Politics Today

In this interview with ENIOLA AKINKUOTU, Mr. Bankole Ademulegun talks about the January 15, 1966 coup in which his father, Brig. Gen. Samuel Ademulegun, and many other Nigerian leaders were killed

Today makes it 50 years since the first coup occurred. Can you recall the events leading to your father’s murder on January 15, 1966?

I remember vividly that on January 15, 1966, we received a lot of visitors. At the time, I was 13-year-old and I was schooling in Abeokuta while my younger ones were living in Kaduna with my parents. My father had just returned from a trip, I think from Ghana; I can’t really recall. So, when he returned to Lagos, he sent the driver to pick me up from school and we travelled back to Kaduna together on an aircraft. We had the likes of the late Maj. Gen. Hassan Katsina visiting and my father went round telling people that he was back. At midnight or should I say in the early hours of January 15, we all went to bed. I cannot say precisely what time it was but what I heard next was fire from guns. The bullets were shattering the windows and the doors and naturally, as a young boy, I came out from my room to see what was happening because my father’s room was adjacent to mine and next was another room where my younger ones were. My father, being a soldier, was barking out orders and he was saying ‘stop shooting’ until eventually, his voice started fading. Those guys shot their way up the stairs and after that, I had to grab my younger ones. In my room, where my father kept some of his things, there was a door leading to a flight of stairs that led to the ‘boys’ quarters’. So, I took them there.

What followed after this?

By the time we got to the ‘boys’ quarters’, the cooks, the stewards, the head of the stewards, Baba Dogo, and others such as Amos, Baba Adama and every other person was up and they were putting on their uniforms because they could not understand what had happened but by their training as soldiers, they had to get ready for any eventuality. They asked me what happened and I said I didn’t know. So, we remained there until daybreak and then we came out. My father’s driver was ready to take him to work and he brought out the car. At that point, the younger ones wanted to eat but the head of his personal staff at home, Baba Dogo, still did not know what was going on. So, at that point, an aunty of mine, Major Ronke Vigo nee Roberts, called. I was going into the house to pick the phone but the whole place was littered with broken glasses and one of the stewards said, ‘Don’t go inside the house’, because they suspected that there might be grenades on the floor. They said if I mistakenly stepped on a grenade, it could go off. So, they brought out the phone and I spoke with my aunt. I narrated all I knew and she said she was on her way. At this time, a lot of people started coming in and it was then that we realised that an uncle of ours, Col. Ralph Shodeinde, had also been killed while his wife had been shot in the leg. At that point, Baba Dogo went upstairs to see what had actually happened and as he was coming down, he said in Hausa to his colleagues that ‘oga and madam are dead’. He had forgotten that I also speak Hausa. At that point, I broke down. I was inconsolable. People from the military hospital and the Catholic diocese in Kaduna and many others came to the house. A lot of people wanted to take us away from the scene because it wouldn’t be a pretty sight bringing their bodies out with us being there. At that point, I think I was injected to get me calm.

Who took care of you and your siblings thereafter?

We felt it was the end of life for us but a lot of family members such as the late Dr. Oshodi, were there to lend a helping hand. My father’s friends who are Ondo, the likes of Dr. Seinde Akinsete and Ambassador Tayo Ogunsulire were good to us and eventually, the younger ones moved in with Dr. Akinsete and he took care of them and till today we still refer to him as daddy because he and his late wife were wonderful. Major General Adeyinka Adebayo and his wife, aunty Dupe; uncle Mobolaji Johnson and Dr. and Mrs. Oshodi were wonderful. It was supposed to be the end of the road for us, especially in the area of education but I think the military did wonders. After the July counter-coup (in which Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed) and General Yakubu Gowon became the military head of state, one of his few pronouncements was that we were all going to be taken care of no matter the cost. The army paid our school fees and gave us allowances until we graduated from university. I must give thanks to General Gowon and his group. Some of these things will feature in the book we are writing in honour of our father and all those who knew my father will speak on the Ademulegun they knew.

What memories do you have of your father?

