Opinion
The Sheikh of Snipers and Nigeria’s Forgotten Warriors: Why Memory Matters
_By Sam Agogo_
Every nation is built not only on the shoulders of its politicians and statesmen but also on the blood and sacrifice of its soldiers. Yet, while some countries immortalize their warriors in monuments, museums, and folklore, others allow them to fade into obscurity.
Iraq, for instance, turned a humble herdsman into a national symbol of resistance. Nigeria, despite its long roll call of gallant men and women who gave their lives in uniform, has yet to build a culture of remembrance that matches the magnitude of its sacrifices. This story is both a tribute and a call to action — a reminder that courage deserves permanence.
In the dusty plains of Basra, 1953, a boy named Ali Jiyad Obaid al-Salihi was born. His early years were ordinary — tending camels and cattle in Kuwait, hunting rabbits with an old rifle to protect his flock. Yet fate was quietly training him for a destiny far greater. That boy would become Abu Tahsin al-Salihi, later known as the “Sheikh of Snipers.”
His military journey began in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, where he fought in the Golan Heights as part of an Iraqi brigade. From there, his life became a tapestry of conflict: the Kurdish-Iraqi War, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War, and the 2003 American invasion. Few soldiers survive five wars; fewer still remain relevant into their sixties. But Abu Tahsin was no ordinary soldier.
In 2015, at the age of 62, he volunteered to fight ISIS with Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces. Armed with a Steyr sniper rifle, he took position in the Makhoul Mountains. Over two years, he was credited with killing more than 380 ISIS fighters. His reputation grew, earning him nicknames like “Hawk Eye” and “Sheikh of Snipers.” He once remarked that two kills in a day felt unsatisfactory — four was the standard a soldier owed his country.
On September 29, 2017, during the Battle of Hawija, Abu Tahsin fell in combat. He was 64. His funeral drew mourners from across Iraq, and his story became legend. Iraq had found its eternal flame — proof that courage does not retire, and that a nation’s gratitude can turn sacrifice into immortality.
Nigeria’s military history is no less storied. From the Civil War of 1967–1970 to the ongoing battles against Boko Haram, ISWAP, and bandits, countless soldiers have laid down their lives.
Yet unlike Iraq, Nigeria has not built a culture of remembrance that elevates its fallen into national symbols. Too often, their names are known only to grieving families and regimental records. Their graves are quiet, their stories untold.
But Nigeria has no shortage of heroes.
Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle (The Black Scorpion)
Adekunle was born in Kaduna in 1936 to a Yoruba father and a Bachama mother. As commander of the 3rd Marine Commando Division during the Civil War, he led the seaborne assault on Bonny and campaigns that broke Biafran resistance at Port Harcourt. Adekunle became the most feared and decorated commander of that war. He died in 2014 at 78, remembered as a soldier’s soldier. His leadership embodied the unity of Nigeria, and his name deserves to be permanently inscribed in our national memory.
Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru
Appointed Chief of Army Staff in 2021, Attahiru believed in leading by example.
Barely three months into his tenure, he boarded a military aircraft to Zaria to address new recruits. The plane crashed near Kaduna, killing him and ten others, including Brigadier-General Abdulrahman Kuliya. Attahiru’s widow later built a foundation in his name, turning grief into service. His death was a national tragedy, but Nigeria has yet to immortalize him in the way Iraq did Abu Tahsin.
Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Abu Ali (The Hero of Sambisa)
Commander of the 272 Task Force Tank Battalion, Abu Ali fearlessly led operations that liberated towns like Baga, Monguno, and Gamboru-Ngala. He was killed during a Boko Haram ambush at Mallam Fatori on November 4, 2016, and buried with full military honours. His men called him “the Lion of the North-East,” a commander who never flinched in battle.
Colonel Dahiru Chiroma Bako
Commander of the 25 Taskforce Operation Lafiya Dole in Damboa, Bako was known as a “soldier’s soldier.” He famously rescued trapped civilians and died in September 2020 after sustaining fatal injuries during an ambush near Wajiroko. His troops remembered him as a leader who always led from the front.
