The British
Broadcasting Corporation
According to the evidence, the January Army takeover
was hailed throughout the whole Federation. The disturbances in the Western
Region and in the Tiv areas of the North which marked the last days of first
Republic came to an immediate halt. There was a marked sense of relief
throughout the whole country. The mood of the country was amply portrayed by
the national press. The Daily Times accused the politicians
for the way things had gone wrong with the country and “praised the New Regime
for a manner in which it had effected the changeover without causing much
public panic”. The West African Pilot said that January 16 would “go down in
history as a great day for Nigeria because it was the day Nigeria took a new
lease of life”. The Nigerian Morning Post (the official organ of the Federal
Government) after accusing the politicians in Nigeria of thinking they had a
divine right to lord it over the ordinary people declared “we, of this
newspaper join millions of fellow country men in welcoming the dawn of this era
in the history of our country.” The New Nigerian of the North observed
that “regionalism and tribalism have been the major factors that have
precipitated the present crisis. If we have learnt that much, then some good
may come out of what has happened”.
The only discordant note was struck by the B.B.C.
in London. Within 48 hours of the Army takeover the B.B.C. correspondent dubbed
the whole episode as an Ibo coup. The B.B.C. was to stick to this note to the
end.
Foreign
Nationals
The next move came from some foreign nationals in
the country particularly in the North. The centre of activity round the Ahmadu
Bello University at Zaria and its twin institution, the institute of Public
Administration at Samaru a few miles from Zaria.
The principal witnesses on the role played by these
foreign nationals in these institutions of learning and culture were Eastern
students attending those institutions at the time Mr. L. I. Okonkwo of the
Insitute of Public Administration (1st Witness), Messrs. J. U. P. O. Ifediora (3rd
Witness) and S.W.A.N. Onuoha (8th Witness) of the Ahmadu Bello University.
The witnesses kept diaries in which they recorded events as they happened and
movements and activities of students and members of the staff concerned. They
also submitted written statement and gave oral evidence. Finally they tendered
written petitions submitted to the authorities by the main body of Eastern
students at the relevant period. As was indicated in the introduction to this
report, these documents and copies of their oral evidence were made available
to the British High Commission at its request during the period the tribunal
was receiving evidence. The evidence gravely implicated some British nationals particularly.
They are:
(i)
Mr. S. S. Richardson, the Deputy Vice – Chancellor and the Director of
the Institute of Public Administration.
(ii)
Major A. D. F. Boyle,
formerly of the Nigerian Army but since employed as Estate Manager at the
Ahmadu Bello University.
(iii)
Mr. R. B. Walker,
Superintendent of Zoo Laboratory
(iv)
Mr J. M. Lawrence,
formerly an Administrative Office in charge of training local government
officers in the Institute of Administration. When the course was abolished, he
was made a Hall Master in the Institute.
There were other British nationals mentioned in the
evidence but their complicity was not as pronounced. There were nationals of
other countries involved but they appear to have been operating under these key
figures. Now to the evidence.
We refer to the diary kept by the 1st
Witness Mr. L. I. Okonkwo. It was received in evidence as Exhibit
110/3. We reproduce the questions and answers which incorporated the entries in
the diary.
Q. 75: "To
save time I would just like you to read out your entries against specific dates
when I call them out. 17th January, 1966: Could you read
the entry for the day?" "Mr. Lawrence told a group of Tiv and Hausa
students that the Hausas will make the death of Bello (the late Premier of
Northern Region) a religious issue and attack the Ibos."
Q. 76: "You
made another entry on the 21st January?" “Yes."
Q.77: “Would
you read it?" "(Witness reads) “I went to the Force Headquarters, met
the Commanding Officer and made a report on what we saw in the compound. He
promised to send soldiers. The officer told me that Mr. Richardson was called
by the Army in Kaduna."
Q.78: “You
should feel free to elaborate on these entries if you feel like doing so.”
“Yes, on that particular day we discovered that the room numbers of Eastern
student had been taken and given to the people in the town so that they could
come to attack us at any time. We made a report to the Commanding Officer and he
told us that they heard about it and that the Army Headquarters in Kaduna had
called Mr. Richardson for questioning."
Q. 79: Were
they room numbers of students of Eastern Nigeria origin?" “Yes."
Q. 80: “Typed
out and given to people in the town?" “Yes."
Q. 81: “How
did you find out?" "A copy was given to us by a Northern Yoruba
boy."
Q. 82: “Where
is this copy?” “I left most of the things with the Commanding Officer."
Q. 86: “You
said that you gave this document to the Commanding Officer. Where did you give
it to him?" In Zaria.”
Q. 87: “That
would be in January?” “Yes: on the 21st of January, 1966.”
Q. 90: “You
made another entry?” “Yes. I made another entry on the 22nd of January. On the
previous day the Commanding Officer told me that Mr. Richardson had been asked
to address the students and that I should get the substance of what he was to
say to the students. On the 22nd what I wrote in my diary is as follows:- “Went
to Richardson’s lecture, came back and later went to Force Headquarters. We were
not allowed into the compound then we went to the Railway quarters. Telephoned
the Commanding Officer who told us to come. On the road no one was seen waiting
for us. One soldier conducted us to Sergeant. We had a lot of trouble but
finally we met Major Akagha and explained to him our troubles.”
Q. 92: “Did
you attend this Mr. Richardson’s lecture?” “Yes. I attended. In fact he said
nothing other than that people should stop having night meetings and so on. That
was the only thing he said; that if people held meetings at night others would
suspect. That was the only thing he said to the students.”
