It was indeed a black Friday after news hit the internet that the Chief of Army Staff, Lt General Ibrahim Attahiru, alongside 10 others were involved in a plane crash that took their lives.
The news, which took everybody off-guard, saw many governors express shock and sadness over the news as they paid tributes to the deceased.
WuzupNigeria reported that on Saturday the bodies of the 11 officers, including the late Chief of Army Staff, were received at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja around 11 am before they were buried.
The names of the other officers include Brigadier-General MI Abdulkadir, Brigadier-General Olayinka, Brigadier-General Kuliya, Major LA Hayat, Major Hamza and Sergeant Umar.
Others are Flight-Lieutenant TO Asaniyi, Flight-Lieutenant AA Olufade, Sergeant Adesina and ACM Oyedepo.
However, the news didn’t seem to have stopped the wedding of one of the sons of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
According to Daily Trust, many governors who were not in attendance at the burial of the army of chief and the other officers converged on Kano for Malami son’s wedding.
This triggered different reactions from Nigerians who felt the military officers did not get the kind of respect they deserved.
But it was glamourous in Kano when Abiru Rahman Malami, second son of the minister, got married at Alfurqan Juma’at mosque in the Kano metropolis.
Among the governors who attended the wedding were Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) and Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi).
It would be noted that the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and his Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo, were conspicuously absent at the burial.
The event which was devoid of national mourning caused quite a stir on social media.
See some of the reactions below;
One Twitter user, @Maybeks expressed his utmost displeasure, as he wrote;
“While the nation mourns the death of COAS and other military officers, some Northern Governors and friends of the AGF, Malami gathered in Kano to celebrate his son’s wedding.”
Another Twitter user, @adamugarba, a former presidential aspirant, said that if truly the wedding took place, then it is a double tragedy.
“If it is true that at the time Nigeria is going through a national tragedy of loosing our revered hero, General Attahiru, but some Northern Governors are busy celebrating a wedding ceremony of a Attorney General/Justice Minister’s son, in Nigeria, then this is a double tragedy.”
Meanwhile, another Twitter user, @Adewale02390107 stated that although he doesn’t think they should have cancelled the wedding, it should have been done in a solemn way.
“What date nd time was d wedding, when did d crash happen? I heard it was to be Friday, even if the wedding was on Saturday, I think they should still have gone ahead but in a more solemn way. ‘let the dead bury their own dead”. To those mocking d deads, they should leave forever. “
See some of the photos below;
