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January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by Samuellawale(m): 12:41pm On Jan 17, 2016 |
Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, son of the former
deputy premier of the South West Region, the
late Chief Fani Kayode, though a child at the
time, was a witness to the arrest of his father
on the night of January 15, 1966, when the
first coup was witnessed in Nigeria. He
recounts the events of that night to Catherine
Agbo, in this interview
Flashback to the night of January 15, 1966,
what did you witness?
What I witnessed that night was traumatic
and devastating for me and my family and, of
course, what the nation witnessed that night
was horrific. It was a night of blood, terror
and sadness. The events of that night set in
motion a series of events which changed our
history. The consequences of the events of
that night are still with us till this day. So, it
was not a good night; it was a sad and
terrible night; one of blood and slaughter.
What I saw, what I witnessed was this; in the
middle of the night, my mother came into the
room which I shared with my older brother,
Rotimi and my sister Toyin. I was six at the
time. The lights had been cut, so all we could
see was lights from vehicles. At that time,
my father was deputy premier of the South
West so; the official residence had a very
long drive. We saw two headlights and heard
the engines of two lorries drive up the drive-
way. The occupants of the lorries stormed
our home and my father went out to meet
them, after he had called us and explained
that he would explain their coming later. He
explained that he would rather go out to meet
them than let them come into the house.
The minute he stepped out, they brutalised
him. I witnessed this. They tied him up and
threw him into the lorry. Interestingly, the
first thing they said to him was “where are
your thugs now?” My father’s response was
“I don’t have thugs, only gentlemen.” I think
this made them brutalise him even more.
They threw him in the back of the lorry, tied
him up and, then stormed the house.
When they got into the house, they
ransacked every nook and cranny, shooting
into the ceiling and wardrobes. They were
very brutal and frightful and we were
terrified. My mother was screaming from the
balcony because all she could do was focus
on her husband, who was downstairs.
“Don’t kill him, don’t kill him!!” she kept
screaming at them. I can still visualise this
and hear her voice pleading, screaming and
crying. I didn’t know where my brother or
sister was; the house was in total chaos. A
six-year-old, I was standing there in the
middle of the house, surrounded by
uniformed men who were ransacking the
house and terrorising my family.
Something extraordinary happened. All of a
sudden, one of the soldiers came up to me,
put his hand on my head and said: “Don’t
worry, we won’t kill your father, stop crying.”
He said this thrice. After he said it the third
time, I stopped crying. I went rushing to my
mum who was still on the balcony and told
her to stop crying because the soldier had
promised that they would not kill my father,
that everything would be okay.
I held on to the words of that soldier. That
night, I never cried again. They took him
away and as the lorry drove away, my
mother kept on wailing and so was everyone
in the house.
From there, they went to the home of Chief
S.L Akintola, who was the premier. When
they got there, unfortunately, my mother had
phoned Akintola to inform him of what was
happening. Akintola had calmed her, assuring
that all will be well. When they got to
Akintola’s house, he already knew of their
coming so instead of coming out, the minute
they got there, he called out some of his
boys and they came firing with their guns. A
gun battle ensued and the plan was delayed.
They thought they could pick my father, pick
Akintola and go kill them were they deemed
fit.
Akintola wounded two of the soldiers who
came and, when his ammunition ran out from
inside the house, he came out with a white
handkerchief and surrendered. The minute
he stepped out, they just slaughtered him,
right in front of my father. After they killed
him, they moved on with my father to Lagos.
When they got there, they went to the
Officer’s Mess at Dodan Barracks.
Akintola was one of the greatest Yoruba
leaders, great orator, a nice man and dear
uncle, just like Ademulegun was to me.
When they took my dad away, everyone
thought he had been killed. We decided to not
spend that night in the house. The next
morning, the policemen came and took us to
the house of my mother’s first cousin,
Justice Fatai Williams, who was a judge of
the Western Region at the time. He later
became the Chief Judge of Nigeria. From
there, we were taken to the home of
Adelekan Ademola, another High Court judge
at the time, who later became a judge of the
Appeal Court.
