Kaduna nzeogwu biography of albert

Nigerian military officer and revolutionary

Lieutenant-ColonelPatrick Chukwuma "Kaduna" Nzeogwu (26 February – 29 July ) was a Nigerian military officer who played a leading role in the Nigerian coup d'état, which overthrew the First Nigerian Republic.^[2]

Early life

Patrick Chukwuma Nzeogwu was born on 26 February in Kaduna, Colonial Nigeria.

No one except Nzeogwu, said the first republic legislator, Mbadiwethought it possible before this time [1]. From interviews which he granted international force after this act, it was apparent he hoped to be a revolutionary, and he even suggested his half successful coup would be brought to a conclusive end given the chance. His enthusiasm for discipline and propriety was lifelong, and he had hurt mates at least once in school by this trait. On one occasion he reported a suspect examination impression of his mate, Christian Anuforo while in St.

The urban area was the capital of the Northern Region at the hour. Born into an Anioma family, he attended two Christian schools in Kaduna for his elementary and secondary education, the Saint Joseph's Catholic Primary School and the Saint John's College.

At Saint John's College, Nzeogwu became close friends with Christian Anufuro.^[3]

In March , Nzeogwu enlisted as an officer-cadet in the Nigeria Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force and proceeded on a 6-month preliminary development in the Gold Coast.

He completed his training there in October and proceeded to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England where he was commissioned as an infantry officer in He later underwent a platoon officer's course in Hythe and a platoon commander's course in Warminster.^[4] Nigerian historian Max Siollun has described Nzeogwu as a "devout catholic, a teetotaler, a non-smoker, and who despite organism a bachelor, did not expend much time chasing women".^[5]

Military career

On his return to Nigeria in May , Nzeogwu was posted to the Nigeria Regiment's 1st Battalion in Enugu where Major Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was the second-in-command under a British officer.^[6] He was later posted to the 5th Battalion in Kaduna where he became friends with Olusegun Obasanjo.^[6] His Hausa colleagues in the Nigerian Army gave him the name "Kaduna" because of his affinity with the town.^[7] After serving in the Congo in , Nzeogwu was assigned as a training officer at the Army Training Depot in Zaria for about 6 months before getting posted to Lagos to head up the military intelligence section at the Army Headquarters where he was the first Nigerian officer.^[8]

The forerunner of the Nigerian Army Intelligence Corps (NAIC) was the Field Security Section (FSS) of the Royal Nigerian Army, which was established on 1 November with Captain PG Harrington (BR) as General Staff Officer Grade Two (GSO2 Int).

The FSS was essentially a security organization whose functions included vetting of Nigerian Army (NA) personnel, document security and counter intelligence. Major Nzeogwu was the first Nigerian Officer to hold that appointment from November to As a military intelligence officer, he participated in the treasonable felony trial investigations of Obafemi Awolowo and other Behavior Group party members.

According to Olusegun Obasanjo, "Chukwuma had some scathing remarks to make about [Nigeria's] national security, and about those who were being investigated. If he had his way, he said, his treatment of the whole case would own been different".^[9] Nzeogwu reportedly antagonised some army colleagues in his capacity as a military intelligence officer and even clashed with the Minister of State for the Army, Ibrahim Tako.^[8] Consequently, he was posted to the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna where he became Head Instructor.^[8]

Nigerian coup d'état

Main article: Nigerian coup d'état

Planning

The planning of the coup began with an inner circle of university-educated juvenile officers who intended a national military revolution by seizing authority in the regional capitals of Kaduna (Northern Region) and Ibadan (Western Region), and later taking control of Lagos (Federal Territory).

Nzeogwu was tasked with head the revolution in the Northern Region starting with Operation Damisa on 15 January and, at later stages, Operation Kura, Operation Zaki and Operation Giwa which would have culminated in the murder of the northern establishment.^[10][11]

Nzeogwu had started his preparation by organizing a two-day night drill "Damisa" (Operation Tiger) to educate soldiers in new fighting techniques.

