Politics

A non Commissioned Officer Killed Ironsi..

Published

12 months ago

January 25, 2025

Fifty seven years after his assassination, the departure of General Johnson Aguiyi – Ironsi continues to be engulfed in mystery. Even those closest to him came out with different versions of what transpired in Ibadan, on July 29, 1966.

In all accounts, it is impossible to name who really shot the first African to command United Nations forces and the first Nigerian general. What is certain is that the trigger was pulled by a Non Commissioned Officer ( NCO) after commissioned officers lost control of the rabid situation.

Recently, Col. Sani Bello, then a Second Lieutenant and Ironsi’s Army Aide de Camp ( ADC) debunked claims that he made a deal with the Air Force ADC, Lt. Andrew Nwankwo. The supposed agreement benefitted the duo who escaped as their boss faced imminent death.

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It is curious that it took 57 years for Bello to come out with this version. Nwankwo is late now, so it is difficult to get his reaction. However, I find it odd that a brave officer would agree to run away instead of defending his principal even if death was the price.

Lt. Akintunde Akinsehinwa died defending Gen. Murtala Mohammed in 1976. Maj. Usman Bello was killed as he tried to fight for Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, in 1990. From Bello’s account, he was arrested and detained when he went to ascertain what had become of those who were sent to find out what went wrong at Government House, Ibadan.

While Nwankwo announced to Biafrans that Bello saved him, the latter credits Garba Dada Paiko as their saviour who ordered them into a Land Rover as the killer gang got really blood thirsty. This account makes some sense since Bello and the Ironsi family have continued to relate.

I tend to agree with Bello that he was going to be gunned down, like Ironsi and Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, until Dada Paiko intervened. What I do not know is what happened to Adamu Umoru, Fajuyi’s ADC who was with the other subalterns at Government House Ibadan during the coup.

Paiko and Bello hailed from Bida Province, that could have worked. If Paiko desired, he would have left Nwankwo with the assassins instead of taking him away with Bello. The moment he was about to drive off, Sgt. Tijanni Maiduguri fired the shot that killed the military governor of Western Region.

It is almost certain that no commissioned officer was there when Ironsi died. That explains the different names being bandied about since 1966. Yakubu Danjuma, Dada Paiko, William Walbe, Nuhu Nathan, Clement Dabang, Musa Bitiyong, Ibrahim Rabo, Bako Wali, all these names keep popping up.

Dada Paiko played a major role in the abduction of Ironsi and Fajuyi but denied killing the general. He came out with another puzzle. The name Sgt. Bakari Baba Lapai should interest everyone. He was alleged to have hit Danjuma’s shoulders for wasting time with the Head of State.

According to Paiko, while Nuhu Nathan snatched Ironsi’s crocodile swagger stick called Charlie, Baba Lapai disappeared with it. Till date, there is no trace of Bakari Baba Lapai in Nigeria Army records, so said Paiko who unfortunately, is not alive today to repeat himself.

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August 5, 2023

Unknown Gunman Shot Ironsi, By Emeka Obasi
Aguiyi-Ironsi
Aguiyi-Ironsi

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Paiko further explained that while in the United States in 1963, he came across one Vararo Segura, an Ifa high priest, also known as Obafemi. The story was that supreme power in the world was with Orisha, and it was believed that Chief Ladoke Akintola, governor of Western Region, before Fajuyi possessed such power.

Segura tried to convince Dada Paiko that someone snatched the power from Akintola after his assassination in January 1966. And the verdict was that Ironsi had it in his crocodile swagger stick. A funny tale because the general was in Lagos at the time Emma

Nwobosi led troops to kill Akintola in Ibadan.

The fear of Ironsi was real. As a United Nations Peace keeper in the Congo, he braved Katanga rebels to rescue an Austrian medical team and some Nigerian soldiers. That act earned him the Ritter Kruez ( First Class) medal.

The Congolese rebels under Moise Tshombe were dreaded as cannibals. The killing of Lt. G. Ezeugbana confirmed it. Lt. Olusegun Obasanjo was lucky. He cheated death after being dumped in a vehicle booth. That Ironsi dared them made headlines.

The second Secretary General of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjold, did not survive the Katanga crisis. His aircraft was blown up near Ndola, Zambia on his way to negotiate a ceasefire between UN troops and Tshombe’s soldiers.

