Rear Admiral Idi Abbas, born on September 20, 1969, hails from Nassarawa LGA of Kano State.He enlisted into the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) on September 12, 1987 commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant on 10 September 1993 as a member of NDA 40 Regular Course with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry.The newly appointed Chief of the Naval Staff is an Above Water Warfare (AWW) specialist officer who has attended several military courses at home and abroad, including the Sub-Lieutenant Technical Course at NNS QUORRA in 1994, the Junior and Senior Staff Courses at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College Jaji in 2001 and 2005 respectively.
The newly appointed CNS has held several appointments in the Nigerian Navy.He was the Maritime Guard Commander (MGC) of NIMASA in 2015 and Commander Task Group (CTG) of NN Operation Tsare-Teku in 2017.Between 2018 and 2022, Rear Admiral Idi Abbas steadily climbed the ladder of appointments in Central Naval Command first as the Command Admin Officer (CAO) then as the Chief Staff Officer (CSO) culminating in his appointment as Flag Officer Commanding (FOC CNC) of Central Naval Command and within this period, he also served as Commander NNS VICTORY, Calabar in 2020.In July 2023, he was appointed Chief of Naval Safety and Standard (CNASS) at NHQ, and in February 2024, he became the Chief of Defence Civil Military Relations (CDCMR) and Defence Headquarters (DHQ).
In January 2025, Rear Admiral Abbas was deployed to the Nigerian Army Heritage Centre as a Senior Research Fellow, the appointment he held before his elevation to the post of 25th Chief of Naval Staff, Nigerian Navy.Rear Admiral Idi Abbas is a practicing Muslim who is married to Mrs Aisha Abbas, and the marriage is blessed with two boys.
