By admin
Once Gen Ironsi crossed the Carter bridge ( The bridge linking the Lagos Island to the Mainland – The only one at the time ?) – A move that probably cost him his life 6 months later because the Northern military officers and leaders, believed that the Ibo Jan 15 plotters let him through and this led to suspicion of some collusion.
But what is often forgotten is that once Major Donatus Okafor made a dog’s dinner of both his assignments of the night:
- Capture and arrest the commander of 2nd Brigade Nigerian army – Brigadier Maimalari, which he failed to as the Brig escaped but ended up dead in his Brigade Major’s hand – Maj Emma Ifeajuna.
- Capture and arrest the GOC Nigerian army, Major General Ironsi, which he also failed to do.
Gen Ironsi started to gain the upper hand on the Lagos Island by going to the Federal Brigade of Guards – Maj Okafor’s unit, and ordered that no one else should issue orders but himself, he then beelined for Ikeja 2nd Battalion – The most important in the south of Nigeria with regards to the success of any coup then.
Back at the Carter bridge, two versions emerge – From Brig Hilary Njoku comes a version that Ironsi ran into Capt Oji and told him to “get out of the way, that he didn’t want to be president”, which Oji he did, but no mention of the fire-power of both Ironsi or Oji to facilitate such sheepish capitulation ?
The other version comes from Major Wale Ademoyega who after finding out the Maj Okafor had failed badly, gave chase after Ironsi. On getting to Carter bridge he said the soldiers said that Ironsi sped past as they were about to set up their traps for him, he then went to the other Checkpoints where they said they hadn’t seen the general. Ademoyega doesn’t mention the ranks or ethnicity of the soldiers nor mention Captain Oji.
Many other versions of what happened on that bridge emerge but it remains murky and will ever be subject to questions. Gen Obasanjo thinks that both Ironsi and Oji hailing from Umuahia Abia State, played a part, as Oji developed cold-feet, while Frederick Forsyth maintains that Gen Ironsi barked his way through the cordon, same as Max Siollun and Chuks Iloegbunam, another version says that the soldiers panicked when they saw Ironsi alive and froze.
Having escaped somehow from Lagos Island and arrived at the 2nd Battalion Ikeja, Gen Ironsi wisely went and attached himself to his RSM, before summoning officers and men – He pointed his cocked pistol at Col Hilary Njoku and asked – Do you want to have it ?
He subsequently gave all the right orders, including ordering Company B led by Major Hans Anagho -A Cameroonian (still alive) , not Col Yakubu Gowon as is widely believed to go to Lagos and crush the coup and secure all Key Points.
Having crushed the coup in the South (topic for another day), he then approached what was left of the Balewa government to appraise them on the situation, but they too were grappling with the issue of legitimacy with regards to appointing a new head of government (topic for another day), in order to seek international help and intervention.
All the while Major Chukwuma Nzeogwu, having achieved arguably 100% success in the North, where he was now the defacto Governor, was issuing threats to march down south to confront gen Ironsi and had even set military reconnaissance and logistics in place and as far as Jebba to that end.
These events meant Ironsi had to act fast to arrest the situation, so a military conference was called and in attendance were:
- General Ironsi
- Commodore Wey (navy)
- Lt Col Fajuyi
- Lt Col Njoku
- Lt Col Kurubo
- Lt Col Gowon
- Lt Col Anwunah
- Lt Col Banjo
At this conference, most officers spoke in support of a military take over to save the nation from capitulating any further, also Maj Nzeogwu had issued a 5 point demand to Ironsi and one of the demands to avoid a bloody confrontation was the assurance from Ironsi that power would not be handed back to the politicians.
With these factors needling the army, and with the tacit backing of his boys – please note that there were 3 Igbo officers in a group of 8 (for those who claim that it was a grand Igbo plot to kill and take over Nigeria), Gen Ironsi now approached the rump of the Balewa Government and presented the new situation to them, to which they accepted and acceded.
At about midnight, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi addressed the nation and became its leader and also a Deadman-walking, because immediately, the Northern Politicians, Emirs and Military, started plotting his demise in order to return power to the North and they were actively aided by the British and American military intelligence and Arab world as well.
All sorts of lies, excuses, propaganda, obfuscation and intrigue were cooked up to achieve the overthrow of Gen Ironsi, and he didn’t help neither by surrounding himself with his future killers to prove his innocence and show that he wasn’t running an Igbo government.
Ironsi also felt so sorry for what happened to the North in January 15 1966, that he bent over backwards to placate, compensate and tolerate all sorts of insults and slights to himself and his authority, (Including adding Maj Yakubu Danjuma a very junior officer to his contingent visiting Ibadan for the last time on July 28, 1966,) in order to keep the North happy, but all the while they weren’t happy or placated but rather more infuriated and more emboldened to kill him.
The Sultan of Sokoto sir Siddiq Abubakar, Sir Kashim Ibrahim Former Governor of Northern Nigeria, Mallam Aminu Kano etc were top Northern rulers who flew to Lagos to ask Gen Ironsi if he know or had a hand in the death of Sirs Ahmadu Bello and Balewa ? to which he always plead his innocence but whether they were all too convinced is another thing.
One of the questions the Northerners kept asking was – How did Gen Ironsi get past the Military check-point mounted on Carter bridge ???
The writer believes that all that was cooked up to justify Ironsi’s death were lies and can be easily debunked and it has been proven that he played no parts in the Jan 15 coup but rather crushed it, and that it was his officers who asked him to take over the government and that most of them weren’t Igbo officers.
Despite these valid assertions, nobody knows for sure what actually transpired on Carter bridge ? that murky event was one of the excuses used by the officers who killed him to justify their actions.
On the 60th anniversary of his death, i dedicate this article to his memory and pray that this Innocent man, this Officer and a Gentleman, this great husband and father and this great Nigerian continues to rest in peace Amen.
