• Forty years on, they remain loyal to each other
Friendship has splendors akin to love. It grows stronger when crossed. It resists the ravages of time, which wearies and severs vacuous liaisons. It has heights unknown to love. And very few mortals are capable of its unfaltering features. Men like General Ibrahim Babangida and Brigadier-General Halilu Akilu however, constitute rare exceptions. They have been together for over 40 years as friends. Halilu, who served as Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Chief of Defence Intelligence, and Director of the Directorate of Military Intelligence under IBB has remained loyal to him since they planted the seed of their friendship.
Together, they have watched it germinate into a fruitful relationship that remains the envy of too many of their underlings and peers. So tight is their bond that if you wish to see IBB, you must first get the approval of Akilu. They remain very close.
