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. 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