Gov. Lalong mourns ex-Chief of Defence staff, Dogonyaro

Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, has expressed sadness over the death of the former Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. Gen. (Rtd.) Joshua Dogonyaro, at the age of 80.

Lalong in a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Dr. Makut Macham, described his death as a great loss to the nation.

He described Dogonyaro as a patriotic and loyal military officer, who served Nigeria with courage, dignity and selflessness, in several commands in his military career, saying he accomplished his assignments with tremendous success.

He lauded his outstanding leadership skills in International peace keeping as Field Commander in Liberia, for the Economic Community of West Africa States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), saying Nigeria’s contribution during his tenure remained a reference point in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Plateau State has lost an elder statesman whose outstanding achievements in his military career, brought a lot of pride and honour for the State.

“The commitment of the deceased towards the defence of Nigeria’s territorial integrity as well as ensuring its peace and unity, stood him out as a soldier of repute whose professionalism continues to inspire many younger ones,” he said.

Lalong said Gen. Dogonyaro never hesitated to offer Plateau State and the nation his wealth of experience and knowledge, particularly towards tackling security challenges of insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and other crimes.