ABIA STATE, NIGERIA – Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has appointed retired Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, a former Nigerian Chief of Army Staff, as the chairperson of the newly constituted security council in the state.
The governor had earlier constituted the State Security Advisory Council and Security Trust Fund for the state. The appointment of Mr. Ihejirika was subsequently approved, as announced in a statement by Mr. Otti’s spokesperson, Kazie Uko.
Mr. Ihejirika, who hails from Isuikwuato Local Government Area in Abia State, served as the country’s chief of army staff under Goodluck Jonathan from September 2010 until his retirement in January 2014. This is his first job after retirement, about 10 years ago. In 2021, the former chief of army staff joined the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
In addition to Mr. Ihejirika, Governor Otti also appointed Uche Okoronkwo as the vice-chairperson of the council and Macdonald Ubah, a retired Navy commander, as the secretary. Other members of the council include Abel Obi and J.O. Nwaogbo, both retired major-generals, Ray Nkemdirim, and Emmanuel Chukwu, a retired air vice-marshal.
The appointments took immediate effect.
