Ambassador Deborah Iliya is presently in pensive mood. The Nigerian ambassador to Congo lost her husband, Major General Samaila Iliya last Monday after a brief illness. Sending her condolences, the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, eulogised Iliya who she described as an astute soldier and military administrator.
She wrote: “It is with deep sadness that I received the news of the death of Major General Samaila Iliya- husband of Amb. Deborah Iliya, Nigerian Ambassador in the Republic of Congo.
The General was an astute soldier, military administrator and family man. I wish to therefore offer my condolences to Ambassador Deborah Iliya and the family over this huge loss and pray Almighty God to repose his soul while granting his family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
Before his death, General Iliya ranked through Nigerian Army from a company commander to the Army’s Chief of Administration and held some key positions in Nigeria’s prestigious Command and Staff College, including Director of Staff, Chief Instructor and Director of Army Faculty.