There was so much confusion in the country
and no one knew what was going on. We had
heard lots of stories and did not know what
to make of what anymore. There was chaos.
It took some time for things to be figured out.
Two days later, my father called and told us
that he was okay and, when we heard his
voice, I kept telling my mother “I told you, I
told you.” Justice Ademola was weeping, my
mother was weeping, my brother and sister
were weeping and I was just rejoicing,
because I knew that he would not be killed.
I never got to know who that soldier was
(that promised me that my father would not
be killed), but I believe that God spoke
through him that night.
These fellows who carried out this coup
were not alone; they got some backing from
the political class who identified with them,
but that is a story for another day.
The truth is, there has never been another
night like that and the results of that night
have been very profound and not enough
Nigerians appreciate that. Some people in our
country can never forgive those who did that,
understandably. Others who believe that
those young fellows did the right thing still
say that those killings were heroic, which is
something I find unacceptable and appalling.
As a child growing up then, how did the
events of that night affect your psyche from
then on?
From that night on, it affected me in a
remarkable way. I only ever wanted to join
the army after that. We moved to the UK a
short while later. Then, I was about 7 and,
for a long while after then, all I loved drawing
were pictures of soldiers and, at some point,
my parents became worried about my
behaviour. I was fascinated by violence and
would always carry a wooden gun around
the house. I saw what happened and I
resolved in my mind that I would rather die
fighting than condone anyone who brought
such to me and my family again.
My mind-set became one of self-defense.
When I was through with my schooling in the
United Kingdom, I wanted to go to an officers’
training college in Sandhurst, UK, but my
father refused point-blank, that he hadn’t
invested in my education for me to go join
the army. He insisted that I go to the
university. I wanted to be a soldier, primarily,
because of what I witnessed that night. That
was how it affected me.
Of course, it affected the country in an
equally profound manner, because the
events of that night led to a counter-coup six
months later. It was such a devastating
response and, of course, it led to the
pogroms in the North, after the counter-
coup. This then led to the Civil War.
After the coup, a lot of people felt so bad and,
six months later, about 300 Igbo officers
were killed in one night, including the Head of
State, who was of Igbo extraction. A few
Yorubas, like Gen Fajuyi Adekunle, was
killed. After that came the attacks on Igbos
in the North, which was, again, a
consequence of what happened six months
before. Thousands of Igbos were slaughtered
in the North and then, from there, came the
Civil War, in which millions of people died,
including children.
In spite of this, the killing of any Nigerian
saddens me; whether it was in the first,
second or third coup.
It is, therefore, time for us to ask God for
forgiveness for what we have done to one
another in this country, to come to ourselves
and agree that we hurt one another badly
and, then, try to put it behind us and move
on.
The truth is that if General Aguiyi-Ironsi had
done the right thing and prosecuted Major
Nzeogwu and the other young mutineers
after the attempted January 15th coup was
crushed, there would have been no northern
revenge coup six months later. For some
curious reason, he just locked Nzeogwu and
co up and refused to prosecute them. This
bred suspicion from the ranks of the northern
officers who felt deeply aggrieved about the
killing of their political leaders and that,
together with Aguiyi-Ironsi’s insistence on
promulgating the Unification Decree which
abolished the federal system of government
and sought to turn Nigeria into a unitary
state, made the revenge coup of July 29th
1966 inevitable.
The revenge coup was planned and led by
Major Murtala Mohammed (as he then was)
and it was supported and executed by
northern officers like Major T.Y. Danjuma(as
he then was), Major Martins Adamu, Captain
Shehu Musa Yar’adua (as he then was), Lt.
Ibrahim Babangida (as he then was), Lt. Sani
Abacha (as he then was) and many others.
This is the coup that was to put Lt. Col.
Gowon (as he then was) in power and when
they struck it was a very bloody and brutal
affair. The response of the northern officers
to the mutiny and terrible killings that took
place on the night of January 15th 1966 and
to General Aguiyi-Ironsi’s apparent
procrastination and reluctance to ensure that
justice was served to the mutineers was not
only devastating but also frightful. Hundreds
of army officers of mainly Igbo extraction
who were perceived to be sympathetic to the
January 15th mutineers were killed that night
including the Head of State General Aguiyi-
Ironsi and the Military Governor of the old
Western Region who was hosting him,
Colonel Fajuyi.
