BREAKING: Former UN Military Adviser, Lt.-Gen. Obiakor Dies at 75

Retired Nigerian Army officer and former United Nations Military Adviser, Lt.-Gen. Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor, is dead.

Sources said Obiakor died on Tuesday after reportedly suffering a massive stroke on Sunday.

The late senior military officer was widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most accomplished peacekeeping commanders and a distinguished figure in international military diplomacy.

Chikadibia Isaac Obiakor served as Military Adviser and Assistant Secretary-General in the Office of Military Affairs at the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York until 2010.

Born on Feb. 18, 1951, in Zaria, Kaduna State, Obiakor hailed from Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. He attended the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, and later the Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of the 10th Regular Course.

He joined the Nigerian Army in 1973 and rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant-general, serving in several strategic military and peacekeeping roles within and outside Nigeria.

Obiakor served as Commander of the ECOMOG Artillery Brigade in Liberia between 1996 and 1997 and later coordinated the Liberian elections under the regional peacekeeping mission.

In 2006, former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan appointed him Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), before his subsequent appointment as UN Military Adviser for Peacekeeping Operations.

Following his retirement from the Nigerian Army in 2011, Obiakor continued to serve in various international assignments, including leading UN inquiry panels on conflicts and humanitarian incidents in South Sudan, Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He was also honoured with the national award of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in recognition of his contributions to peacekeeping and national service.

Tributes have continued to pour in from military officers, diplomats and associates, who described him as a detribalised officer, a disciplined leader and a committed advocate of peace and national unity.

He is survived by family members and associates.