The city was the capital of the Northern Region at the time. He completed his training there in October and proceeded to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England where he was commissioned as an infantry officer in He later underwent a platoon officer's course in Hythe and a platoon commander's course in Warminster. The FSS was essentially a security organization whose functions included vetting of Nigerian Army NA personnel, document security and counter intelligence.

The exercise was approved by authorities of the 1st Brigade Headquarters apparently unaware of the real intentions of Nzeogwu and the Brigade Major, Alphonso Keshi had sent circulars to all units operating under the Brigade to contribute troops towards the success of the exercise.

By the time Major Keshi realized "Operation Damisa" was actually a military conspiracy, it was too late to counter the operation.^[11]

Execution

In the early hours of 15 January , Nzeogwu led a group of soldiers^[12] on a supposed military exercise, taking them to attack the official residence of the premier of the north, Sir Ahmadu Bello, in a bloody coup that saw the murder of the Premiers of Northern and Western Nigeria.

The Prime Minister (Abubakar Tafawa Balewa), a federal minister (Festus Okotie-Eboh), and top army officers from the Northern and Western regions of the nation were also murdered. From the existing government, the premier of the Eastern region (Michael Okpara), the President of the Nigerian federation (Nnamdi Azikiwe) and the Igbo Army Chief (Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi) were notable survivors.

Nzeogwu's modus operandi in the North contributed in no small measure to the success of the coup in Northern Nigeria.

Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu was simply a man carried away by youthful exuberance. A soldier who wanted the foremost for his country, bold and brave, who did not comprehend that the problem with Nigeria was more than what a band of young Majors could solve with the barrel of a gun.

According to a Nigerian Police Special Branch Inform, Nzeogwu executed at least four army and police security personnel including one of the men on his team (Sergeant Daramola Oyegoke). Nzeogwu also participated in the execution of Col.

Raph Shodeinde, his superior officer at the Nigerian Military Training College^[13] After waiting for an prior morning radio announcement from Major Adewale Ademoyega in Lagos which did not take place because of the failure of the coup in Lagos, Major Nzeogwu made a mid-afternoon announcement, declaring martial law in Northern Nigeria.

Arrest

Following the announcement from Kaduna, and information that Nzeogwu was gathering forces to attack Lagos which was a huge possibility at the time, Commander of the Army, Maj. Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi sent emissaries led by a man Maj.

Nzeogwu heavily respected, Lt. Col. Conrad Nwawo, to Kaduna to negotiate calm talks with Maj. Nzeogwu and a possible surrender. Maj. Nzeogwu set conditions which Gen. Ironsi agreed to. Aguyi Ironsi assumed power, and Nzeogwu was later arrested in Lagos on 18 January contrary to agreements earlier reached between Nzeogwu and Ironsi.^[10] He was held in Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison in Lagos before being transferred to Aba Prison in the Eastern Region where he was released in March by Governor of the Eastern Region and future President of Biafra, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu.

Civil war and death

On 30 May , Biafra declared its self-determination from Nigeria; this was spurred by the incessant killing of Igbos in Northern Nigeria because of the coup that was led by Nzeogwu which killed most leaders from the northern and the Western Nigeria.

This led to the retaliation by the northerners on the igbo civilians which led to riots and killings, and General Yakubu Gowon refused at first to mobilize security personnel to cease the killings.^[14] On 29 July , Nzeogwu - who had been promoted to the rank of a Biafran Lt.

Colonel - was trapped in an ambush near Nsukka while conducting a night reconnaissance operation against federal troops of the 21st battalion under Captain Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi.^[15] He was killed in action and his corpse was subsequently identified;^[16] however his sister insisted he killed himself to avoid being humiliated by the federal troops.^[17] After the civil war orders were given by the Nigerian military head of state General Yakubu Gowon, for him to be buried at the military cemetery in Kaduna with full military honours.^[18]

Legacy

Some viewpoints have romanticized Nzeogwu as a revolutionary however his actions along with those of the 15 January coup conspirators constituted a putsch against a democratically elected Nigerian government.

The coup resulted in the murder of uppermost government officials and gave way to a year stretch of military rule ( to ), punctuated by a democratic Nigerian government from to , which was stopped by another military intervention that lasted an additional 16 years until ^[15]

References