Renowned Nigerian commentator and author, Reno Omokri, has responded critically to the recent statement made by Retired Archbishop of Enugu Anglican Diocese, Most Rev Prof Emmanuel Chukwuma.
Archbishop Chukwuma during a media chat suggested that banditry in the northern part of Nigeria is divine retribution for past injustices against the Igbos.
In a detailed narrative shared on social media, Omokri highlighted historical events, particularly focusing on the tragic incidents surrounding the January 15, 1966 coup and its aftermath.
He presented poignant accounts of the sacrifices made by individuals such as Brigadier Ademulegun and Sir Ahmadu Bello, shedding light on the human toll of political upheavals.
Omokri challenged the notion that banditry in the north could be attributed to divine punishment, drawing attention to the complexities of Nigeria’s history and the need for a deeper understanding of its socio-political dynamics.
He cautioned against simplistic interpretations of historical events, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape Nigeria’s collective memory.
Omokri wrote below:
If Archbishop Chukwuma feels this way, then what does he want the family of Brigadier Ademulegun to say?
Mrs. Latifah Ademulegun was married to Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun. She was eight months pregnant when, on the night of January 15, 1966, Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu stormed into her matrimonial bedroom to kill her husband.
She got up from the bed and, stood in front of her husband, and refused to move. Major Onwuatuegwu then gunned down both her and her husband.
Their two underaged children, Solape and Kole, ran into the room and began to cry at the trauma of seeing both their parents’ bloodstained bodies. They never recovered from the shock.
What about the family of Sardauna? What should they say?
Just a little over thirty minutes before, Hafsatu Bello, Sir Ahmadu Bello’s first wife, did the same thing. She planted herself in front of her husband as a human shield, thinking that that would stop Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu.
But that was not to be. Nzeogwu gunned down both her and her husband.
What about the family of Colonel Kur Mohammed? The manner in which Major Chris Anuforo killed Lt. Colonel Kur Mohammed was particularly evil. Kur Mohammed did not resist or beg for his life. Rather, he started praying without asking for permission, at which point Anuforo rained bullets on his back.
Some people believe they were just sitting down minding their business, and Hausa people came to fight them (all Northerners are Hausa to some people) because they hate them. There was absolutely no provocation, or igniting events that preceded the Nigerian Civil War. Hausa people just woke up on the wrong side of the bed and, for some strange reason, decided to pounce on the people of Eastern Nigeria.
But, of course, that is not what happened. However, because we do not write our history, and even worse, we have refused to teach it in our schools, millions of people believe this version of events. In fact, they swear by it.
The truth is that if the January 15, 1966 coup had never happened, it is most unlikely that the Nigerian Civil War would have occurred. The perpetrators of that coup opened a Pandora’s Box that the rest of Nigeria is still suffering from today!
Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu
There was wild jubilation all over Nigeria after that coup, because Nigerians believed it was a patriotic and nationalistic coup. Then the names of those killed were announced over the radio, and it was discovered that only people from the North, West and Midwest were killed.
Out 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.
If Major General Ironsi had punished the January 15, 1966 plotters as promised, there would not have been the counter-coup and the civil war.
The core Northern officers were pacified to an extent after Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi promised them he would try the January 15, 1966 coup plotters. Unfortunately, Aguiyi-Ironsi did not try them. Maybe he planned to do so later on, but up until July, he had not.
Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu
Then word got out that those arrested, including the most brutal of them, Major Chris Anuforo, were still receiving salaries in prison and, worse, were scheduled to be promoted. That riled the Northern officers.
Additionally, Igbos in the North were accused of mocking the late Sardauna, Ahmadu Bello. Some people had printed almanacks of his face on a goat’s body. Others had made posters of Major Nzeogwu as Angel Michael, with his sword drawn and his leg on the head of satan, who was depicted as the Sardauna.
During the last election, some people repeated these same vile behaviours.
To add salt to injury, amusician named Celestine Ukwu released a song in Igbo titled Ewu Ne Ba Akwa, meaning ‘the goat is crying’, which Northerners felt mocked the Sardauna.
The Archbishop should consider this before making statements that reopen old wounds.
Ojelabi, the publisher of Freelanews, is an award winning and professionally trained mass communicator and a recipient of the D9112 Superstar Icon Award, who writes ruthlessly about pop culture, religion, politics and entertainment.
