Captain Chia: The journey from crash site to Army officer

In a quiet town of Mbakunu in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, a young teenager was known for his dedication to his father’s farm and farming activities daily. Every morning, he worked on the farmland. However, in a twist of fate on September 17,2006, the then 13-year-old became a  child hero not just […]

In a quiet town of Mbakunu in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State, a young teenager was known for his dedication to his father’s farm and farming activities daily. Every morning, he worked on the farmland. However, in a twist of fate on September 17,2006, the then 13-year-old became a  child hero not just locally but across the country after initiating a rescue mission at a plane crash site in his community.  For Detimbir Chia, now an Army Captain, life took an interesting turn 20 years ago when, as a teenager, he saved the lives of passengers on an ill fated military plane.

Our correspondent reports that  at 13, Chia wouldn’t have imagined that a routine farm work near his village in Mbakunu, Kwande in Benue State, would alter the course of his life forever.

Chia, who stumbled upon a crash site of an aeroplane conveying senior military officers to a retreat in the neighbouring Obudu community in Cross River State has risen through the ranks to become what he once dreamed of.

Daily Trust titles, having kept tabs on the young lad had reported each stage of his progress over the years, from the moment his courage brought him to global limelight to when he was commissioned as an officer in the Nigerian Army in October 2018.

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Interestingly, Chia has remained in the news for positive reasons, moving from one stage of advancement to another, and recently recorded yet another milestone on Saturday, April 4 when he walked the love of his life down the aisle to exchange marital vows at ECWA Church AA1 in Kuje, Abuja.

Speaking to our correspondent in Makurdi after the nuptial ceremony, an elated Chia attributed his life’s journey and successes to God, expressing gratitude to the Almighty for his life.

“I give glory to God. My life’s story is written and controlled by God. He alone knows the next step to bring to pass. Surely, it will end in praise by God’s grace,” he said.

“I’m happy and grateful to God for everything. The traditional wedding was also successful, and everything went well at my wife’s residence in Kuje, Abuja,” he added.

His wife, Lilian Thoumouh Chia, said marrying someone popular makes her feel happy and proud.

“Marrying him makes me feel so happy. I am proud of my husband and also happy about the man he has become.

“My expectations as we build our lives together are to have a stable home, become parents, grow together, be role models to others, never stop loving each other, and build a joyful family,” she said.

Expectedly, the wedding ceremony drew dignitaries, including former Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State and a survivor of the 2006 crash, General Nuhu Bala Amgbazu, whose emotional tribute to the new couple has since gone viral.

 

The game-changer

On September 17, 2006, the young Chia stumbled upon the wreckage of a military aircraft that had crashed on the Ngokugh hills while conveying senior officers to Obudu, Cross River State which was just a near distance to its destination.

Chia, a teenager then, approached the victims, picked a cell phone among the many scattered items at the scene and called his father, Chia James Anakula, who at that time was the only person in his village that owned a GSM handset.

The boy (Chia)’s father then promptly mobilised villagers and alerted relevant authorities who organised a rescue operation that saved eight persons out of the eighteen passengers on board while ten senior officers of the Nigerian Army died.

But for him, the survivors may have all perished before they were located. His bravery immediately drew national attention and marked the beginning of a life changing journey.

The then Chief of Defence Staff, late General Owoye Andrew Azazi, promised to make his dream of becoming a soldier a reality when he visited the scene of incident on behalf of the military and promised the boy an unhindered admission into the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA) as a way of rewarding him. 

It was from that moment that the then Benue State Governor, Senator George Akume, moved Chia from the village to the state capital of Makurdi to continue his secondary education at the Army Command Secondary School under the guardianship of a foster father, Chief Emmanuel Viashima, who then was a government appointee from Kwande LGA.

Chia, however, had an initial difficulty getting into the NDA after secondary school in 2011.

The journey was not smooth following setbacks in securing admission into the NDA, including a controversial medical disqualification that drew public attention.

At 19 then, he explained that after passing the exams, his name was dropped after the medicals due to High Blood Pressure.

“At first, I was very angry and cried but my uncle (Viashima) calmed me and counseled me to allow the will of God prevail in my life. I couldn’t do otherwise because my uncle tried to contact highly placed persons without result,” he said.

He then appealed to relevant authorities to help make my dream come through, noting that he had always aspired to be in the army and attain the rank of a General. “I have had the dream since I was a child but there was no glimmer of opportunity until the crash happened,” he said in an interview then.

Corroborating Chia, Viashima admitted that the boy had told Azazi about his dream to become a top military brass when the later asked what chia wanted to be in future. He urged the military authorities to help the young man achieve his dream,  which he believed will inspire and encourage Nigerians to be patriotic, adding that the community where Chia hails from would be very happy to see one of their own in the Academy.

Five years later, his dream became a reality when he graduated and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 2018 as a 2nd Lieutenant.

Our correspondent recalls that the now deceased  father in 2018 could not hide his joy when Chia graduated from the NDA, especially for being alive then to witness the reality of his child’s dream  in becoming an army officer.

“I was there on the day of my son’s passing out. I give God all glory. I’m excited and my joy is indescribable,” Anakula said  when he spoke on the sidelines during the son’s graduation thanksgiving mass in Makurdi.

Amid his rising career, Chia’s father, Chia James Anakula – passed away at the age of 71 in 2020.

 

Chia’s act changed both our lives – survivor

One of the survivors of the crash, General Nuhu Bala Amgbazu, who attended the wedding described Chia’s act that day  as a defining moment that changed both their lives.

He recalled that the young boy’s courage inspired him to support Chia’s dream of becoming a soldier.

“On September 17, 2006, I survived a tragic Nigerian Army aircraft crash. Help came from an unexpected place – a 13-year-old boy who played a critical role in saving my life,” he said.

Recalling the incident, Amgbazu described Chia as “untrained, unprepared, yet courageous.” 

“From a crash site in 2006 to a wedding altar in 2026. 20 years of destiny,” he wrote, describing the moment.  For his guardian, Chief Emmanuel Viashima, he said,“I feel very happy. Detimbir is my son and to see him prosper over the years had been quite thrilling. No parents would ever want their child in the reverse gear so I’m a proud father”. 

He noted that the journey was a tedious one but God came through for them. He also thanked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who made sure the young man left the village and joined the Command Secondary School in Makurdi and ensured all his fees were paid. 

“Here we are today, God has helped us! The woman God gave us in marriage is from Nasarawa State; a very beautiful and well-charactered woman. We thank God for giving us such a wonderful wife. So I’m fulfilled and very happy for my son,” Viashima said.

 

Fallen heroes, child hero honored

Meanwhile, on February 27, 2026, the Chairman of Kwande LGA and Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Benue State chapter, Vitalis Terhile Neji, led a delegation of youths to Ngokugh Mountain in Shangev-Ya to unveil a marble in tribute to the fallen heroes of the military plane crash which happened in 2006. 

Neji paid tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives and honoured Captain Chia, the brave youth from the community who discovered the crashed plane and facilitated the rescue and evacuation efforts. 

Two marbles were unveiled at the site, one with Captain Chia’s photo and the other honouring the 13 deceased soldiers.