19th December, 2018
By Isa Isawade
The world was jolted again to the security realities of the Nigerian society when the sad news of assassination of former Chief of Defence Staff under the immediate past administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan was broken to the public at late hours of Tuesday, 18 December 2018.
Badeh was said to have been gunned down by unknown assassins while returning from his farm along the Abuja-Keffi Road.
A statement by the Director of Public Relations and Information of the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, immediately after the incident reads:
“It is with a heavy heart that I regretfully announce the unfortunate demise of a former Chief of Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh (retd.), who died today, December 18, from gunshot wounds sustained when his vehicle was attacked while returning from his farm along the Abuja-Keffi Road.
“On behalf of officers, airmen and airwomen of the Nigerian Air Force, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, commiserates with the family of the late former Chief of Defence Staff over this irreparable loss.
“We pray that the Almighty God grant his soul eternal rest,” the statement read.
Alex Badeh was born in Vimtim, in the Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa State on 10 January 1957.
He attended the Vimtim Primary School, Vimtim and went on to obtain his secondary school certificate from the Villanova Secondary School in 1976 before proceeding to the Nigerian Defence Academy.
Badeh was admitted into the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 21 Regular Course on January 3, 1977, and was commissioned as Pilot Officer on July 3, 1979.
The retired military officer was promoted Air Vice Marshal on January 3, 2008. In October 2012, he was appointed Chief of Air Staff, and was finally appointed Chief of Defence Staff in April 2014 by the then President Goodluck Jonathan.
Until his death, he was standing trial for alleged diversion of funds running into billions of naira meant for arms purchase to fight the rampaging insurgents in the North Eastern Nigeria during the Jonathan administration.
He was aged 61.