Ishaya Bakut

Ishaya Bakut (16 August 1947 – 21 March 2015) was Military Governor of Benue State in Nigeria from September 1986 to December 1987 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.[1][2] He was Field Commander in Liberia of the ECOMOG West African multinational force from September 1991 to December 1992.[3]

Major General
Ishaya Bakut
Commander, ECOMOG Peacekeeping Force, Liberia
In office
September 1991 – December 1992
Preceded byMaj-Gen. R.M. Kupolati
Succeeded byBrig-Gen. T. Olurin
Military Governor of Benue State
In office
18 Sep 1986 – December 1987
Preceded byYohanna Madaki
Succeeded byIdris Garba
Personal details
Born(1947-08-16)16 August 1947
Kurmi-Bi, Zonkwa, Kachia LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria
Died21 March 2015(2015-03-21) (aged 67)
Military service
Allegiance Nigeria
Branch/service Nigerian Army
Rank Major General

Birth and education

Ishaya Bakut was born on 16 August 1947 in Kurmi-Bi, Zonkwa in Kachia LGA in Kaduna State. He attended Government College, Kaduna (1961–1965) on a Shell BP Scholarship. In 1966 he went to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, graduating in March 1969, when he was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant. He attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1971–1975) where he earned a BSc Engineering. He attended the United States School of Engineering (1977–1978), the Command and Staff College, Jaji (1979–1980) and the National Defence College, New Delhi in 1985 where he obtained his MSc[4]

Early military career

He was a Company and Battalion Commander in the Infantry during the Nigerian Civil War (1969–1970). He was appointed Commander of 41 Engineers Brigade, Kaduna in 1976 and became a Senior Operations Officer, Operational Engineering. He served in the Nigerian contingent of the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (April 1980 – February 1981). Other positions were Directing Command and Staff College, Jaji (1981–1983), Colonel, General Staff and Army Headquarters, Lagos, and Commander 41 Engineers Brigade, Kaduna.[4]

Later career

Col. Bakut was appointed Military Governor of Benue state on 18 September 1986.[4][5] There were no major developments in the state during his rule, which ended in December 1987.[6]

He was appointed Field Commander in Liberia of the ECOMOG West African multinational force on 28 September 1991.[3] He declared his intention that ECOMOG would be an impartial and non-political peacekeeping force.[7] Shortly after, troops from Senegal arrived to strengthen ECOMOG, and were later deployed to Bong County in preparation for a planned disarmament of the rebel forces. However, Charles Taylor ordered his troops to attack the Senegalese, whom Bakut persuaded with difficulty to remain on the defensive. Soon after the Senegalese withdrew from the mission.[8] His replacement by Brigadier Adetunji Olurin had just been announced in October 1992, when Charles Taylor launched a terror attack on Monrovia. His troops barely maintained control of parts of the city until Olurin arrived in December 1992.[3][9]

In 1995 he was Principal Officer to Chief of General Staff, Lt. General Oladipo Diya.[10] On 21 March 2015, he died at the age of 67.[11]

References
  1. "Nigerian States". WorldStatesmen. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  2. Guardian, The (11 April 2015). "A Tribute To Ishaya Bakut (1947-2015) - Nigeria and World News". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  3. Gabriel I. H. Williams (2002). Liberia: the heart of darkness : accounts of Liberia's civil war and its destabilizing effects in West Africa. Trafford Publishing. p. 167. ISBN 1-55369-294-2.
  4. "Colonel Ishaya Bakut". Government of Benue State of Nigeria. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  5. "Col. Ishaya Bakut - The Military Governor, Benue State of Nigeria". Library of Congress Africa Pamphlet Collection - Flickr. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2014.
  6. Tyodzua Atim (30 January 2006). "Benue State at 30: The people and their struggles". ThisDay. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  7. "THE PROSECUTOR OF THE SPECIAL COURT V. CHARLES GHANKAY TAYLOR". Special Court for Sierra Leone. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  8. George Onah (9 August 2003). "ASYLUM: WELCOME TO HILL TOP, TAYLOR'S MANSION IN CALABAR". BNW News. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  9. Abdoulaye W. Dukule (12 October 2001). "Anniversary of Terror: October 12 – Operation Octopus". The Perspective. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  10. Ochereome Nnanna (2 September 2004). "MASSOB: the real new face of Igbo?". Biafraland. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
  11. Ayomide, Akinshilo (23 March 2015). "SO SAD! Former Governor Dies at 67". Naija.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
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