A few people who witnessed the coup are of
the opinion that the coup was unnecessary
and that those who carried it out only did so
because it was the in-thing in the continent
back then. You don’t seem to think so…
What happened that night was uncalled for,
yes, but it brought the military into
governance in our country. It had never
happened before in Nigeria, but, after it did, it
continued to happen. I completely disagree
with those who think that there must have
been anything good about the coups which
took place in Nigeria. Blood calls for blood’
when you shed blood, other people want to
shed your blood, as well.
So, it set off a cycle of events which had
cataclysmic consequences for our country
which we are still feeling today. Coups may
have happened in other countries in Africa,
but it did not mean that it had to happen here.
In any case, the amount of blood that was
shed that night, the number of innocent
people who were killed was quite
unacceptable. It arrested our development as
a people, political evolution as a country and,
I think, things would have been so different if
so many people had not lost that their lives
that night. Our history would have been very
different. May we never see such a thing
again.
It’s been over 50 years since that night, but,
looking at the things going in the country
currently, healing has not taken place.
Where is the best place to begin this healing
and what can our leaders do?
I believe we should do all we can to put
these matters behind us. I’ve always
believed that if we allow ourselves to become
prisoners of history, we can be victims of
history, instead of being guided by it and
moving on. We have to forgive, even if we do
not forget, but, more importantly, we must
first establish truth.
What really happened?
There is just too much emotion when
Africans and Nigerians talk about history.
Nobody wants to know the truth; we all want
to tell it from our perspectives, but, if truth
must be told, we all made mistakes. All of us
from all over the country made mistakes at
one point or the other.
The way things are going presently, if we do
not talk to one another and try to heal the
wounds of the past in an honest and
wholesome manner, you may find that it does
not serve the purpose of national unity.
National unity is not just talking about
cohesion; we have to work towards it as
consciously as we can and make every
Nigerian feel as a Nigerian.
The calls for secession from the East and
other portions of the country, rather than be
dismissed, should be looked at under a
microscope. We must endeavour to know
why they are making these demands at this
time and do all we can to meet their needs,
while assimilating and bringing them in. At
the same time, those who are using violence
to effect their purpose should be condemned
by us all. Even if you believe in a course of
action, violence should never be a part of it.
There is too much violent language going on.
I think we need far more cohesion and
understanding amongst one another than we
have at the moment. But this cannot happen
until we go back to the beginning and see
where we all went wrong. One thing we can
do is to properly address the issues and
understand what happened on that night of
January 15, 1966.
What happened that night traumatised the
nation. None of us has been the same since.
I identify with that, because I was a part of it,
witnessed it and was a victim of it. But, by
God’s grace and divine providence, my father
was spared; not because he was special, but
because of the grace of God. Every day I
mourn and think about the families of those
men who died and I tell myself: “were it not
for divine providence, my father would have
also died and I would not have been what I
am today, because he was the one who
educated me and did everything for me.”
Better yet, I know there was a purpose for
that.
So, when people talk about January 15, 1966
and try to, somehow, re-write history or,
somehow, revise it, I always stand up to try
to defend the truth. I have written many
essays to that effect, as well, over the last 10
years. This is because I believe that it is
important to tell the truth, because no matter
how bitter the truth might be, we must not
shy away from it.
There was a man I respected, who died
some months ago. His name was Baban
Kowa. He was a police officer from Kano
State. He was the one who found the bodies
of Tafawa Balewa and Okotie-Eboh in the
bush. He was a great man and he kept on
speaking the truth about what he found, even
when others came out to say it was not like
that and that Tafawa Balewa was not shot by
soldiers, that it was something else that killed
him, Baban Kowa stood by his story and it
was true. I saw him a month before his
death, but throughout the years, I always
interacted with him, because he told that
story over and over again.