Brigadier General Dzarma Zirkusu
On November 13, 2021, Zirkusu fell in Askira-Uba, Borno State, while providing reinforcement against an ISWAP attack. His courage in bringing heavy firepower to repel insurgents saved countless lives.
Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim Sakaba
Commander of the 157 Task Force Battalion, Sakaba lost his life during the infamous Metele attack in November 2018, refusing to abandon his post. His sacrifice remains one of the most heroic episodes of the insurgency.
Brigadier General Oseni Braimah
Commander of the 29 Task Force Brigade, Braimah died in April 2026 after demonstrating exceptional courage during an insurgent raid in Benisheikh. Trapped in a disabled armoured vehicle, he fought to the end.
Brigadier General Musa Uba
Commander of the 25 Task Force Brigade, Uba was killed in action during an encounter with ISWAP militants in Damboa in late 2025. Known for repeatedly risking his life in high-risk operations, his death was a heavy blow to the Army.
Lieutenant Colonel AH Ali
Commanding officer of the 181 Amphibious Battalion, Ali and his men were tragically killed while on a peacekeeping and dispute-resolution mission. His death highlighted the vulnerability of soldiers even in non-combat operations.
Major K. Yakubu
A dedicated commander, Yakubu was killed in May 2020 shortly after leading a successful operation that decimated a major Boko Haram island camp in Lake Chad. His tactical brilliance was widely respected.
Lieutenant Nura Yusuf Maiadua
An alumnus of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Maiadua was cut down during a Boko Haram ambush along the Damaturu-Maiduguri highway in January 2020. His youth and promise made his death especially painful.
Lieutenant Chibuzo Ezenwa
A brave second lieutenant who fought tenaciously and died alongside over 46 frontline soldiers during a massive insurgent raid. His courage in the face of overwhelming odds is remembered by his comrades.
Lieutenant Colonel T.E. Alari
Commanding officer of the 149 Battalion, Alari was killed in January 2025 during an intense engagement with ISWAP fighters in Malam-Fatori. His leadership in one of the most dangerous theatres of war was exemplary.
Army Officer Oluwatoyin Ogunleye
A courageous female soldier who joined the military in 2013, Ogunleye was captured and killed by Boko Haram while fiercely defending her post in Baga. Her bravery broke barriers and inspired many.
Corporal Antony Okwori
A dedicated soldier who held the frontline in Borno State before losing his life in a direct clash with insurgents. His sacrifice is a reminder that even the lowest ranks bear the heaviest burdens.
Soldier Chimezie Timothy
A frontline combatant who laid down his life during an intense firefight with Boko Haram.
His name deserves to be remembered alongside the generals.
Soldier Obinna Emmanuel Onuoha
Renowned within his unit for eliminating multiple insurgents in active combat before being killed in a tactical ambush. His skill and bravery made him a legend among his peers.
Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile
Nigeria’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Arotile flew missions under Operation Gama Aiki against bandits. She died in July 2020 at just 24, in a freak accident at the Air Force base in Kaduna.
Her career was short but groundbreaking, proving that Nigerian women could break ceilings in uniform.
Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh
Former Chief of Defence Staff, Badeh was ambushed and killed in 2018. Rising from a peasant farming family to the top of Nigeria’s military establishment, his death exposed the vulnerability of retired officers.
Major-General Rabe Abubakar
Abducted in 2026 and dying in captivity, Abubakar’s pleas for help shocked the nation.
His death was a damning indictment of Nigeria’s failure to protect those who once protected it.
Major-General Idris Alkali
Killed by a mob in Plateau State in 2018, months after his retirement, Alkali’s death revealed how little protection even a general’s uniform sometimes commands in the face of civilian anger.
These men are amongst the few mentioned. Countless other officers and soldiers, known only to their units and their families, have paid the same price in defence of Nigeria’s unity — their names deserving of the same remembrance, even where history has not yet recorded them.
These men and women remind us that greatness in uniform is rarely loud in the moment.
It is built quietly, through decades of unseen sacrifice, and it is only as enduring as the nation’s willingness to remember it. Iraq turned an ageing camel herder into a national symbol of resistance. Nigeria owes its own Adekunle, its…
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