₦airaland Forum

Wole Soyinka Being Arrested In 1967

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In 1967 Wole Soyinka journeyed to Biafra to meet with Odumegwu Ojukwu, Chinua Achebe, etc. in order to find a solution to the brewing crisis that was to later lead to the civil war. He also met Colonel Victor Banjo, who told him that he did not believe in Biafra, but rather, intended to lead a third force (The Liberation Army of Nigeria) to invade Lagos and overthrow Yakubu Gowon. Victor Banjo asked Soyinka to help him deliver a message to Obafemi Awolowo, Olusegun Obasanjo (General Officer Commanding the troops in the West) and other Western leaders.

Soyinka, with the help of an officer in military intelligence, called Obasanjo. Obasanjo said he had to search for the source of the mysterious ringing that he eventually traced to a phone in a wardrobe in his bedroom. They agreed on a rendezvous and also agreed to attend the meeting alone and unarmed. However, they both arrived at the rendezvous with “lookouts” and escorts. Obasanjo later admitted that he was also armed at the time. They succeeded in losing their lookouts and escorts and Soyinka delivered Banjo’s message. Banjo wanted Obasanjo to stand aside and grant him free passage through the West on his journey to unseat Gowon in Lagos. Obasanjo, in reply, refused to grant free passage to Banjo, stating that he had sworn an oath of loyalty to Lagos and so he was loyal to whoever was in command in Lagos. He suggested that Banjo could get to Lagos through other means, for instance, over water via Okitipupa.

Soyinka was declared wanted by the government (he was even branded a Biafran spy), arrested and detained for two years and four months (he spent a year and ten months of that time in solitary confinement).

Wole Soyinka was on his way to safety, when he realised that some of his followers might not have gotten the message that they should disband and close down their base (in Ibadan). He became worried that some of them might either proceed on some hare-brained action of their own, or get arrested.

He drove back towards the base, saw a young collaborator and got her to act as a courier.

However, there was an armed policeman waiting near the base. Although he arrested Soyinka, he told the professor that he would escort him wherever Soyinka wanted to go, "in case there are urgent things you wish to take care of-sensitive documents and things like that. They will come and search your house, you know. It's the least I can do for you Mr Soyinka."

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Banjo (“Commander, Liberation Army of Nigeria”).

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Victor Banjo was one of the soldiers that encouraged Major General Ironsi to take over power after the Ifeajuna/Nzeogwu coup had been foiled.

However, after Ironsi had taken over, Victor Banjo was arrested for taking a loaded pistol into Ironsi’s office. He was detained in the East, but released by Odumegwu Ojukwu after Biafra had been declared. He was mandated by Ojukwu to lead the force that eventually invaded the Mid-West (The Mid-West was neutral up to this point). However, after invading the Mid-West, he declared that he was not interested in Biafra, but rather, intended to lead “the Liberation Army of Nigeria” to dislodge Gowon from Lagos (indeed, he sent Wole Soyinka to deliver a message to Colonel Olusegun Obasanjo, who was GOC in the west, to grant him free passage through the Western Region, a request that Obasanjo did not grant). He was recalled by Ojukwu, arrested and tried for treason. He was executed along with Emmanuel Ifeajuna.

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He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army, but in 1963 he transferred to the embryonic Nigerian Air Force and proceeded abroad for training as a Pilot. He qualified as a Pilot on light aircraft but never underwent formal jet conversion.

As a “converted soldier” Chief of Air Staff, Alao had command problems because he could not direct the younger pilot officers who had been trained on jets. Although Alao supervised a massive wartime expansion of the NAF, the young jet Pilots (and mercenaries) did not take him seriously because he could not do what they did. Therefore, to enhance his credibility, he learnt how to fly jets locally in Lagos. When he felt sufficiently comfortable with his private lessons, he undertook a solo flight from Lagos to Enugu on October 19, 1969 as the civil war was drawing to a close. Unfortunately, he got lost and overflew Enugu. He was able to turn around, crossed the Niger River and tried to head for the Air Base in Benin. He got lost and crash-landed on a football pitch at Uzebba in present day Edo State. He died in the cockpit of head injuries and bleeding from a fractured thighbone.

