Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi, GCON (born 21 September 1949) is a retired Nigerian Army lieutenant general who served as Chief of Army Staff from 1996 to 1999 during the military regime of Generals Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar.

[1] His older brother was Major General Musa Bamaiyi, former Head of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

On 10 December 1999 Gen. Bamaiya was charged with the attempted Murder of Guardian Newspaper Publisher Alex Ibru on 2 February 1996 alongside the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Gen Abacha, Major Hamza al-Mustapha, and others by the Lagos state government.

Bamaiyi who served under the military administration of late General Sani Abacha was arraigned by the Lagos state government of the attempted murder of publisher of the Guardian newspaper, Mr. Alex Ibru, and an eminent Delta state indigene, Mr. Isaac Porbeni.

[4] Ishaya and his older brother, Musa Bamaiyi reportedly feuded for years leading to Musa seeking redress from the Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission (HRVIC) Panel, headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa.