On Wednesday 28 August 2024, the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla led other Senior Officers to join the family of late Lieutenant Commander Gideon Yashim Gwaza at the National Military Cemetery, Abuja for the burial and interment of fallen hero.

Recall that Lieutenant Gideon Yashim Gwaza passed on heroically on 30 July 2024 when he led his team to successfully rescue 59 persons on the verge of drowning onboard a dredging vessel, MV AMBIKA 4 at Opobo River entrance.

Speaking at the funeral, the hero’s widow Mrs Salome Gwaza said “I am glad that my husband died a Hero, but this was not our agreement… we had 9 years of deepest love, happy marriage and true partnership.”

Lieutenant Commander Gideon Yashim Gwaza attended the Nigerian Military School Zaria before proceeding to the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in 2005 as a member of 57 Regular Course where he earned a BSc in Economics and was commissioned as Sub-Lieutenant in September 2010.

Thereafter, he attended the Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth UK in 2011 and the Sub-Lieutenant Technical Course at Nigerian Navy Ship QUORRA, Apapa, Lagos in 2012. Gwaza was an exceptionally brilliant officer and he attended the Officers’ Long Navigation Course at Indian Naval Ship VENDRUTHY KOCHI, India in 2015.

He attended the Junior Staff Course at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji, Nigeria in 2017 and in 2020 he was back in the UK for the International Principal Warfare Course at HMS COLLINGWOOD. Lieutenant Commander Gwaza completed the Senior Staff Course in 2023 at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.

Gwaza was a beacon of hope, a symbol of bravery and the natural leader amongst his contemporaries. He held many challenging appointments in the Nigerian Navy (NN) including Watch Keeping Officer onboard Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) OLOGBO and NNS THUNDER, Flag Lieutenant to the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Naval Command, Instructor at the Naval Wing, NDA and later Instructor at NNS QUORRA. He was also the Navigation Officer of NNS BURUTU and NNS CENTENARY and later the Officer-in-Charge of NNS IBUSA.

In September 2023, Lieutenant Commander Gwaza was appointed Base Operation Officer, Forward Operating Base BONNY. The appointment he held until his sad demise.

The CNS expressed the grief in his heart and across the entire NN family. He spoke glowingly about the fallen hero and ended by promising to provide a befitting accommodation for the family, and full educational scholarship for the children while the NN will continue to stand by them.

The burial was a very solemn event which left all in attendance teary eyed. Other dignitaries present were the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Gwabin Musa represented by Air Vice Marshall AT Marquis, the Commandant National Defence College Rear Admiral OM Olotu, Principal Staff Officers from Naval Headquarters, Rear Admirals OC Medani (rtd), HO Ngonadi (rtd), SO Agada (rtd) and YB Wambai (rtd).