President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed new Service Chiefs, following the immediate resignation and retirement of the outgoing Service Chiefs from service.
The new service chiefs are:
Maj Gen LEO Irabor, CDS (Chief of Defence Staff); Maj Gen I. Attahiru, COAS (Chief Of Army Staff); Rear Admiral AZ Gambo, (Navy); AVM IO Alao (Air Force).
WHO IS MAJOR GENERAL LEO IRABOR? Is he an Igbo man?
Major General Leo Irabor, with Army number 8370, was born on October 5, 1965.
He is from Ika South of Delta State and he is a member of regular course 34 of the Nigerian Defence Academy.
He was once the Theatre Commander of the Operation Lafiya Dole and later took over as the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) before he was on Tuesday named the Chief of Defence Staff.
Ika is a minority Igboid subgroup in Delta State. Ika People/Ika Igbo are specifically located in the North-West of Delta State. They are regarded as Anioma (Good Land). Ika communities mostly comprise the following: Agbor, Owa (Agbor and Owa being the major Ika speaking place), Umunede/Umuede, Owerre Olubor, Ekuoma, Emuhu, Mbiri, Abavo, Orogodo, Otolokpo, Igbodo, Ute-Okpu, Ute-Ogbeje, Idumuesah, Akumazi, Ekpon (Edo State), Igbanke/Igbon Akiri (Edo State), Oligie (Edo State), Inyelen (Edo State), Iru (Edo State). Other Ika communities found in Edo State are Owanikeke, Ute Oheze, Ute Obagie N’Oheze, Owa-Riuzor Idu and Igbogili.
Ika people have a unique language. The majority have food and mode of dressing similar to their Igbo kin, while some have similarity with their Benin neighbours.
Oral history and folklore have it that Ali-Ogba people migrated from what is now called Anioma in Delta State and Igbanke (an Ika community) across the River Niger. Ogba is one of the Igbo groups in River State.
