top Generals, Major General Olubunmi Irefin, who worked in his state before he died from complications of Coronavirus pandemic.
General Irefin, whose sad death has thrown the top echelon of Nigerian Army into panic after he took ill and died of the dreaded disease, while he was attending the Annual Chief of Army Staff Conference in Abuja, was until his death the General Commanding Officer of Six Division of the Nigerian Army in Port Harcourt.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.General Tukur Buratai, had directed immediate stoppage of the Conference following the COVID-19 scare occasioned by the discovery of the General’s death.
He had also directed all the participants at the conference, comprising Principal Staff Officers, GOCs, Commandants of Army schools, Commanders of Army operations, among other participants, to embark on 14 days isolation.
In the same vein, the Chief of Army Staff had barred all the military officers from the wedding ceremony of his son scheduled for Abuja on Friday.
The late General Irefin took over as GOC Six Division Nigerian Army and Land Component Commander operation Delta Safe, Port Harcourt Barracks in July 2020.
He was before then, the GOC 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Lagos.
Among Nigerians who have mourned the General is Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, who regrets the demise, describing him as an outstanding Army officer, who hailed from the state.
The late Army General, who was the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Six Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, Revers State, recently gave his late mum a befitting last honour. For him to die a few weeks after burying his mother is heart rendering, the Kogi governor said.
Our findings however revealed that Governor Wike, from whose state the General fought for the defence of Nigeria and integrity of the Army, had neither mourned the General nor condoled the Army.