General Hassan Usman Katsina (Governor of the Northern Region & later Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters)

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Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu
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(L-R) Colonel Robert Adeyinka Adebayo (Governor, Western State), Commodore J.E.A Wey (Chief of Staff, Navy), Major General Yakubu Gowon (Head of State & Supreme Commander), Alhaji Kam Selem (Inspector General of Police) & Major Mobolaji Johnson (Governor, Lagos State) @ a news conference.

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Yakubu Gowon

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Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi (Ironside)

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Major Isaac Adaka Boro

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Isaac Boro and his associates are freed.

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Isaac Boro is freed

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Isaac Boro

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Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro formed the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF) and led an armed rebellion against the government of Nigeria, declaring the Niger Delta Republic on February 23, 1966. He had previously been an undergraduate student of chemistry and student union president at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, but he left school to lead the rebellion. His group protested against the exploitation of oil and gas resources in the Niger Delta areas which benefitted mainly the Federal Government of Nigeria and a remote Eastern Nigeria regional government. Major General Aguiyi Ironsi, the Head of State of Nigeria ordered that Boro should be arrested by any means possible.

The NDVF battled the Federal forces for twelve days but were finally routed by the far superior Federal firepower. Boro and his compatriots were jailed for treason. However, the federal regime of General Yakubu Gowon granted him amnesty on the eve of the Nigerian civil war in May 1967. He then enlisted and was commissioned as a major in the Nigerian army. He fought on the side of the Federal Government but was killed under mysterious circumstances in active service in 1968 at Ogu (near Okrika) in Rivers State, after successfully liberating the Niger Delta from the rebel Biafran Forces.

Double post

Adekunle Fajuyi

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Fajuyi was also shot. Although the western region publication “Fajuyi the Great” published by the Ministry of Information in 1967 after his official burial said he had offered to die rather than “abandon his guest”, those involved in his arrest and assassination insist that he was an even more critical target than Ironsi and made no such offer to die with Ironsi. Lt. Col. William Walbe (rtd) said:

“……..We arrested him as we arrested Ironsi. We suspected him of being party to the January coup. You remember the Battle Group Course which was held at Abeokuta….Fajuyi was the Commander of the Battle Group Course…All those who took part in the January coup were those who had taken part in that course. It gave us the impression that the Battle Course was arranged for the January coup, so he had to suffer it too. I am sorry about that but that is the nature of the life of a military man……..”

General Danjuma confirms this opinion. He says that at another training camp in Kachia commanded by Lt. Col. Fajuyi, Major Nzeogwu rehearsed the assault on Sardauna’s house in the presence of some northern mortar officers who did not appreciate the significance of the exercise until after the coup. In Danjuma’s words, “The chaps could not stomach Fajuyi such that if there was anybody who should die first, as far as they were concerned, it was Fajuyi, not even Ironsi.”

Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi (Western Region Governor)

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Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe (Chief of Staff, Nigerian Defence Forces)

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Supreme Military Council

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(Seated in front) Major General J.T.U Aguiyi-Ironsi (Supreme Commander/Head of State). (Seated behind L-R) Major Hassan Usman Katsina (Governor Northern Region), Colonel Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (Governor Eastern Region), Major David Ejoor (Governor Mid-Western Region), Commodore J.E. Akinwale Wey (Chief of Staff, Navy) & Colonel Yakubu Gowon (Chief of Staff, Army)

Major General Johnson Thomas Umanakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBr_A7iAAao

According to Shagari, in his Book “Beckoned to Serve”,

 

“…....….At about 7.00 am, I returned to Dipcharima’s residence to meet with some NPC ministers who had gathered there. Dipcharima was then the most senior NPC minister available. We received the latest reports on the situation, first from Alhaji Maitama Sule, Minister of Mines and Power, who had visited the PM’s residence by bicycle! We then heard from Alhaji Ibrahim Tako Galadima, the acting Minister of Defence, who had brought along with him Chief Fani-Kayode.

