Victor Samuel Leonard Malu

Victor Malu was a Nigerian army general who served as the Chief of Army Staff from 1999 to 2001 under President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was also the Force Commander of the ECOMOG peacekeeping force in Liberia from 1996 to 1998 during the First Liberian Civil War. He was born on January 15, 1947 in Katsina-Ala, Benue State of Tiv origins. He enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna in 1967 as part of the 3rd Regular Course and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant enlisted upon graduation in 1970. He later attended Command and Staff College, Jaji and the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos. He held various positions in the Nigerian Army, such as chief instructor of the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, General Officer Training, Army Headquarters, Commander of 7 Mechanised Brigade, and Chairman of the tribunal that tried General Oladipo Diya and others for coup plot in 1997. He was appointed as the commander of ECOMOG in December 1996 and led the peacekeeping force until April 1998. He was credited with restoring stability and security in Liberia, clearing the country of land mines, and overseeing the successful elections in 1997. He had a strained relationship with the Liberian President Charles Taylor, who accused him of running a parallel government and smuggling arms. He was replaced as the ECOMOG commander in 1998. He was appointed as the Chief of Army Staff in May 1999 by President Obasanjo, but was dismissed in April 2001 after a clash with the president over the deployment of troops in Odi, Bayelsa State. He retired from the army and became a vocal critic of the government. He also wrote a book about his experiences in Liberia, which was cited at Taylor's trial in The Hague. He suffered from stroke and diabetes and died on October 9, 2017 in Cairo, Egypt. He was buried in his hometown of Tse-Adoor, Katsina-Ala, Benue State. He was survived by his wife, Esther, four children, and several grandchildren. He was regarded as a professional, brave, and disciplined soldier who made significant contributions to Nigeria's unity and development.