Lt. Colonel Victor Adebukunola Banjo and the Mid-Western Front of the Nigerian Civil War

The photograph referenced is of Victor Adebukunola Banjo, a Nigerian Army officer whose career intersected dramatically with the political crises that followed the January 15, 1966 coup and the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970).

After the January 15, 1966 Coup

Following the coup led by officers including Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna, several political leaders were detained. Historical accounts indicate that Banjo, alongside Yakubu Gowon (then a lieutenant colonel), intervened to prevent the killing of Western Region politician Remi Fani-Kayode, who had been arrested by coup plotter Emmanuel Nwobosi.
Soon afterward, Banjo himself fell under suspicion. Under the military government of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, he was arrested and detained in Enugu, reportedly accused of disloyalty.

Role in the Nigerian Civil War

When Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu declared the secession of the Eastern Region as the Republic of Biafra on 30 May 1967, Banjo was released and commissioned into Biafran service.
He was assigned to lead Biafran forces in the Mid-Western Region invasion of August 1967. His troops swiftly captured Benin City and advanced westward toward Ore, bringing them within striking distance of Lagos. However, federal forces regrouped and launched a counteroffensive. The battle around Ore marked a decisive turning point, halting the Biafran advance.
The phrase often cited in Yoruba oral expression, “Olèku Ìjà Òré,” is popularly associated in folklore with the heavy fighting in that sector, though interpretations of its precise origin vary in historical literature.

Trial and Execution

Following the failed campaign, Banjo returned to Biafran territory. In September 1967, he was accused by Ojukwu of plotting against the Biafran leadership. After a military tribunal in Enugu, he was convicted of treason and executed by firing squad on 22 September 1967, alongside other officers.
Within weeks, federal troops recaptured Enugu on 4 October 1967.

Historical Context and Interpretation

Banjo’s execution occurred within the broader pattern of wartime military tribunals during the Nigerian Civil War. Similar charges of treason had been brought earlier against Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro, leader of the 1966 Niger Delta insurgency, though his death sentence was not carried out due to the July 1966 counter-coup that overthrew Ironsi.
Comparisons between historical treason cases and contemporary political prosecutions — including those involving Nnamdi Kanu — remain matters of political debate. Legal interpretations vary, and assessments of fairness depend on judicial processes, constitutional standards, and the specific circumstances of each case.

Sources

Max Siollun, Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria’s Military Coup Culture (1966–1976) (Algora Publishing, 2009).

Max Siollun, The Nigerian Civil War (Pen & Sword Military, 2019).

Nowa Omoigui, “The Mid-Western Invasion of 1967,” archival essays on Nigerian military history.

John de St. Jorre, The Nigerian Civil War (Hodder & Stoughton, 1972).

Nigerian National Archives, Civil War Military Tribunal Records (1967).