By Edward Gabkwet
The month of September 2026 makes it 12 years since 2 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) pilots took to the skies on a mission from which one would never return and the other would disappear into the uncertainty of war.
Group Captain Abdulrasheed Bamidele Braimoh and Wing Commander Chimda Hedima were flying Alpha Jet aircraft (NAF 466) on a combat mission against Boko Haram terrorists in the Northeast when their aircraft went down near Kauri in Konduga Local Government Area of Borno State on 12 September 2014.
Hedima was subsequently captured and killed in the most gruesome manner by the terrorists, while Braimoh has since been declared Killed in Action, in line with the provisions of the Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Twelve years later, their story deserves more than a passing mention. It deserves to be remembered. More importantly, it should compel us to confront an uncomfortable question: How much do Nigerians truly appreciate the men and women who stand between the nation and those who seek to destroy it?
Many would agree that we have become too accustomed to casualty figures of soldiers killed or maimed, aircraft lost or another funeral underway, a sad situation that makes tragedies look ordinary.
This mustn’t be so. Behind every military or para-military casualty is a story of a child who will grow up without a parent, parents who will bury their sons and daughters, spouses who suddenly become widows or widowers and comrades who must return to the battlefield knowing that the colleague who stood beside them yesterday will not be there tomorrow.
Oftentimes, we view or hear Nigerians criticise military operations, especially when there are setbacks. That is understandable, especially in a democratic setting like ours.
However, in the intensity of these arguments, we forget the men and women at the centre of these operations. The pilot who straps himself into a combat aircraft is unsure whether the mission will end with a safe landing, just as the soldier or sailor who moves into a forward position is uncertain if he will see his family again.
Yet they proceed, serving with honour and courage and accepting the burden and consequences. That willingness to place one's life in the line of danger for the survival and security of others is one of the noblest obligations a citizen can undertake. Braimoh and Hedima did precisely that on 12 September 2014.
Nigeria's counterterrorism and counterinsurgency efforts have projected heroes whose names are known and many more whose names barely make it to our national consciousness. Some died in heroic battles while others paid the supreme price through ambushes, improvised explosive device attacks or attacks on isolated outposts with their stories hardly gaining any national attention.
Neglecting the legacies of such heroes who paid the supreme price strikes a direct blow to a nation’s core stability. Indeed, a nation that ignores its fallen heroes’ risks losing its sense of national obligation and the consequences of such ignorance could ripple far beyond the immediate grief of their households. Honouring our heroes must therefore go well beyond the ceremonies tied around the annual Armed Forces Remembrance Day rituals or only when their coffins are draped in the national flag.
There should be a permanent, accessible national record of Nigeria's fallen military personnel. Their names, pictures and stories should be preserved, their families should be recognised and their sacrifices should form part of our national history. And perhaps most importantly, young Nigerians should be taught that citizenship is not only about what one receives from the nation but also what some citizens have sacrificed for its survival.
As we evoke the memories of Group Captain Abdulrasheed Bamidele Braimoh and Wing Commander Chimda Hedima, we should also remember the many other Nigerian military and para-military personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
Twelve years after NAF 466 disappeared from the skies over the Northeast, the memories of Braimoh, Hedima and many others should remind us that the fight against terrorism has never been merely about recovering lost spaces or about casualty figures.
Rather, it has always been about those who leave home in uniform, venture into dangerous terrains so that others can remain safe and those who sometimes do not return.
So, today, let us pause and remember the pilots, soldiers, airmen, sailors and paramilitaries for sacrificing their lives for our safety. Let us also remember their families who continue to live with their absence. And let us remember that behind every military casualty is a Nigerian life given in the service of our dear nation.
May we never become so accustomed to the sacrifices of our Armed Forces and other security agencies that we cease to be moved by them. May we never forget Braimoh, Hedima and many others who went before and after them. And may Nigeria always remain worthy of the sacrifices made in her defence.
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Gabkwet, an Air Vice Marshal, writes from Abuja.
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