Those who took Ironsi and Fajuyi away, knew they returned from Congo with medals. What they did not know was that the crocodile swagger stick was bought in Lubumbashi as a souvenir.

It possessed no power from Orisha. Apparently, Baba Lapai was a ghost sent from the spirit world.

The mystery is endless. Stories continue to fly. Some said Ironsi and Fajuyi were tied to a Land Rover, driven to Olodo Village along Ibadan – Iwo Road, tied to trees and executed. Another account said they were buried in a shallow grave at Lalupon. However, their bodies were exhumed from the Military Cemetery, Jericho, Ibadan.

How strange that some of the names associated with Ironsi’s death in 1966, were also killed much later over coup plots. Dabang, Rabo, Umoru died in 1976. Bitiyong was executed in 1986. Others who were part of second coup of 1966, died following a third coup in 1976. Murtala, Isa Bukar, Abdul Wya, Bukar Dimka, Mac Donald Gotibp, Sabo Kwale, all lost their lives.

Bello was commissioned on July 29, 1965. Hammarskjold was born on July 29, 1905. Ironsi died on July 29, 1966. His successor, Yakubu Gowon, was overthrown on July 29, 1975. Murtala who led the coup against Ironsi, became Head of State on July 29, 1975.

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Politics

2027: CAD Drags INEC to Court, Seeks De-Registration APP From Database

Published

20 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

By Dan Opara

Civic Action for Democracy, CAD, a prominent political pressure group and civic rights organisation in Nigeria, has instituted a major legal action at the Federal High Court, Owerri, Imo State, seeking an order compelling the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to delist and deregister the Action Peoples Party, APP, from its register of political parties ahead of the 2027 General Elections, particularly the 2027 Imo governorship election.

The suit, filed as FHC/OW/CS/03/2026, was formally announced on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, during a world press conference addressed by CAD’s Executive Director, Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, with some members of CAD, alongside a team of senior legal practitioners.

ThePressman Newspaper and other media organisations were in attendance at the Federal High Court premises on Owerri and Port Harcourt Road.

Ngoforo disclosed that CAD’s legal action seeks twenty-one reliefs against INEC and APP, insisting that the party was legitimately deregistered by INEC on February 6, 2020, alongside seventy-three other (73) political parties.

He recalled that the Supreme Court in March 2022 upheld INEC’s constitutional powers to deregister parties that failed to meet stipulated electoral performance benchmarks.

He criticised INEC for what he described as “the fraudulent retention of a deregistered political party”, noting that the Commission had repeatedly claimed that a non-existent court injunction had prevented it from enforcing APP’s deregistration.

According to Ngoforo, CAD’s investigations revealed no evidence of such a court order, no case file, and no judicial process to support INEC’s assertions.

CAD is urging the court to order the immediate removal of APP from INEC’s database, as well as the issuance of a perpetual injunction restraining the party from participating in any electoral process.

The group is also seeking an order of mandamus compelling INEC to publish a notice confirming the party’s deregistration.

Furthermore, CAD is asking the court to compel INEC to produce the alleged interim injunction or openly admit that it never existed, and to ensure the identification and prosecution of officials involved in what CAD describes as “institutional fraud”.

The organisation has also filed a Motion on Notice for interlocutory injunction, seeking to stop APP from participating in any political activity pending the determination of the substantive suit.

Ngoforo warned that permitting APP to participate in the 2027 general elections could trigger a constitutional crisis, particularly if candidates of a deregistered party find their names on the ballot.

He maintained that APP’s participation in the 2024 local government elections in Rivers and Jigawa states was “illegal and void”.

The Executive Director of CAD, called on the new INEC Chairman, Professor Joash Amupitan, SAN, to restore credibility to the Commission and address what CAD terms “the fraudulent manipulation inherited from past INEC administrations”.

Ngoforo appealed to the judiciary, civil society organisations, the media, and the international community to closely monitor the matter, stressing that the integrity of the 2027 electoral process depends on ensuring that deregistered political parties like APP are not allowed to participate.

He emphasised that CAD’s action is a constitutional intervention aimed at safeguarding Nigeria’s democracy, not a politically motivated effort.