 

Chief Fani-Kayode said he had been fetched from Ibadan early that morning by rebels and locked up at the Federal Guard Officers Mess in Dodan Barracks, where the mutineers initially made their headquarters. Disguised in army uniform, loyal troops handed him over to Alhaji Galadima, who had called in at the barracks, which was a stone’s throw of his residence…………….The acting Minister of Defence assured us that Major-General Ironsi was doing his best to arrest the situation.

 

Maitama Sule and I were separately detailed to explore with our absent NPC and NCNC colleagues the possibility of naming someone to stand in for the PM. I was consulting with NCNC ministers at Dr. Mbadiwe’s residence when we heard that the Northern and Western premiers, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Akintola respectively, had been assassinated. Hence I rushed back to Dipcharima’s residence, where I found my colleagues in a state of shock and desperation.

 

However, we decided to recognize Dipcharima, a Kanuri from Bornu, as our interim leader; and to ask the acting President, Dr. Orizu (President Azikiwe was away on leave), to appoint Dipcharima acting Prime Minister. We also summoned Major General Ironsi and gave him full authority to use every force at his disposal to suppress the rebellion. He moved his headquarters temporarily to the police headquarters at moloney street to facilitate easy communication with army units in the regions. 

 

While at Dipcharima’s residence, we contacted the British High Commission and requested for military assistance in the event that our loyal troops should require any. The response was positive, but the British insisted that the request must be written by the PM; or, in his absence, by a properly appointed deputy. We, therefore, drove to the residence of Dr. Orizu, and requested him to appoint Dipcharima acting prime minister. Dr. Orizu requested to see our NCNC colleagues to confirm whether they supported our proposition, and they joined us soon afterwards. They had apparently been caucusing at Dr. Mbadiwe’s residence. He (Mbadiwe) was their choice of acting Prime Minister. This was naturally unacceptable to us since the NPC was the major governing party.

 

While we were at Orizu’s residence, Major-General Ironsi, who had seemingly secured Lagos, came in with some armed escorts. He requested for a tete-a-tete with Orizu. The two had a 40 minutes discussion in another room, while we waited anxiously in the sitting room, with the armed soldiers standing and staring at us. When Major-General Ironsi finally emerged, he talked to Dipcharima sotto voce; and then drove off with his troops. Dr. Orizu then joined us, regretted his inability in the circumstances to oblige our request. He suggested we all return to our homes and wait until we were required. All efforts to get any clarification failed, and we left in utter desperation. 

 

I was about to break the Ramadan fast on Sunday 16th January, when all ministers were asked to report to the Cabinet Office at 6.30 pm. The whole premises was surrounded by soldiers in battle order that some of us initially hesitated to enter. In the Cabinet chamber were Major General Ironsi, Bukar Dipcharima and Ibrahim Tako Galadima. There were no officials present.

 

Major General Ironsi admitted to us that he had been unable to suppress the rebellion, which he said was getting out of hand. He stated that the mutineers were in control of Kaduna, Kano and Ibadan, and had killed two regional premiers, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Chief Akintola. They had also murdered a number of his best officers, including Brigadiers Maimalari and Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun, the Commander 1st Brigade Headquarters in Kaduna. Ironsi was full of emotion and even shed some tears. When we asked him about the whereabouts of Sir ABubakar and Chief Okotie-Eboh, he said he still did not know but averred efforts were being made to locate them. At this stage Mbadiwe broke down and kept crying: “Please where is the Prime Minister?”

 

 When we reminded Major-General Ironsi if he needed to avail himself of the British pledge of assistance, he replied it was too late as the army was pressing him to assume power. Indeed, he confessed his personal reluctance to take over because of his ignorance of government; but insisted the boys were adamant and anxiously waiting outside. He advised it would be in our interest, and that of the country, to temporarily cede power to him to avert disaster. Accordingly, we acceded to his request since we had no better alternative. Ironsi then insisted that the understanding be written.