Alhaji Maitama Sule, who is still alive in Kano
today, was also close to Tafawa Balewa. He
was a young minister in the government then
and, I guess, he was aware then and can
very much tell the story today. I’m glad a
few of them are around and can tell their
story. Akinjide, Shehu Shagari and a number
of others can tell these stories as witnesses
to what happened. Above all, it is important
we do not forget the path history took, point
out the grievous mistakes we made and
learn from them sincerely. Also, we must
resolve amongst ourselves that, never again,
will people be attacked in their homes,
dragged out and shot like dogs. Never again
will women, wives and children be
slaughtered. Never again! 1 Like |
Re: January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by Babprosper20(m): 12:48pm On Jan 17, 2016 |
Re: January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by tubouncen(m): 1:00pm On Jan 17, 2016 |
This small boy claiming old man |
Re: January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by tonychristopher: 9:57am On Jan 18, 2016 |
Now take a look at the list of the major participants in ’66 coup plotters and render your own judgement: 1. Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu(Delta Igbo) 2. Major Adewale Ademoyega (Yoruba) author of “Why we struck” 3. Capt. G. Adeleke(Yoruba) 4. Maj. Ifeajuna(Igbo) 5. Lt. Fola Oyewole(Yoruba) author of “The reluctant rebel” 6. Lt. R. Egbiko(Esean) 7. Lt. Tijani Katsina(Hausa/Fulani) 8. Lt. O. Olafemiyan(Yoruba) 9. Capt. Gibson Jalo(Bali) 10. Capt. Swanton(Middle Belt) 11. Lt. Hope Harris Eghagha (Urhobo) 12. Lt. Dag Warribor(Ijaw) 13. 2nd Lt. Saleh Dambo(Hausa) 14. 2nd Lt. John Atom Kpera(Tiv). So, to an unbiased observer, what evidence can one provide to show that Igbos actually carried out the coup in order to exterminate other tribes and take over the country? It is very easy to sell falsehood, but it is very difficult to provide facts to buttress your claims. It is now clear even to a suckling, that the imperialist genocide is crammed up this murderous lies against the Igbos to find reasons to perpetually keep them under hate. One even wonders why the Nigerian state and perpetrators of the gruesome genocide have been preventing the proper documentation of that episode for the benefits of her posterity. They hate igbo not that igbo are the proponent of the coup |
Re: January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by kingzizzy: 10:36am On Jan 18, 2016 |
The officer that FFK was talking about who promised not to kill his father is probably Captain Nwobosi. Nwobosi led the Soldiers that went to arrest FFKs father (Fani-power) then they moved to get Akintola. Unfortunately, when the got to Akintolas residence, rather than surrender, Akintola opened fire on them wounding Nwobosi on the cheek. A gun battle then ensured until Akintola ran out of bullets and surrendered. They summarily executed him for resisting. When the coup failed, Nwobosi along with Nzeogwu and co were locked up in the eastern region. When Ojukwu declared Biafra, he released Nwobosi and promoted him to a Major in the Biafran Army. Nwobosi later became a top military aid to Ojukwu and was one of those who flew out with Ojukwu from Uli airport into exile at the end of the war. Nwobosi later traveled to Guyana. On getting to Guyana, the government having learnt of his exploits in the Biafran war offered him a temporary job Job as a military advicer. Nwobosi later left for Canada where he lived for many years and became a Canadian citizen. On retirement, he returned to Nigeria and now lives in native Obosi in present day Anambra state. One of his sons recently aspired to become a NASSmember representing Obosi under APGA in the last elections 1 Like |
Re: January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by Volksfuhrer(m): 11:09am On Jan 18, 2016 |
Nice try. But how do you explain the apparent ethnic coloration of the killings? I concede that the planning was without ethnic bias, but same cannot be said about the execution of the January 1966 coup. Even Nzeogwu admitted that the Southern flank of the coup was prosecuted by "tribalists" (Nzeogwu's words, not mine). |
Re: January 1966 Coup: What I Saw On That Day – Fani-kayode by Pavarottii(m): 2:08pm On Jan 18, 2016 |
Conscious mind speaking for only the conscious to understand. Kudos 2 FFK! |
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