Today we honor the service of a true hero, Wing Commander Chimda Stephen Hedima. He was born in 1975 into a military family. He followed in the footsteps of his father AWM S. Hedima.
On the 11th of September, 2014, a company of Nigerian soldiers attempted to overrun a Boko Haram position in Borno. Due to the low altitude, the plane suffered significant damage from gunfire. Hedima and his partner realized that they were going to crash.
Rather than quickly parachuting to safety within the Nigerian army’s controlled territory, they chose to embark on a mission to destroy as many terrorists as possible. They parachuted out at the last minute but not before ensuring their plane slammed into a column of terrorists in which 63 Boko Haram members were killed as a result of their bravery.
Hedima was captured. Boko Haram released a video in which they beheaded Hedima a few days later. He left behind a young wife who is a medical doctor.
Thank you for your service and may the Lord keep those you left behind.