Lt. General Oladipo Diya, former Chief of General Staff under the late Head of State General Sani Abacha, has died. The announcement was made on Sunday morning by his son, Prince Oyesinmilola Diya, who wrote, “On behalf of the entire Diya family home and abroad, we announce the passing to glory of our dear husband, father, grandfather, brother, Lt‑General Donaldson Oladipo Oyeyinka Diya (rtd) GCON, LLB, BL, PSC, FSS, MNI. Our dear Daddy passed to glory in the early hours of 26 March 2023. Please keep us in your prayers as we mourn his demise in this period. Further announcements will be made public in due course.”
Born on 3 April 1944 in Odogbolu, Ogun State, Diya entered the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna and later fought in the Nigerian Civil War. He was appointed Chief of General Staff in 1993 and became Vice Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council in 1994. As Chief of the General Staff, he served as second‑in‑command and the de facto vice president of Nigeria under Abacha from 1994. Diya’s wife, Folashade, predeceased him in May 2020.
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