26th March, 2023
Former Chief of General Staff in the Sani Abacha years, Lt- General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya (Rtd) GCON is dead. He was 78 years old.
The former governor of Ogun state between 1984 and 1985, who was also a lawyer, died in the early hours of 26th March 2023, Barrister Prince Oyesinmilola Diya announced.
Further announcements will be made public in due course, Oyesinmilola Diya said.
As Abacha’s chief of General staff, Diya was the de facto vice-president in the military regime.
He fell out of favour in 1997 when he was accused of plotting with some other senior soldiers to overthrow the regime of Sani Abacha.
Diya, who was imprisoned, was tried by a military tribunal and given the death penalty.
Upon Abacha’s death in 1998, Diya was pardoned by Abacha’s successor, Abdusalami Abubakar. But he was stripped of his military rank, which was later restored by President Goodluck Jonathan.
Diya previously served as Chief of Defence Staff.
He was born on 3 April 1944 at Odogbolu and educated at the Methodist Primary School, Lagos and the Odogbolu Grammar School.
After his secondary education, he joined the army and was a combatant during the Nigerian Civil War.
Diya was Commander 31 Airborne Brigade. He became General Officer Commanding 82 Division, Nigeria Army in 1985. General Oladipo Diya was Commandant, National War College (1991–1993) and was appointed Chief of Defence Staff.
He attended the US Army School of Infantry, the Command and Staff College, Jaji (1980–1981) and the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.
While serving in the military, Diya studied law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained an LLB degree, and then at the Nigerian Law School, where he was called to bar as Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.