The former Chief of General Staff (CGS) to Gen. Sani Abacha, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diyo died in the early hours of Sunday, March 26, 2023, at the age of 79 years but the cause of his death is currently unknown. Diya was born in Ogun state on April 3, 1944, and joined the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna State was an active soldier during the Nigerian Civil War between July 6, 1967, and January 15, 1970.
While in the military, Diya studied law at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he obtained an LLB degree and later enrolled at the Nigerian Law School, where he was called to bar.
He held top military positions such as the Military Governor of Ogun State, the Commandant, National War College, and Chief of Defence Staff.
In 1993, he was appointed as the CGS (de facto Vice President) to Gen. Sani Abacha but on December 21, 1997, the regime arrested him alongside other top army officials for allegedly plotting to violently overthrow Abacha.
Diya was sentenced to death by a military tribunal but when Abacha died in 1998, Diya was pardoned by his successor, Abdusalami Abubakar.
