How Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu Killed Sir Ahmadu Bello and His First Wife, Hafsatu, and Laughed For the Camera Thereafter – Reno Omokri   

How Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu Killed Sir Ahmadu Bello and His First Wife, Hafsatu, and Laughed For the Camera Thereafter

 

On April 19, 1964, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the Northern Region of Nigeria and the de facto leader of Nigeria, who had singlehandedly appointed his lieutenant, Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa, Prime Minister of Nigeria, gave an interview to a British journalist with the BBC. Prodded by the reporter, he outlined the reason why Northerners of that era were wary of the Igbo ethnic nationality.

 

According to him, Igbos were a dominant tribe who had a propensity to migrate to other regions while closing their own area to outside influences and internal migration from other Nigerians.

 

He complained that whereas the Northern Nigeria Civil Service had employed many Igbos in the past, the Eastern Region had not reciprocated the gesture.

 

He further accused the Igbos of wanting to dominate others and monopolise opportunities to the disadvantage of their host communities.

 

He rounded up the interview by saying that he would end that and Northernise the Northern Nigeria Civil Service, and if he had to employ Igbos, it would have to be on contract.

 

That interview caused a stir among Igbo officers in the Nigerian Army, and one of them in particular, Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, an Igbo man from Western Nigeria (later Midwest after 1965), took his displeasure further while he served as the chief instructor at the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna (now known as the Nigerian Defence Academy).

 

In 1965, the New Nigerian Newspaper had published a criticism of Premier Ahmadu Bello, and in stark disregard of his military oath not to interfere in politics, Major Nzeogwu had driven to the offices of the New Nigerian Newspaper to shake the hand of the writer of the editorial, who as it turned out was an expatriate.

 

Many people think that Nzeogwu was a tribalistic Igbo. The truth is that he was not. Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, who tricked him into taking part in the coup (it was not Nzeogwu who planned the coup), was a stark, raving Igbo irredentist. But Nzeogwu was not.

 

It was Nzeogwu who was a friend to Major Adewale Ademoyega, the only non-Igbo plotter amongst the putschists, although Ademoyega did not kill anyone during the coup.

 

Major Nzeogwu was fluent in English, Igbo, Hausa and Gwari. He was that intelligent. Nevertheless, he was a homicidal fellow who locked empathy. Today, we now know that such individuals are psychopaths.

 

The issues with Igbo officers, like Major Nzeogwu, and their hatred for Sir Ahmadu Bello were that it was one-sided and based on that interview. They did not balance it with the fact that Ahmadu Bello himself was triggered by Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, who in 1953 threatened the Northern Region with war if they tried to break away from Nigeria, which the North was contemplating.

 

At a speech in Yaba, Lagos, on May 12, 1953, Azikiwe said:

 

“It (secession of Northern Nigeria) may lead to economic nationalism in the Eastern Region, which can pursue a policy of blockade of the North, by refusing it access to the sea, over and under the River Niger, except upon payment of tolls. It may lead to economic warfare…

 

if civil war should become inevitable at this stage of our progress as a nation, then security considerations must be borne in mind by those who are charged with the responsibility of government of the North.”

 

But Northern military officers did not kill Azikiwe for threatening them.

 

In any case, in the wee hours of January 15, 1966, Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu killed Sir Ahmadu Bello and his first wife, Hafsatu, who stood between him and her husband.

 

This is a lesson to all men about who their first and true love may be.

 

As Major Nzeogwu was about to shoot the Premier, his two youngest wives stood up and moved away from him, according to accounts of one of his aides, who was there that day.

 

But as they were moving away from him, Hafsatu was moving towards him.

 

May Almighty God grant Hafsatu Bello al-Jannah Firdaus and give us wives like her.

 

I have read accounts by some persons from the Southeast casting the killing of Sur Ahmadu Bello as an act of bravery. The killing of Sir Ahmadu Bello by Nzeogwu was not an act of courage. Bravery would be when an armed man attacks you, and you defend yourself.

