Was Brigadier Victor Banjo a Villain or a Hero, Was he murdered?

The Brigadier and his young family before he was arrested by Major General Ironsi.

I quote Adebayo-Adeneye-Adejuwon:

The photo above is that of Brigadier Victor Banjo and his family, courtesy of egbon Richard Akinnola II.

May the gentle soul of this fine and highly cerebral officer rest in perfect peace in the bosom of his creator 

I had read different accounts of the stories of the exploits/actions/involvement of Brigadier Banjo in the 1967 -1970 civil war and I am still open to read more about him although my conviction is that the actual role played by Banjo is yet to be put in public space.

In all the literature I have enountered on Banjo,my persuasion has always, and still remains that Brigadier Banjo didn't deserve what Ojukwu did to him.

And even today, after reading the three part series of the Random Musings of egbon Richard Akinnola II,an account, which is not in any way new to me, I am further persuaded that Ojukwu committed willful murder in the execution of Banjo.

Some facts culled from Naijaland site are:

1. Victor Banjo fought for Biafra because at that time, he was in a prison in the East after the 1966 coup. Most of the soldiers that participated in the 1966 coups were in prison round the country. Ojukwu needed experienced men at that time, so it was easy to turn to Victor Banjo to fight against those that put him in prison( The Northern elements of 1966 counter coup)

2. Ojukwu felt at that time, that Victor Banjo was fighting his own war NOT Biafra war. Some school of thought believed that Victor Banjo dream was to push the was to Yoruba territory via  Ore and then declare Yoruba Nation. His success at  Benin axis also showed his military capabilities fuelling the suspicion of him having his own agenda. The main reason why he was killed is know to Ojukwu alone but on paper, Victor Banjo, Phillip Alale, Ifeajuna and Sam Agbam were tried and convicted of Treason .

3. Victor Banjo was arrested based on suspicion of his involvement in the January 1966 coup, however, the real actors in the coup denied his involvement. All the soldiers ,Banjo, Ademoyega, Ifeajuna, Nzeogu were all kept in prison till the outbreak of the civil wars. 

This is Richard Akinnola 11's version:

They were accused of trying to topple the secessionist government of Ojukwu during the war, in a two-count charge:

Count one
Subversion contrary to section 13(a) of the Law and Order (maintenance) Edict 1967.
Particulars of Offence
"That you, Victor Banjo, Philip Alale, Emmanuel Ifeajuna and Samuel Agbam, in the month of September 1967 at Enugu, in the Republic of Biafra (the said Republic being a disturbed area by virtue of the Order of the Military Governor made on 3rd june, 1967), without lawful authority, made preparations for carrying out an armed disturbance against the Military Governor and some officers of the Republic of Biafra."
Count Two
Act intended to cause a breach of public order contrary to section 6(e) of the law and order (Maintenance) Decrees 1967, otherwise known as the Law and Order (maintenance) Edict 1967).
Particulars of Offence:
"That you, Victor Banjo, Philip Alale, Emmanuel Ifeajuna and Sam Agbam, in the Month of September 1967, at Enugu in the Republic of Biafra (which is a disturbed area) with intent to cause a breach of public order, agreed to procure the downfall of the Government of the said Republic by violent and unlawful seizure of the military Governor of Head of State of the Republic of as for said and Commander-in-Chief of its Armed Forces and other military officers."
There was a third charge only for Major Philip Alale whose charge read:
"That you, Philip Alale, in the month of September 1967 at Enugu in the Republic of Biafra (which is a disturbed area) with intent to cause breach of public order did incite trade union leaders to hold mass rally intended to overthrow the government of the Republic Biafra. "
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges. The accused persons felt that their approach to the war was different to Ojukwu's an act that was termed sabotage.
Ifeajuna in his statement to the police, said: "On the night of 18th September, soon after Brigadier Banjo returned from Benin, he told the group mentioned in paragraph one:

• That our troops had withdrawn from Benin which was to be taken by enemy troops anytime that night or latest by the next day. It fell on September 20.
• That the troops were in no condition to fight because they could not be controlled any more.
• That he had been invited by his Excellency, the Governor to come back and take Command of the Biafran Army.
"The position, both from the front and from what he said, was gloomy, as if it was lost. With this picture as background, he said he was about to go and tell the Governor to resign so that negotiation will commence, if that will put an end to the horrors that appeared impending.
Most people in the group agreed that an end of hostilities will be welcomed if only to avert the massacre but that we could not see the Governor resigning.
Brigadier Banjo said something had to be done and quickly too, if the position was not to be beyond repairs.
The group opposed the use of force.
And I pointed out that in the confusion that would arise after the use of force, no one could control the situation and that we would even get Biafrans fighting one another while the enemy is still at the borders."
One of the prosecution witnesses was Brigadier Alexander Madiebo.
He was cross-examined by Brigadier Banjo, though an accused, but served as "counsel" to other accused persons.
Banjo: On August 1, 1967, I made remarks about the regime and the personality of the Governor.
Madiebo: Yes, but I cannot remember all. I remember you saying that the Governor is a bit difficult to convince.
Banjo: I made a remark that if the person or the regime of Colonel Ojukwu is threatened in any manner during my absence, you should do your best to defend the Governor and the regime even if it meant marching to Enugu to do it.
Madiebo: Frankly, I do not remember. If you had told me that, I would thought it an important observation.
Banjo: We were discussing about the possibility that the Commander might have intentions against the Governor!
Madiebo: You have always said so. You have no confidence in Brigadier Njoku. You never expressed the view that he might organize a coup..."

A Load of Cobblers….

