Former Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Victor Malu who served under former President Olusegun Obasanjo has died at the age of 70 in Cairo, Egypt and the Obituary announcements in the Nigerian media is not nice.
According to a family source, Malu travelled to Cairo two weeks ago for a medical check-up after which he died of an undisclosed illness.
General Malu served President Obasanjo from 1999 but was removed in 2001.
The former COAS chaired the military tribunal that tried former Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Oladipo Diya over the alleged coup plot against the then Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha in 1998.
He was also the commander of the Commander of Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, peace-keeping force, ECOMOG, from December 1996 to April 1998 during the first Liberian Civil War.
Few praises have been poured on General Malu after the announcement of his death. Apart from President Buhari and former Senator David Mark who have expressed their condolences, former President Obasanjo under which the General served is yet to react to the news of his death.
In one of his interview, Gen Malu said he regretted why he did not overthrow the former President from office.
One of the darkest history of Nigeria was the Odi Massacre in Bayelsa State in the year 1999.
The Army, which was head by Malu, carried out the attack on November 20, 1999 that resulted in 2,483 persons being killed and all the houses razed down.
The attack was said to have been carried out after seven policemen hacked to death by some restive Ijaw youths who were said to be clamouring for a better share of oil revenue from the Federal Government.
The genocide was seen as unethical as total annihilation of a community because of the death of seven policemen is uncalled for.
The world is not forgiving Gen Malu for carrying out a mission.
Although, 12 years after the destruction, Federal Government was ordered by a High Court in Port Harcourt to pay N37.6 Billion as compensation to the victims for invasion.
During his days as the Chief of Army Staff, he said the US do not mean Nigeria well and is seeking ways to make Nigeria break up. He believed his revelations was what lead to his dismissal in the Army has the US has said that he poses a threat to them.
“The US does not mean well for us and for anybody. They want things in their interest and that is how they protect their interest,” he had said.
“National security is above any individual. After many years in the army, I am in a position to analyse a threat to a nation and convey it to those who should know. But, when you don’t allow me to do that, that means you are not accepting that I am a Nigerian. And that was exactly what my president didn’t want.
“My retirement from the army was on the basis of that, because Americans told him (Obasanjo) that as long as Gen. Malu remained the chief of army staff, they would not be with him.
“So, he had to get rid of me and in the process, he had to sacrifice the other two service chiefs. They didn’t do anything. I did something because I stood on my principle.” He said.
Two years after the attack, after Malu’s dismissal, 19 soldiers who were sent on a peace keeping mission in Zaki-Biam, a community in his State of Benue were abducted and killed.
The soldiers cordoned the entire area with armoured tanks that were given air cover by helicopters gunboats. At the end of the military action, 300 people were reported dead including his uncle and wife.
Malu is dead but Nigerians will not forget he was the one who led the Army on a genocide mission that claimed innocent lives. Media reports of his dead were with the Odi Caveat. Also prominent in his Obtuary was his sentencing of Oladipo Diya to death.