 

In this case, Sir Ahmadu Bello was not armed. Secondly, Nzeogwu did not jump out of a window or any opening because of bravery. He did so because he had asked his troops to blow up the house with a shell and did not want to be in it when that happened. He was eventually wounded by shrapnel.

 

When one of his men, Sergeant Daramola Oyegoke, refused to kill innocent civilians in Ahmadu Bello’s compound, Major Nzeogwu shot him dead. That was murder. Sergeant Oyegoke said he did not join the army to kill innocent civilians. He should have been promoted, not murdered.

 

A few hours after committing his crime, Nzeogwu was photographed laughing in this attached photo. Major Timothy Onwuategwu, who had only hours ago murdered Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun and his eight month pregnant wife, Latifah, was also by his side, laughing uproariously. Many erroneously thought the white stuff around his neck was part of his military uniform. No, it was not. That was bandage applied to the area where he had the shrapnel wound.

 

The following persons planned the January 15, 1966 coup:

 

Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna-Igbo from Eastern Region.

Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu-Igbo from the Midwest Region.

Major Chris Anuforo-Igbo from Eastern Region.

Major Don Okafor-Igbo from Eastern Region.

Major Adewale Ademoyega-Yoruba from Western Region.

 

Of these people, only Major Adewale Ademoyega did not take part in the killings. Please find below the names and regions of the people they killed, and you decide whether or not the coup was one-sided.

 

1. Sir Ahmadu Bello-Fulani from Northern Region.

2. Sir Abubakar Tafawa-Balewa-Gere from Northern Region.

3. Samuel Ladokr Akintola-Yoruba from Western Region.

4. Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh-Itsekiri from the Midwest Region.

5. Hafsatu Bello (wife of Sir Ahmadu Bello)-Fulani from Northern Region.

6. Mrs Latifat Ademulegun (Brigadier Ademulegun’s wife, who was eight months pregnant)-Yoruba from Western Region.

7. Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun-Yoruba from Western Region.

8. Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari-Kanuri from Northern Region.

9. Colonel Kur Mohammed-Kanuri from Northern Region.

10. Colonel Ralph Shodeinde-Yoruba from Western Region.

11. Lt. Colonel Abogo Lagerma-Marghi from Northern Region.

12. Lt. Colonel James Pam-Jos native from Northern Region.

13. Lt. Colonel Arthur Unegbe-Igbo from Eastern Region.

14. Sergeant Daramola Oyegoke-Yoruba from Western Region.

15. Police Constable Philip Lewande-Minority from Northern Region.

16. Police Corporal Akpan Anduka-Efik from Eastern Region.

17. Police Corporal Hagai Lai-Minority from Northern Region.

18. Police Corporal Yohana Garkawa-Minority from Northern Region.

19. Lance Corporal Musa Nimzo-Minirity from Northern Region.

20. Ahmed Pategi-Minority from Northern Region.

21. Zarumi Sardauna-Minority from Northern Region.

 

Now, out of a total of 21 people killed by the January 15, 1966 coup plotters, only Lt. Colonel Arthur Unegbe was an Igbo, and the reason he was killed was because he was the QuarterMaster-General, Army Headquarters, Lagos, and therefore was in charge of the armoury.

 

When Major Chris Anuforo went to his house to demand the keys to the armoury, he refused and was shot. He was NOT on the original list of people to be killed.

 

Exactly a year ago today, Major Chris Anuforo’s daughter emailed me a threat to my life, and I disregarded it but published her email. And then, two days after her threat, a gentleman with an accent that betrayed his accent traced me to my jogging route and threatened me. I am undeterred.

 

As long as some people keep trying to twist the truth, people like me will expose the facts. And if you kill us, our children will take our place to prevent you from spinning a false narrative.

 

Reno Omokri

 

Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022. 21st Most Talked About Person in Africa, 2024.