Benjamin Adekunle: The ‘Black Scorpion’ We Knew, By His Ogbomosho Community

Written by yabo Lawal, Ibadan

TO many people, General Benjamin Maja Adekunle (rtd) represented many things. While he was a hero to some, to others, he was a villain and to some others still, he was a son. Whichever way one viewed him, history has apportioned him a place of honour in Nigerian history. And without him, perhaps the story of the Nigerian civil war will be incomplete.
  Gen Adekunle, whose gallantry and bravery won him the sobriquet, “Black Scorpion,” bowed out gracefully last Saturday as he bade the world farewell. He was aged 78.

  As a gallant soldier and hero, Adekunle distinguished himself as an officer, who led his men to so many seemingly impossible victories during the unfortunate Nigerian civil war, while the Igbos, who viewed him as a villain, never forgave him for their unsuccessful attempt to secede from the Nigerian nation.

  But to his Ogbomoso community, Adekunle was a true son, whose exploits and landmark would remain indelible in the footprints of time.

Born Benjamin Adesanya Maja Adekunle, he was born in Kaduna. His father was Yoruba, a native of Ogbomosho, in present day Oyo State, while his mother was a member of the brave Bachama tribe of Adamawa State.

  Adekunle, whose family produces the Otun Ago of Ijero in Ogbomosoland, the second in command to the Onipetu of Ijero, a second class Oba in Ogbomoso, even in death remained a pride to his people.

  As they spoke glowingly about his gallantry and bravery while in service, his kinsmen were unanimous in their plea to the deceased family to bring the remains of the army general to his country home for interment.

  Adekunle’s uncle, Chief Adeyemi John Alabi, who is currently the Otun Agoro of Ijero, told The Guardian that the late warlord was aggrieved about the way he was treated while in and out of service. 94-year old Chief Alabi, who himself was a soldier, said Adekunle’s non recognition by the government even till his death was painful and showed insensitivity on the part of our leaders.

    Alabi, who shared fond memories of his nephew, said the late Adekunle lived with him in Kaduna where he developed interest in joining the army.

“The late Adekunle stayed with me in Kaduna, where I was serving as military officer.

   As a child, he was very active, obedient and social. He always admired me as a military officer. He was fascinated by our parade; road march and all our activities from where he developed interest.

   I later left Kaduna during the Second World War between 1939 and 1945 for the war front in Burma, India, and Adekunle went back to live with his father. He later enrolled in the army.

    “When I met him again in 1995, he complained about the treatment meted to him in the army and how the Federal Government treated him despite his sacrifice to the nation. He was not given his due recognition and I always urged him to be patient and pray to God. Unfortunately, up till the time of his death, nothing was done. Government should immortalise Adekunle and give him a befitting burial.”

     As a chief in Ogbomoso land, Alabi said Adekunle was their hero whose contribution to the development of the town cannot be ignored.

On his part, Oba Sunday Oladapo, the Onipetu of Ijero, said the late Benjamin Adekunle was born in Kaduna and grew up in the North.

   “As an Ogbomoso son, I met him in 1999 when I came on board as Onipetu of Ijero. He was one of the prominent subjects in my domain; his presence was not felt, so I invited him to join us in the running of the land.

    “Apart from his brilliant act during the civil war, he was gentle but uncompromising, he believed and fought for the unity of Nigeria, he was a straight-forward man, honest and transparent. He never got involved in any shoddy deal, which informed lack of proper patronage since his death.

    If he were to be one of those who lived a corrupt life, one whose hands were soiled, he would have been more celebrated. After his retirement, he has been living a quiet life. It is a pity that he died at the time when he is needed most; when he could serve as a mentor to the younger generations. He lived a quiet life, he was an unsung hero. The continuous existence of the Nigerian nation as an indivisible entity is due to God and efforts of the likes of Benjamin Adekunle.”

  The royal father called on government to honour the gallant officer, saying this is the only way to encourage the younger generations.

  Two of his kinsmen who are Adekunle’s subordinates in the army, Major Gabriel Adebayo Adewole and Regimental sergeant major, Abioye Olawuyi both recounted his exploits as a soldier, saying his commitment to duty and gallantry made them proud of being Ogbomoso sons.

  Adewole said, “I have always looked up to him as a good example of military leadership in terms of valour. He should be given a befitting burial considering his contribution to the unity of the country. I was disappointed that the late Adekunle did not make the list of eminent personalities who have made the nation proud one way or the other during the centenary celebration. We want a situation where people who excelled in their chosen profession should be recognised. It is disheartening that Adekunle was not given his due recognition so as to encourage the upcoming generation.”

  On his part, Olawuyi stated that the likes of Adekunle worked and was not after riches or wealth.

  “He was Nigeria’s factor of unity, if not for him, there cannot be one Nigeria.”

   He was a soldier per excellence, he appealed to top military officers in service to ensure that the late Adekunle gets its due honour and recognition.

