General Lucky Eluonye Irabor (rtd), former Chief of Defence Staff, was ceremoniously drawn out of the Nigerian Armed Forces in a magnificent parade at Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro, Abuja.
Top military officials, including the new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General CG Musa, Chief of Army Staff, Major Gen TA Lagbaja, Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla, and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar, attended the event, which is a military tradition honouring retiring Generals.
At the parade, notable dignitaries included Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborewori, Mr. Boss Mustapha, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and past Chiefs of Defence, Army, Navy, and Air Staff.
Among them were Admiral Ibrahim Ogohi (rtd), Gen Alexander Ogomudia, Gen Martins Agwai, Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim, and Gen Olonisakin (rtd), as well as Irabor’s 34 Regular Course mates.
General Lucky Irabor, born on October 5, 1965, hails from Ika South in Delta State and is a member of regular course 34 of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He was appointed Chief of Defence Staff by Ex-President Muhammadu Buhari on January 26, 2021. Prior to his appointment, he served as the Chief of Defence, Training, and Operations (CDTOP) at the Defence Headquarters.
General Irabor is a distinguished graduate of the Ghana Armed Forces Staff College, the National Defence College in Bangladesh, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Programme in the USA.
He is also a trained engineer from Obafemi Awolowo University and holds Master’s degrees from the University of Ghana, Accra, and Bangladesh University of Professionals, Dhaka.
During his tenure as CDTOP, General Irabor played a pivotal role in overseeing training and operations in the Nigerian Armed Forces under the guidance of the Chief of Defence Staff. He has also served as the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole in North-East Nigeria and as the Force Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force in the Lake Chad Basin Area.
The pulling out parade marked the official conclusion of General Irabor’s distinguished military career, leaving behind a legacy of dedication, leadership, and contributions to national security.