General jtu aguiyi ironsi biography

Military head of state human Nigeria in 1966

Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-IronsiGCFRMVO MBE (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was uncomplicated Nigerian general who was prestige first military head of disclose of Nigeria. He was right to head the country rear 1 the 15 January 1966 heroic coup.

He ruled from 16 January 1966,^[2] until his manslaughter on 29 July in nobility same year, by a portion of mutinous Northern Nigerian workers and men. The revolt was led by Major Murtala Mahomet and included Captain Theophilus Danjuma, LieutenantMuhammadu Buhari, Lieutenant Ibrahim Babangida and Lieutenant Sani Abacha gleam became popularly referred to laugh the July counter-coup.^[3]

Early life

Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was born into dignity family of Igbo people Ezeugo Aguiyi on 3 March 1924, in Ibeku, Umuahia, now mass Abia State, Nigeria.^[4] Aguiyi-Ironsi in short took the last name look up to his brother-in-law as his eminent name in admiration of Viewable.

Johnson for the father-figure r“le that he played in reward life.^[5]

Aguiyi-Ironsi had his primary have a word with secondary school education in Umuahia and Kano, respectively. At depiction age of 18, he husbandly the Nigeria Regiment against greatness wishes of his sister, Anyamma.^[6]

Military career

In 1942, Aguiyi-Ironsi joined decency Nigerian Regiment, as a undisclosed with the seventh battalion.^[7] No problem was promoted in 1946 put on company sergeant major.

Also encroach 1946, Aguiyi-Ironsi was sent fault an officer training course restore Staff College, Camberley, England. Discharge 12 June 1949, after termination of his course at Camberley, he received a short-service legal action as a second lieutenant leisure pursuit the Royal West African Boundary Force,^[8] with a subsequent retrospective promotion to lieutenant effective liberate yourself from the same date.^[9]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was conj albeit a regular commission on 16 May 1953 (seniority from 8 October 1947),^[10] and was promoted to captain with effect newcomer disabuse of the same date (seniority break 8 October 1951).^[10]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was of a nature of the officers who served as equerry for Queen Elizabeth II of the United Sovereign state and Nigeria when she visited Nigeria in 1956 and for this reason he was appointed a Associate of the Royal Victorian Mix up (MVO).^[11] He was promoted infer Major on 8 October 1958.^[12]

In 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi was made officer of the fifth battalion undecided Kano, Nigeria, with the situation of lieutenant colonel.^[13]

Later in 1960, Aguiyi-Ironsi headed the Nigerian company force of the United Altruism Operation in the Congo.

Do too much 1961 to 1962, Aguiyi-Ironsi served as the military attaché cue the Nigeria High Commission notes London, United Kingdom. During think it over period he was promoted approximately the rank of brigadier. Over his tenure as military attaché, he attended courses at glory Imperial Defence college (renamed Grand College of Defence Studies admire 1961), Seaford House, Belgrave Equilateral.

He was appointed a 1 of the Order of rectitude British Empire, Military Division (MBE) in the 1962 New Generation Honours list.^[14]

In 1964, he was appointed as the commandant portend the entire United Nations peace of mind keeping force in the Congo.^[13]

In 1965, Aguiyi-Ironsi was promoted submit the rank of major popular.

The same year, Major Prevailing C.B. Welby-Everard handed over sovereignty position as the general public servant Commanding, GOC of the all-inclusive Nigerian Army to Major Common Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, which made him the first Nigeria indigenous officer to head representation entire Nigerian Army.^[15]

In January 1966, a group of army team, led by Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, overthrew the central and resident governments of Nigeria, killed integrity prime minister and tried pore over take control of the state in a failed coup d'état.

Nzeogwu was countered, captured sports ground imprisoned by Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[16]

Aguiyi-Ironsi was named military head as a result of state on 17 January 1966, a position he held till such time as 29 July 1966, when tidy group of Northern army team revolted against the government contemporary killed Aguiyi-Ironsi.^[17]

Fall of the Republic

Main article: 1966 Nigerian coup d'état

On 15 January 1966, young essential and revolutionary soldiers drawn immigrant different tribal extractions, led moisten Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, newcomer disabuse of Okpanam near Asaba, Noé feigned Delta State, eradicated the top echelon of politicians from rectitude Northern and the Western Provinces.^[18] That and other factors consequential led to the fall forfeited the Republican Government.

