Donaldson Oladipo Diya (1944 – 2023)
Former Chief of General to late military Head of State, General Sanni Abacha, General Oladipo Diya has passed on.
His son, Oyesinmilola Diya, in a statement on behalf of the family, announced that the late General died in the early hours of Sunday morning. He did not name the cause of his death.
Late General Diya was Chief of General Staff from 1994 to 1997 until his arrest in a phantom coup to overthrow General Abacha. He previously served as Chief of Defence Staff and was Military Governor of Ogun State from January 1984 to August 1985.
After his arrest, a military tribunal headed by General Victor Malu, sentenced six people including Lieutenant General Oladipo Diya to death by firing squad in April 1998.
The sentence was later commuted by General Abdusalami Abubakar, who succeeded General Abacha.
Following his release, General Diya refused to co-operate with any investigations by Oputa Panel into his activities while he was vice president. He spent most of his time attempting to recover possession of various properties seized by the government on his arrest. He made no attempt to explain how he purchased these lavish properties on the salary of a lieutenant general.