 

 Surprisingly, there was no stationery to write the agreement; and all the offices were locked while no official was around. Alhaji AGF Abdulrazaq the Minister of State for the Railways (former NPC legal adviser), managed to secure a scrap paper on which he drafted a statement, which we endorsed. That was the so called voluntary hand-over of power by the Balewa Government to Major General Ironsi! It was agreed that the statement would be typed and Dipcharima would sign it on our behalf. We were then advised to return home and await further instructions. I only got to break my Ramadan fast around 9:30 pm.

 

 Later at 11.50 pm, Dr. Orizu made a terse nationwide broadcast, announcing the cabinet’s voluntary decision to transfer power to the armed forces. Major General Ironsi then made his own broadcast, accepting the “invitation”. He suspended certain parts of the constitution; set up a national military government, with the office of military governors in each region; and briefly outlined the policy intentions of his regime. Nigeria’s first democratic experiment was effectively over. And although the mutiny had by then practically collapsed, military rule had arrived. It was a fact.

 

 The following morning, 17 January, Alhaji Kam Salem, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (then also doubling for the Inspector-General, Mr. Louis Orok Edet, while on vacation), called at my residence to confide that both the PM and Chief Okotie-Eboh had been confirmed killed. He then hinted that Major General Ironsi was still negotiating with the rebels in Kaduna, led by Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu”

Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBKCgPMzrjI

Emmanuel Ifeajuna being honoured by the Governor-General, Sir James Robertson and other officials (at the far left is Sir Mobolaji Bank-Anthony).

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(In 1954 Ifeajuna jumped six feet eight inches to win gold at the commonwealth games in Vancouver Canada, probably Nigeria’s first medal at an international multi-sport event. In 1966 Major Ifeajuna lead Nigeria’s first military coup).

67. Although not initially alloted to Major Ifeajuna as a target for
assassination, Major Ifeajuna proceeded to Ikoyi Hotel to kill Lt. Col.
Largema. On arrival at the hotel Major Ifeajuna told the receptionist on
duty that he had an urgent message for Lt. Col. Largema of Room 115. The
time was between 0330 and 0400. He then asked the hotel receptionist to
supply him with the master key which can open all doors in the hotel but was
told that this was not available. He then ordered the receptionist to lead
him to the room in which Lt. Col. Largema was staying, warning the
receptionist on the way that he would be shot if he refused to comply with
whatever he might be ordered to do.

68. On their arrival on the first floor Major Ifeajuna, accompanied by 2/Lt
Ezedigbo instructed the hotel receptionist to knock on the door of Lt. Col.
Largema and to inform him that he was wanted on the telephone. It should be
pointed out here that rooms in this hotel have no telephones. There are
situated in small alcoves in the corridors. In the case of Room 115, the
telephone alcove is only a few paces away.

69. Lt. Col Largema responded and came out dressed in pyjamas and slightly
dazed by sleep. In the meantime the two armed soldiers had stepped back
into the corner near the lifts from where they could not be observed by Lt.
Col. Largema when he came out of his door. The Lt. Col. then picked up the
receiver, which was off the hook. At this moment both the soldiers near the
lift opened fire with their SMG. Lt. Col. Largema fell down and died.

70. The killers went downstairs and called the third man to come up.
Between the three of them they then carried the dead body down the stairs
and deposited it on the floor. They then called yet another soldier from
the Mercedes car who helped the other three to carry the body to the car.
The whole party then drove off.

Wole Soyinka wanted by police (Daily Times, Oct 18, 1965).

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In October 1965, he was arrested and charged with holding up a radio station at gunpoint and replacing the tape of a speech by the premier of Western Nigeria, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, with a different one accusing the premier of election malpractice.

“It all proceeded according to plan. The duty officers responded as any sensible person would under the gun, removed the premier’s tape and replaced it with mine. It ran long enough for the message to the government to be clearly transmitted – drop your stolen mandate, leave town and take your reprobates with you etc. etc. Then a disbelieving senior operator in another control room roused himself from his paralysis, rushed into the studio and cut off the transmission. By that time I had slipped away. My retreat was unhindered”.

Wole Soyinka was declared wanted for stealing the tape of the premier’s speech. He went into hiding, first in Ibadan and later in the Eastern Region. The government of the Eastern Region and the Eastern Region police were sympathetic to his cause. The Federal Police found out that he was in the East and guessed that he would be at Professor Sam Aluko’s house, so they sent a signal to the Eastern Region police to search for him there. The following ensued.