“This is a constitutional fight, not a partisan one. We are unrepentantly committed to ending the fraudulent retention of APP in INEC’s register. Nigeria’s democracy must never be compromised,” he stated.

The suit is expected to be assigned to a judge in the coming days, after which hearing dates will be communicated.

Politics

GOV. UZODIMMA LIFTS BAN ON CONDUCT OF TOWN UNION ELECTIONS ACROSS IMO COMMUNITIES. NULLIFIES ALL TOWN UNION BODIES OPERATING UNDER APPOINTMENT STATUS, INSTRUCTS FOR IMMEDIATE REPLACEMENT OF EXECUTIVES WITH ELAPSED TENURES….

Published

20 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

By Prince Uwalaka Chimaroke
17- JAN- 2026

Governor of Imo State, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, has approved the immediate resumption of Town Union Government elections in all autonomous communities across the state, effectively bringing to an end the embargo that had stalled the process for some time.

The policy shift signals a renewed commitment to strengthening grassroots democracy and repositioning community administration in line with constitutional and statutory provisions governing Town Unions in Imo State.

Under the directive of the Imo Shared Prosperity Administration, popularly known as the 3R’s Agenda, the Governor has instructed the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, headed by Honourable Commissioner Mrs. Rubby Emele, to roll out comprehensive arrangements for the conduct of the elections without delay.

The Governor made this known during a high-level engagement with traditional rulers at the Imo Council of Traditional Rulers’ Palace (Obi Ndi-Eze Imo) on Mbari Street, Ikenegbu, Owerri, on Saturday, January 17, 2026. The announcement was witnessed and confirmed by correspondents who were present at the meeting.

Governor Uzodimma explained that although the activities of Town Union Governments had earlier been placed under restriction, the prevailing need to revive community development structures, promote accountability, and ensure lawful leadership transitions necessitated the lifting of the ban.

He directed that the forthcoming elections must replace all interim or appointed Town Union executives, as well as officials whose tenures have elapsed, stressing that leadership at the community level must emerge strictly through democratic means.

The Governor further emphasized that all autonomous communities are required to conduct their elections in full compliance with their respective Town Union Constitutions and the Imo State Town Union Law, warning against shortcuts or violations of due process.

To ensure credibility and orderliness, the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs is to work closely with the Ministry of Rural Development and Economic Empowerment, alongside the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Imo State Chapter, in supervising the exercise.

Governor Uzodimma also frowned at the practice where some Local Government Chairmen reportedly appointed President-Generals for Town Unions, describing such actions as unconstitutional and unacceptable. He noted that concerns raised by traditional rulers at the meeting reinforced the need to restore proper democratic procedures at the community level.

Consequently, the Governor declared all Town Union leadership structures that emerged through appointments or elections conducted during the period of embargo as invalid, nullifying their legitimacy.

With the embargo lifted, communities across Imo State are now expected to commence preparations for transparent, credible, and constitutionally guided Town Union elections that will usher in authentic leadership and deepen participatory governance at the grassroots.

Politics

APC Says It Will Take a Position on Fubara Impeachment Crisis at the Appropriate Time

Published

21 hours ago

January 20, 2026

Ekwutos Blog

By Our Correspondent

The All Progressives Congress (APC has said it will announce its official position on the ongoing impeachment crisis involving Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, when the time is right.

The party, through its spokesperson, stated that while it is closely monitoring political developments in Rivers State, it believes it is premature to take a definitive stance on the matter at this stage. According to the APC, the situation remains fluid and requires careful assessment before any public position is adopted.

The spokesperson emphasized that the party is committed to due process, constitutional order, and democratic principles, noting that impeachment is a serious legislative action that must be handled strictly within the confines of the law. The APC stressed that it would not be drawn into speculation or political sentiments surrounding the crisis.

He further explained that the party is consulting relevant stakeholders and reviewing events as they unfold to ensure that any eventual position reflects fairness, national interest, and respect for democratic institutions.

The APC also cautioned against actions that could heighten political tension or destabilize governance in the state.
The impeachment saga has continued to generate intense political debate, with opinions sharply divided across party lines and among political observers. As the situation evolves, many Nigerians are watching closely to see how major political parties, including the APC, will respond.

The APC reassured the public that it will speak clearly and responsibly on the matter when all necessary conditions have been considered and when its intervention would be most constructive.