Life And People

A tribute to Habibu Bala: A soldier of the Nigerian Army -By Nuruddeen Inuwa

Until his death, Habibu was a gallant soldier of the NA, which he joined not too long. He was also known of his gentility and dedication to the service of defending the State, and through which he earns a living.

Published

5 years ago

August 9, 2020

Rest in Peace Officer

I logged into this platform today with my newsfeed inundated with obituaries, mostly that of the passing away of Habibu Bala (Officer). It was hard for me to believe what I read from the screen not until when I called my friend, Faisal, who is his neighbour and responded in affirmative. Tore—as he is fondly called—lost his life to a ghastly motor accident on the journey he embarked from Jalingo to Zamfara where he works after celebrating Sallah at home.

We celebrated the sallah together joyfully without knowing that we would loss him in less than a week. My last encounter with Habibu was on Monday night; we exchanged pleasantries and teased each other just as we normally do whenever we’re together, also, in our discussions, he talked about Yahya Abubakar, his colleague (in service), who is a friend to my cousin, and how he came to know of that, before we finally leave apart.

Until his death, Habibu was a gallant soldier of the NA, which he joined not too long. He was also known for his gentility and dedication to the service of defending the State, and through which he earns a living.

Before he joined the NA, we live and grew up from the same neighbourhood at Anguwan Gadi area, in Jalingo, and attended the same class at Muhammad Nya Primary school, in 2005. It is indeed sad that he couldn’t longer live and left with us unforgettable memories. In Habibu, a passionate soldier, true friend, associate and classmate is surely missed.

I pray to Allah to Forgive and Grant him the highest place in Jannah. May He also console his parents, family, friends, and associates for the irreparable loss. Amin!