As a little boy, I knew he was a soldiers’ soldier. He took his profession with pride. The issue of discipline was one of the things he instilled in us. He was a disciplined soldier. He never got late to any appointment or to work. He was also a good horse rider and a polo player. He was very sociable. Our house was the place to be if you wanted a good taste of ‘asun’ (goat meat delicacy) in those days and his friends from all over enjoyed coming over for ‘asun’. He made friends easily and we took that from him. And I must also say that he was a lady’s man.

How many children did your father have?

He had six children. I am the second child. The first was the late Group Captain Bandele Ademulegun who died in 2002. My younger ones are Kunle, Gbenga, Solape and Goke. Solape is the only daughter.

Your father was not a politician. Why then was he killed?

I hope to get a better insight from older people who will contribute to the book we are writing in his honour. I was not in the army but we heard all sorts of things. Yes, the people that took over wanted a better Nigeria, according to them. But have they been able to achieve a better Nigeria? They were talking about 10 per cent at the time and that politicians were tagged ‘10 percenters’ at the time but is it not worse today? But the only thing that I am happy about is that today, after all the ‘wahala’ (trouble) we have gone through, a soldier is now coming to right the wrongs of Nigeria in civilian uniform. My father was not a politician; he wasn’t taking 10 per cent. When he died he had just one house. So, I don’t know why they snuffed life out of him. They are the ones that can really say why but at the end of the day, all they wanted to achieve, did they achieve it? I really don’t know. You see, the finest officers in Nigeria were just wiped out by that single action which was a misnomer. There could have been better ways to right the wrongs of Nigeria like we are doing today; letting our democracy grow and letting us use our votes to decide whoever should be in charge of our future. The first coup, as adjudged by so many writers, was a one-sided coup.

The first coup was masterminded by mainly Igbo majors like Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna. Do you think it was an Igbo coup since the only non-Igbo among them was Major Adewale Ademoyega?

I think it is an obvious fact. Look at the crop of officers that were eliminated during the first coup. Most of them that were killed were from the northern and western regions. If you wanted a better Nigeria and you thought that some people would prevent you from achieving your aim, why did you pick out core officers and individuals from a section of the country? I feel it was unfair and improper.

Was Nzeogwu among the soldiers that invaded your house and killed your father?

Unfortunately, I can’t tell because I couldn’t recognise those who came in. What I remember was that there were soldiers with their caps covering their faces and all I could see was fire from their guns. And at that point, if I had dashed across to my father’s room, I probably would have been hit. But I stood where I was and from there, I started watching. It was after the shooting had died down and my younger ones were crying that I dashed across, gathered them and we found our way out. By the time we returned to Lagos after the coup, many people assumed we were all dead because what we were told was that the intention of the coup plotters was to burn down the house if they could not gain entry.

After the dust had settled, do you know why Aguiyi-Ironsi did not execute the coup plotters?

Unfortunately, I don’t know why and I think the officers who were aware of what happened at the time would be able to explain. I will discuss with them in the course of writing the book. I was too young at the time.

How corrupt was Nigeria in 1966 that made soldiers to stage a coup?

I don’t think Nigeria was corrupt if you compare it with the Nigeria of today. I still have my father’s cheque books and notes. His salary was about £300 or so. My tuition was about £12. If you talk of corruption, I never saw anybody bring gifts to our place because life then was fulfilling. Those people had enough. Today, every office has attached to it, a channel of making money through illegal means.

After the coup, the political structure changed from regionalism to states. Do you think Nigeria would have been better off today with the regional system?

If you are talking of development reaching the greater majority, I think the structure before now was alright. Our problem has always been the issue of not allowing the local governments to meet the needs of their constituents in terms of funding. We have a situation where the state governments have virtually taken over the role of the local governments. In those days, we were not this many. Today, we are about 175 million people. That is huge. How many were we back then and we had a better quality of life. The groundnut pyramids, the coal, the cocoa were being harnessed. We had regions lending other regions money and it was a wonderful Nigeria. It was on the night of the coup that we experienced electric power failure for the first time. I was wondering what had happened that night until I realised that it was the masterminds of the coup that had cut power supply. So, I think the structure of Nigeria is not as good as it was. We keep fragmenting the country because we want to take care of sectional interests. Today, we have states that cannot pay salaries.

Punch