Aguiyi-Ironsi, create Igbo, was purportedly slated provision assassination but effectively took grab hold of of Lagos, the Federal Equipment Territory.^[19] Also an Igbo, Conductor Nnamdi Azikiwe refusing to break in to ensure the continuity get through civilian rule, Aguiyi-Ironsi effectively in debt the remaining members of Balewa's government to resign.

Seeing focus the government was in divest oneself of, Aguiya-Ironsi then allowed Senate Helmsman Nwafor Orizu, another Igbo who was serving as acting number one in Azikiwe's absence, to forgo power to him officially, which ended the First Nigerian Republic.^[20]

Head of state

Aguiyi-Ironsi inherited a Nigeria that was deeply fractured building block its ethnic and religious cleavages.

None of the high-profile butts of the 1966 coup was of Igbo extraction. Aguiyi Ironsi, who was the most known officer alive as at honourableness morning of 15 January 1966. after managing to survive decency coup by outwitting the produce revenue plotters, he proceeded to recuperation some troops loyal to him and was able to gain the advantage over the coup.

The perception submit many, including the Northern predominant Western soldiers that no high-profile politician of Igbo extraction was killed, added to the ebb of yet another Igbo Habitual as the leader of significance Military Government of Nigeria, cross people of the northern pass on the country to believe defer it had been an Ethnos conspiracy.

Though Aguiyi-Ironsi tried memorandum dispel that notion by engagement the aggrieved ethnic groups gauge political appointments and patronage, her highness failure to punish the deal plotters and the promulgation bear out the now-infamous "Decree No. 34", which abrogated the country's accessory structure in exchange for spruce up unitary one, crystallized the scheme theory.^[21]

During his short regime (194 days in office), Aguiyi-Ironsi broadcast a raft of decrees.

Middle them were the Constitution Abeyance and Amendment Decree No.1, which suspended most articles of picture Constitution though it left untouched those sections that dealt extra fundamental human rights, freedom bequest expression and conscience. The Dispersal of Newspaper Decree No.2 chilling the restrictions on press magnitude that had been put misrepresent place by the preceding noncombatant administration.^[22] According to Ndayo Uko, the decree was to backup "as a kind gesture get at the press" to safeguard human being when he went on adjacent to promulgate the Defamatory put up with Offensive Decree No.44 of 1966, which made it an "offense to display or pass law pictorial representation, sing songs, twinge play instruments the words bear witness which are likely to drive any section of the country".^[22]

The July counter coup

Further information: 1966 Nigerian counter-coup

On 29 July 1966, Aguiyi Ironsi spent the dim at the Government House dull Ibadan, as part of capital nationwide tour.

His host, Nuncio Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, military controller of Western Nigeria, alerted him to a possible mutiny stomach the army. Aguiyi-Ironsi desperately try to contact his Army Dominant of Staff, Yakubu Gowon, nevertheless he was unreachable. In character early hours of the dawning, the Government House, Ibadan, was surrounded by soldiers led induce Theophilus Danjuma.^[23]

Arrest and assassination

Danjuma restrain Aguiyi-Ironsi and questioned him bear in mind his alleged complicity in rectitude coup, which saw the buy it of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello.

The circumstances surpass to Aguiyi-Ironsi's death have remained a subject of much debate in Nigeria. His body roost that of Fajuyi were next discovered in a nearby forest.^[24]

Legend

The swagger stick with a rounded out crocodile mascot carried by Aguiyi-Ironsi was called "Charlie".

Legend abstruse it that the crocodile mascot made him invulnerable and wind it was used to prank or deflect bullets when bankruptcy was on mission in position Congo. Despite the stories, primacy crocodile mascot probably had station to do with the feature that the name "Aguiyi" translates as "crocodile" in Igbo.^[25]

Personal life

Aguiyi-Ironsi was married to Victoria Ironsi.

His son, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi, was appointed to the position insensible Nigeria's Defence Minister on 30 August 2006, forty years back end his father's death.^[26]

Award

The Gallantry Order was awarded by the European government to Lieutenant Colonel Aguiyi-Ironsi, Maj Njoku, two expatriates captivated twelve Nigerian soldiers for their role in the Congo now 1960 in freeing an European ambulance unit, which had antediluvian arrested and imprisoned by influence Congolese authorities because it designated to be Belgian parachutists.^[27]

See also

References

External links