Cautiously, I slithered into loving the long expansive lecture halls with rows of wooden desks and benches and became fond of my students.  It was their eclecticism, the reliance on the courage of their convictions, their irreverence and bundle of much fun they represented that drew me in.  

My initial anxieties dissipated and comfort and confidence grew. In the face of engaging serious subjects like Entrepreneurship, Business Law, Insurance and Risk Management, Global Economics, Administrative Law and Nigerian Legal System, joviality, fun and a few games filled time and space. I developed the skill of deploying illustrations and jokes to convey serious points in a light hearted manner.

During lectures my hasty delivery and reliance on a staccato of expressions gradually gave way to the use of slower pace and deliberation to convey my points. It would seem at last I began to hold the students captive and their attention span attained a new lease of life.   However, I could not get rid of the selection of expressions I had acquired from two decades of sojourn in England.

Words like ‘dodgy’, ‘cobblers’, ‘porkies’, ‘blokes’, ‘shebang’, ‘fruitcake’ were freely thrown about during my lectures and became part of the vocabulary of many students. I hope, however, that more than that, the students gained a width, depth and breadth of knowledge to last them a life time.

Theresa May, UK Prime Minister worships in RCCG Jesus House...

My First Lecture… continued

Regurgitating line by line, word for word from notes on my laptop screen, in embeddings of the Southern England tinge I began to speak on elements of a ‘Contract’.  It was with the question ‘…Are all Agreements Contracts?’ I sought to engage. However, from the squint in their eyes, the frowns burrowed on some foreheads, and the puzzled look in some eyes I realised I was losing them. In puzzlement I thought I had up until now never met a rhetorical challenge without a triumph. 

I decided now was the time for innovation, inventiveness and creativity and abandoned the ineffective crouch my laptop had become.  I drew on something out of the realms of the dramatic that lay latent within me.  I was translated in time to my days at King’s College when I was Vice-President of the African and Dramatic Society and I featured in a few drama sketches. I identified two students beckoned on them to rise up from their seats and to come to the front of the class. I announced to the incredulity of the class the intention to put up a drama sketch and then proceeded to give the budding actors some hastily crafted lines. One acted as the father and the other as a University student. 

The script followed with the father making a grandiose promise to purchase a brand new Mercedes-AMG C43 4Matic Coupe, which features a twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre V6 that develops 362 hp and 384 lb-ft of torque and a all-wheel-drive system with a rear-biased torque distribution for more neutral handling, and a gearbox which has two additional gears for a total of nine If his daughter was able to achieved a first class degree from Lead City University. 

With scrupulous fidelity to the script the daughter made the first class and then approached the father to fulfill the terms of the earlier agreement.  The father balked and gave her N200,000 to celebrate with her friends, suggesting the promise was simply made as an encouragement to heights so great. The daughter refused his gift and entreaties insisting on the fulfillment and complete settlement of the promise. With the father unrelenting, the drama ended with my question on whether the daughter could successfully sue the father.    

My First Lecture…

In my short period of existence, I had pleaded before judges, campaigned in the presence of people numbering in their thousands, faced the world on the airwaves through BBC, preached in countless of Churches and found myself influencing motley of audiences.  The experience and knowledge of all these encounters boosted my pride, inflated my ego and sated me in unspeakable arrogance.  But nothing within all that range prepared me to face a class of students at Lead City University, Ibadan on that fateful day.

In my lecture taken under the auspices of the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences I was wracked with anxiety.  I needed a crouch to deliver me from my inadequacies. Thoughts flew across my mind in a flash. How would I disseminate my knowledge of Business Law, its intricacies, its nuances and its overall objectives.  Will the students appreciate me, will they grasp the purport of my words or would I become a quavering of a man who simply cannot hack it?

This was how I approached the lecture theatre populated with rows and rows of students, presenting a riot of colours, in all shapes and sizes with a nod and wink to the corporate dress sense. I flashed my brand new slim Apple mac-computer for functionality, it contained all my notes.  Without much more of a glance in their direction, I ushered myself to the wooden Lead City University branded rostrum neatly placed in the front of the theatre.  

In what seemed like a long silence, descended upon the lecture theatre, and the tension became palpable. I could have sworn my imagination conveyed from outside, the howling of winds, flapping sounds of the wings of bats flying back from their insect hunting, interrupting me, as my maiden lecture was about to commence.

My Taste Buds…..

I glanced at my silver plaited Gucci watch, a gift from my mother to mark my 40^th birthday and realised the time was far spent and hunger had set in. I arose from my office to begin a slow languid walk towards the restaurants scattered at the heights of Lead City University.  My office was on the ground floor and numbered as the first in the row.  It was a large space, with my wooden table edged towards the left and high bay windows atop.  At its side was a spilt air conditioning unit and in front and array of chairs to cater for the endless streams of visiting students.  

It had been a long hard day, with the searing heat of the sun refusing to abate in its intensity and the students relentless in their visits.  I needed a respite, the kind offered by food. Suddenly I developed a hankering for some fried rice prettied with carrots, laced with onions, embroidered with chunks of chicken and garnished with prawns.  As a suitable accompaniment I dreamt of a iced cold drink in the manner of a Chapman to refresh and cleanse my palette enabling the food to slither down my throat and into oblivion. 

I blame my mother who had attained the heights of culinary feats by being the first person to introduce the delights of fried rice into the Nigerian social scene in 1971. Hers was always crisp, and cooked, simmering to perfection and the ingredients readily recognisable and of cause rich in a variety of nutrients.  But with a budget of under N500 where and which caterer could rise to the height of my desires?  The few restaurants littered around were designed to cater for students and for those on a budget, they were not given to the luxury of the Michelin star quality.  It is with these thoughts I had to make do and navigate my discerning taste buds.