Lt Col Abu Ali: Tribute to a brave heart

“Gentlemen, stay alert, alive and be prayerful. I don’t want any of my solider injured or losses his life in this operation, and if at all someone may go down, let me be the one” — Lt Col Abu Ali

Plato, the great philosopher ranked man in terms of precious metals. Some he classified as gold, others as silver and another group he categorised as bronze. Lt. Col Abu Ali, the slain Commander of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion was pure gold, whose death leaves a festering wound on the heart. He was until his brutal death in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents this time last year a moving spirit whose acclaim as a determined fighter was already established. He was a patriot and worthy commander who earned the respect of his troops by leading the charge from the frontlines.

He was courageous, radical, dedicated and fiercely independent minded and inspire the ideals of an Army that had earned its reputation as a tenacious and battle-tested with a resolve to win against all odds. He didn’t care for glory, matter of fact, in not seeking glory; he became a legend. It is said that dead lions don’t roar, not in the case of Abu Ali, whose deeds on the battlefield continue to animate discussions and salutations ever since. Following his death and in recounting his exploits on the battlefields, I have heard some refer to the late officer as plainly suicidal. I beg to disagree with such assertion. Matter of fact, indeed, nothing can be further from the truth. If he had drive-it was inspired by patriotism-pure and simple.

A rare breed by all assessment, as an officer, he never flinched under imminent danger but rather he with his with some soldiers leaned into danger to do their duties. In dying, they didn’t think of their lives as important, didn’t flee for family, neither did they care for anything as important-not even living. They stepped into eternity with heads unbowed and as warriors fighting for a worthy cause.
Abu Ali was a man of tremendous strength of character and was led to live for and die for the love of country. He lived for a high mission in his short life and by the time of his painful exit, he had won the admiration and respect of all who came to know of his exploits on the battlefield. His was a gallant life. That much can be said of the former commander of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion whose death and those of six other soldiers, (Sgt. Muazu Ibrahim, Sgt. Hussani Jafaru, Sgt. Bassey Okon, Cpl. Chukwu Simon, Able Sea Patrick Paul and Pte. Salihu Lawal) rightly sparked national mourning, deservedly so.

As ferocious as he was-he was not reckless, conscientious and self-sacrifice defined his motives. He was never a coward. The tales of his heroics, especially in the retake of cities such as Monguno, Mallam Fatori, Gamboru-Ngala, Baga and others is still spoken off with fondness by soldiers. Abu Ali exemplified the truest and ennobling spirit and fine qualities which a soldier should posse. He died as he lived, a warrior whose love for country was un-surpassing. His death was simply for Nigeria’s honour and the defence of the integrity of an army he was proud to serve. As it with people of extraordinary courage, tales about him can never fade.

Even in death, it is difficult not to assess with fascination, albeit fully the plain, complex, brave and fierce contribution of this particular officer continue to hold for future generation of soldiers and officers in Nigeria. A legend whose death left us permanently disgusted, saturated with gloomy thinking and highly sadden, even now, one year after, we owe him a debt of gratitude. At his burial officers and men of the Nigerian Army broke down even the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Burutai, openly wept. His course mates, members of the 45th Regular course of the Nigerian Defence Academy lost a great comrade whose loss, they lament as ‘an irreplaceable asset’.

It cannot be contested that soldiering is a dangerous and tasking calling the world over. Their calling is risky and their enterprise is fraught with injuries and instant death. Nothing much has changed about their fate even as technological advancement continue to dictate the pace of victory or defeat and direction of warfare, especially in modern times, be it conventional or unconventional warfare. Such is the reality of soldiering and are soldiers trained to accept the reality of their risky and frightful eventuality from their point of enlistment. Good soldiers prepared their fate with equanimity uncommon and inspiring, mindful that by their very calling, though born out of service to their country, they are fated to early demise or grave injuries on behalf of their citizenry.

The epitaph of the America’s 2nd division memorial at Kobima, Burma, attributed to John Edmond in 1944, says a lot of the mindset of the average soldier: “When you go home, tell them of us, and say-for their tomorrow, we gave our today”. This gallant and extremely genuinely brave heart and patriot par excellence fell in battle for a worthy cause. It is mandatory for Nigerians to know and recall the remarkable life of sacrifice of this officer and others maimed or killed in action by insurgents with a sense of gratitude.

A hero and extremely selfless officer, it is with tremendous pain in my heart that I recall where and how I received the terrible news of his death in the hands of blood thirsty vampires and I and several other Nigerians were plunged into a bottomless depth of despair. His death saddens me till date- I remain utterly devastated and inconsolable. What a loss! I kept wondering why I was so grief stricken at the death of a total stranger. I am only just coming out of grief for him. Pained and vexed in equal measure, I am left with nothing but to philosophise on the ephemeralness of life and resigned to the fact that from God we came, to Him shall we all return. While I gave him a moment of blessed prayers, I heaped curses of the insurgents and their supporters.

Stricken by the shattering reality of his passage, I am consoled by the beauty of his contribution to the counter-insurgency operation. Such a courageous, indefatigable, committed and inspiring figure that had led series of fight the insurgents, displaying in the full and at great personal risk, his commitment to the notion of one, indefensible and secured Nigeria, is no more, but his contribution to the eradication of terrorism in Nigeria is forever etched on our hearts. We shall forever be grateful to him and live with his memory as a patriot and may his heroism inspire others in our quest for a more stable and peaceful country. By his demise, he has showed how war with its unique mix of sacrifice and, courage both burdens and strengthens the heart of combatants, who learns in equal measure how cruel and how noble human beings can be as alluded to by John McCain.

Lt. Col. Ali, exemplifies the truest and ennobling qualities which a good solider should possess. He died that we may have a peaceful and more secured country. Though resting in the national military cemetery, his legacies lives on, in fact, he is a model in toughness and supreme bravery. By his actions and eventual death, his life is an essential lesson in the meaning of honour, integrity, sacrifice, devotion to duty, bravery and character. Abu Ali, offered himself by the ethos he lived and died fighting for: Nigeria’s honour and territorial integrity is inviolable.

Abu Ali and other soldiers were there for Nigeria, at our country’s hour of maximum danger. As he lies in eternal rest at the Military Cemetery in Abuja out of love for his fatherland, I ask, is Nigeria there for him and his dependants at this moment? I remain awe at his sacrifices, steadfast dedication to duty, sense of esprit de corps and valiant commitment. I am bolstered by his outstanding professionalism, physical and mental toughness and selfless service to our country-his kind is rare.

His love for the country was unmistaken. His was a willingness to sacrifice and above all, total commitment to the principles of duty, honour and country. That was his essence and he died in its defence. He was awarded the Chief of Army Staff award for exceptional bravery and excellence and was leap forwarded from the rank of Major to Lt. Colonel in recognition of his sterling qualities. It must be noted that it the sacrifices made thus far by officers and men that the war against these criminally minded insurgents must be fought and won. Abu Ali, a legend and a patriot, we ask, whence cometh another?

This piece, by Rotimi Opeyeoluwa, is taken from an unpublished book, ‘Milestone in Bravery: A Chronicle & Impression of War Time Commanders in Nigeria’.