Q. 95: “What
discoveries did you record on the 24th?” “I discovered that Mr. Lawrence and
Richardson held a meeting at about 8 p.m. I came across them while I was going
from Library to Hostel 3.”
Q. 96: “You
discovered what?” “That Mr.. Richardson and Mr. Lawrence held a meeting with
students at about 8 p.m.”
Q. 97: “All
the students?” “No, some students. I have mentioned their names before;
particularly the four students – I think I have given their names before; Paul
Anyebe, Murtala Aminu, Mohammed Arzika.”
Q. 98: "You
have given us three names.” "We had not seen the others in the compound
before, so we did not know their names.”
Q. 99: "So
they were outsiders?” "Yes."
Q. 100: "You
have here in Exhibit L102 at page 2 one other man G. B. Homkwap. Was he not
among them?" "No he is not among them.”
Q. 102: “Where
was this meeting held?' "Hostel 1, Room 29 to 30."
Q. 103: “Were
they two rooms joined together?" “Yes, each student in the Institution of
Administration had two rooms: a room and parlour."
Q. 104: “Who
owns the rooms 29 and 30?" “Murtala Aminu."
Q.105: ‘Sorry,
I hope we are not interrupting a great deal. I think we have got to get the
sequence correct. Where does Paul Anyebe come from?” “He is from Idoma."
Q. 106: “Murtala
Aminu?" “I think he is from Yola."
Q. 107: ‘Mohammed
Arzika?" “He is from Sokoto.”
Q. 108: “These
three at that time were students of the Institute?” “Yes.”
Q. 109: “You
said that the strange faces were never seen in the Campus before?” “We had
never seen them before.”
Q. 110: “Did
you try to find out where these strange faces came?" "No."
Q. 111: "Just
one more question. How many would you estimate these strange faces to be?"
"They were three."
Q. 112: "Just
one more final question. Was this room not locked; how did you know what
happened in it?" "What happened was that immediately these people
started their meeting and student from Middle Belt Area who went into Murtala
Aminus's room would come to tell us and anybody who got the information would
come to tell me. We had a place where We stayed to watch them when they would
be coming out or going in."
Q. 113: "You
were tipped off by some students that Mr Richardson was holding a meeting in
the room and so you watched to see people when they would be coming out?”
“Yes.”
Q. 114: “Did
you at any time find out where these strange faces cane from?” “We never found
out. It was only one of them whom we could identify and that was in May. He was
from the University of Lagos."
Q. 115: “What
is his name?” “Mallam Maishalu. His name will be coming up again because after
May, he started coming out regularly.”
Q. 116: “Did
you find out from what part of the country he comes?" “No; we only know
him to be a student from Lagos.”
Q. 117: “Of
Northern origin?” “Yes."
Q. 118: "Did
they continue to hold these meetings?” “They continued to hold meetings but after
February we did not discover any other meeting until May.”
Q. 120: “Have
you any other record?" “One Mr. Smith incharge of Training in the Northern
Provinces, addressed all the students. He said that since the coup in January
about 2,000 Ibos have applied to the Northern Public Services for employment
and that the students should resist it. What he actually meant was that if the
students continued to allow the Ibos, within a short time they themselves would
not have employment."
Q. 121: "Did he really mean that 2,000 Ibos have
applied or have been employed?" “Have applied."
Q. 122: "How
many of them were employed, did he say?” “He did not.”
Q. 123: "I
want to know more about this Mr. Smith. Do you know his grade or title?"
"They said he was formerly Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of
Local Government, Northern Nigeria.”
Q. 124: "Did
the students try to find out from him how they were to resist since evidently
they do not give jobs?" “Yes, when he said that many students started
murmuring, some started walking out even Northern students. At that stage when
he saw that opinions were divided he changed to another topic."
Q. 125: "After
the 24th February, 1966, you had no more entry until May?” “Yes.”
Q. 126: “Now
on 25th of May, 1966 Mr. J. M. Lawrence, Murtala Aminu, Paul Anyebe, Muhammed
Arzika and Billy Yameni Othman had a closed door meeting in Aminu’s room at 1.45
p.m.?" “Yes.”
Q. 132: Do
you remember the broadcast of 24th May?" “Yes."
Q. 133: “By
whom?" “By the late Supreme Commander."
Q. 134: “Do
you remember how long this meeting lasted. The meeting of 25th May?" “I
did not put down the time it lasted. I only came across them when I was going
to the Dinning Hall."
Q. 135: "You
saw them?" “Yes, Sir."
Q. 136: “What
do you mean when you say that you came across them? You went into their room or
what" “I went into Aminu's room because somebody came to look for him and
the person did not know where he was and I used the opportunity to go into his
room."
Q. 137: “Did
you find out the purpose of the meeting?" “I did not."
Q. 138: “You
said you were aware of the broadcast of 24th May, which according to you took
place between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.?” “Yes, I listened to it.”
Q. 140: “You
discussed this broadcast?" “Yes, Sir."
Q. 141: "That
same night, or what day?" "From that day and continued until the end
of the month."
Q. 142: "Can
you recollect the subject of the broadcast?" "One subject was the
unification of the Civil Service."
Q. 143: "Do
you remember any of the opinions expressed about this broadcast by either the
lecturers or the students?" “What I gather from the students was that this
had confirmed this man's speech on the 5th of February. This was said openly by
Mr. Aminu in our class.”
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