Victor Banjo

Victor Adebukunola Banjo (1 April 1930 – 22 September 1967) was a colonel in the Nigerian Army. He fought in the Biafran Army during the Nigerian Civil War. Banjo was accused of being a coup plotter against Nigerian Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa by the government of Aguyi Ironsi.[3] He was alleged to have staged a coup plot against Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu[4] and was executed as a result. Ojukwu's first military judge stated that was not enough evidence to convict him of coup charges, but he was found guilty by a second military tribunal.

Victor Banjo
Born
Victor Adebukunola Banjo

(1930-04-01)1 April 1930
Nigeria
Died22 September 1967(1967-09-22) (aged 37)
Biafra
Criminal statusDeceased
SpouseTaiwo Banjo
ChildrenOlayinka Omigbodun, née Banjo (daughter) + 3 others[1]
Relatives
[2]
Conviction(s)being a coup plotter against Nigerian Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa by the government of Aguyi Ironsi[3]
staging a coup plot against Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu (alleged)[4]
Criminal penaltyDeath by firing squad
Military career
Allegiance Nigeria
 Biafra
Service/branch Nigerian Army
Years of service1953-1967
RankLieutenant Colonel
Commands held
  • 101st Division
  • 104th Division
[5]
Battles/wars
Alma materR.M.A. Sandhurst

Military career pre-1966 coup

Lieutenant Colonel Banjo was the first Nigerian Director of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps of the Nigerian Army. He joined the Army in 1953 as Warrant Officer 52 and he was the sixteenth Nigerian to be commissioned as an officer. A product of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he also obtained a BSc in mechanical engineering.

Arrest

His travails began after the 15 January 1966 coup, which brought Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to power.[6] Three days after Aguiyi-Ironsi came to power, Banjo was summoned to the office of the Supreme Military Commander and was arrested while he was still waiting to see the head of state. Banjo, a Yoruba,[7] attempted to defend a Yoruba officer, but was arrested by Lieutenant Colonel G. T. Kurubo and Major P. A. Anwuna and imprisoned by General Aguiyi-Ironsi. He was accused of planning to kill the head of state. Banjo proclaimed his innocence, but was denied a trial. It is suspected that Banjo was detained because it was thought that he had a hand in the 1966 coup. The coup had inflamed tribal passions and divided the military. Banjo was detained in various prisons between January 1966 and May 1967. Northern Army leaders successfully carried out a counter-coup against Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo. Ironsi and Colonel Fajuyi, Governor of the Western Region, were killed.

Biafra, civil war and death

When Biafra was proclaimed on 30 May 1967, Banjo was released from an Eastern Nigerian prison by President Odumegwu Ojukwu and promoted to colonel. When the Nigerian Army invaded Biafra on 6 July 1967, Ojukwu sent Banjo and Major Albert Okonkwo to invade Nigeria. Banjo was able to capture Benin City in less than a day and was able to get within 300 kilometers of then-capital Lagos. After Banjo was repulsed at the Battle of Ore, he and other officers (Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Phillip Alale, and Sam Agbam) were accused of plotting a coup against Ojukwu.[8] After a hurried trial,[9] that some authors characterized as biased,[10] they were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. They were executed by firing squad on 22 September 1967.

References
  1. Odufowokan, Dare (8 October 2017). "Victor Banjo's daughter: Ojukwu betrayed my father by killing him". The Nation. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  2. Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976). Algora Publishing. p. 75. ISBN 978-0-875-8670-83.
  3. Ademoyega, Adewale. (1981). Why we struck : the story of the first Nigerian coup. Ibadan, Nigeria: Evans Bros. ISBN 978167167X. OCLC 11523780.
  4. Gould, Michael (2011). The Struggle for Modern Nigeria: The Biafran War 1967-1970. I.B.Tauris (International Library of African Studies). ISBN 9780857730954.
  5. Hilary M. Njoku (1987). A tragedy without heroes: the Nigeria-Biafra war. Fourth Dimension. p. 163. ISBN 978-9-781-562-389.
  6. "Letter from Colonel Banjo to General Ironsi in 1966". Gongnews. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  7. Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976). Algora Publishing. ISBN 9780875867106.
  8. Oliver, Brian (22 May 2014). The Commonwealth Games: Extraordinary Stories behind the Medals. A&C Black, 2014. pp. 110–111. ISBN 9781472908438.
  9. Baxter, Peter (19 January 2015). Biafra: The Nigerian Civil War 1967-1970. Helion and Company, 2015. p. 28. ISBN 9781909982369.
  10. Umweni, Samuel Enadeghe (2007). 888 Days in Biafra. iUniverse, 2007. p. 34. ISBN 9780595425945.

"Victor Banjo: Family Archives".

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