“They arrived as promised, armed with copies of the WANTED notice that was now home to my photograph. A charade ensued. Sam accompanied them as they looked through the rooms, one after the other, passed through the living room where I was seated, looked right through me as through a windowpane. Content with the futility of their mission, they sat down with the Aluko family in the same living room. With a straight face, they enquired of Sam Aluko if he had any news of me. Sam shook his head in the negative. Well, be sure to keep us informed if he makes contact – we’ll leave this WANTED notice with you in case you lay eyes on anyone resembling him – again looking straight through me as I sat sipping my coffee”.

berem: exactly! He just concentrated mainly on the history of Lagos.Eremosele's history was more about his love life.it looked like a romantic story.

@naptu could you please kindly list from the past to the present Obas of Lagos? Nice pix though.

I don't think I can remember all of them off heart. However, I have a book that has the list of Obas. I'll search for the book and post the list here.

End of the First Republic.

Nnamdi Azikiwe on Jan 16th 1966, speaking about the Jan 15th 1966 coup

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“Violence has never been an instrument used by us, as founding fathers of the Nigerian Republic, to solve political problems. ….I consider it most unfortunate that our 'Young Turks' decided to introduce the element of violent revolution into Nigerian politics. No matter how they and our general public might have been provoked by obstinate and perhaps grasping politicians, it is an unwise policy……..As far as I am concerned, I regard the killings of our political and military leaders as a national calamity….”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrNGHehpGhU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4twfjk3hoA4

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

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The small convoy reached the Onikan roundabout at approximately 0230
hours and halted near the PM's residence. Major Ifeajuna ordered all troops
to leave their vehicles and divided them into three groups with targets as
shown…

…The Major knocked on the gate and was answered by a policeman who was on guard inside. The Major identified himself as an Army Officer whereupon the PC (Police Constable) granted them access. The Major asked the PC how many men were on guard with him and was told that there were six. The Major then ordered the PC to show where they could be found. The PC agreed whereupon the Major seized his rifle and passed it to one of his men. The PC then led the group to round up the remaining members of the Police guard. At the back of the house, i.e. at the creek side, they found a PC armed with a rifle and accompanied by a Police dog. The Major ordered the PC to surrender his rifle, which he refused to do. He was then hit in the face by Sgt. Odunze whereupon he capitulated and surrendered his firearm. Major Ifeajuna ordered Sgt Odunze and Cpl. Okoh to stand guard over the PC and his dog with orders to shoot both if they made an attempt to abscond or raise the alarm. All the other members were disarmed and taken to the main gate where they remained guarded by Sgt Iberesi and 2 others. They were all informed that they would be shot if they attempted to escape or raise the alarm.

Major Ifeajuna and few of his men then approached the back entrance to
the Prime Minister's residence having secured the police orderly, and the
stewards under arrest, and broke into the lounge and thence to the Prime
Minister's bedroom. A voice from the inside asked who was there. The Major
replied by kicking the door open, entering the room and pointing his gun at the Prime Minister and thereafter led out the PM wearing a white robe with
white trousers and slippers. The PM was then led away by Major Ifeajuna
along Awolowo Road where Ifeajuna had parked his car adjacent to the Onikan swimming pool.

(later in the day) The time was about 0400 hrs. Major Ifeajuna drove
away on to the Abeokuta road. On the way they stopped and Ifeajuna asked
the PM out of the car whence he shot and killed him. When he and Okafor
became certain that the PM was dead they left the body in the bush at a
point beyond Otta on the Lagos to Abeokuta road. They then opened the boot of the car and dropped the body of Lt. Col. Largema near that of the PM.

They then drove on to Abeokuta. (police report into 1966 coup).

Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto & Premier of the Northern Region)

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The G.O.C. Royal Nigerian Army, Major General Christopher Welby-Everard, welcoming Lieutenant Olusegun Aremu Obasanjo on arrival from a peace keeping mission in Congo (1961)

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Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1959

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