At Adekunle’s family house in Ijero, his modest bungalow was under lock and key, while little children played outside the family compound oblivious of recent developments.

  Another Ogbomoso son and ardent admirer of the late soldier, Sayo Alagbe, expressed sadness that Adekunle died unsung.

  He said, “it is very unfair that he died unsung. We don’t recognise our heroes when they are alive but when they die, people sing different tunes, which the dead cannot appreciate. Though I was young, the little I read about Adekunle in the recent book, “Rage of Victory” written by Gen Alabi Isama, who happened to be Adekunle’s second in command made us to understand that Adekunle was a soldier’s soldier; he led even in the front, he worked passionately so that Nigeria can remain united. Simply put, he was the unsung hero of the Nigerian civil war, he won the war but another person took the glory. By mutiny, he was compulsorily retired from the army. He suffered till death.”

  There was a flurry of activities at the palace of the Soun of Ogbomoso as the monarch, Oba Jimoh Oyewumi was said to still be mourning Adekunle, one of his chiefs.

  In a statement, the groups under the aegis of “Egbe omo Ogbomoso Parapo” sympathised with Oba Zoyewumi over Adekunle’s death saying the town and Nigeria in general has lost a celebrated military commander of his generation, a symbol of patriotism and a lover of peace who distinguished himself in his chosen profession.

  In the statement jointly signed by the President and Publicity Secretary, messrs Adisa Adeleye and Micheal Abioye respectively, the group said Ogbomoso is mourning the death of a fine, outspoken, frank and brilliant soldier, who would forever remain one of the ‘cherished pride’ of Ogbomoso.

  One of Gen. Adekunle’s sons wrote a comprehensive account of his father’s military career in a biography, “The Nigeria-Biafra Letters: A Soldier’s Story. In it he says, “I was born in Kaduna on the 26th of June, 1936, the fifth in a line of six children born by Amina Theodora, to a polygamous husband, Thomas Adekunle. My father, a native of Ogbomoso, was domiciled in Kaduna as early as 1908. He had met my mother in her hometown of Numan, during one of his sojourns to the Adamawa Province and married her in 1919.

She was a member of the Bachama tribe, an ethnic group noted for their fighting abilities. As one of the earliest converts to Christianity in her area, my mother was a staunch Christian. She succeeded in converting my father Thomas, to Christianity in the course of their courtship and we were raised as Anglicans.

  He had his secondary education at the Government College, Okene (in present day Kogi State). And enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1958, shortly after completing his school certificate examinations. He passed the army selection examinations and thereafter was despatched to the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, in the UK, the British Army’s initial officer entry academy.

He was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant on December 15, 1960. As a platoon commander, he served in Kasai Province of Congo with the 1st Battalion, Queen’s Own Nigeria Regiment during his first ONUC UN peacekeeping tour of duty. In 1962, Lt. Adekunle became Aide-de-Camp to the Governor of the then Eastern Region, Sir Akanu Ibiam.

The following year, as a Captain, he was posted back to the Congo as Staff Captain (A) to the Nigerian Brigade HQ at Luluabourg — under Brigadier B. Ogundipe. In 1964, Major Adekunle attended the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, in India. When he returned he was briefly appointed Adjutant General at the Army Headquarters in May 1965 to replace Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon, who was proceeding on a course outside the country. He later handed over the position to Lt. Col. James Pam and was posted back to his old Battalion (1st Bn) in Enugu as a Company Commander.

Adekunle later assumed command of the Lagos Garrison as a substantive Lt. Col. When the Nigerian Civil War erupted in July 1967, He was tasked to lead elements which included two new battalions (7th and 8th) — to conduct the historic sea-borne assault on Bonny in the Bight of Benin on 26 July 1968 (carried out by Major Isaac Adaka Boro’s unit). This happened after the federal government had gained the confidence of most of the South-Eastern ethnic groups as a direct result of the Biafran push to the Midwest and probe into Western Region. Adekunle was promoted to Colonel after the successful Bonny landing.

The 6th (under Major Jalo) and 8th (under Major Ochefu) battalions of the Lagos Garrison subsequently took part in operations to liberate the Midwest following the Biafran invasion of August 1967. The 7th (under Major Abubakar) stayed behind to hold Bonny. Because Major Jalo’s unit was seconded to Lt. Col. Murtala Mohammed’s 2nd Division, Adekunle was left with only the 8th Battalion at Escravos. He, therefore, protested to Army HQ and got the Lagos Garrison upgraded to Brigade status through the creation of the 31 and 32 Battalions (under Majors Aliyu and Hamman, respectively). This formation, combined with elements of the Lagos Garrison along the eastern seaboard, was officially designated the 3 Infantry Division.

However, Colonel Adekunle did not think the name “3 Infantry Division” was sensational enough nor did it project the nature of the unique terrain in which his men had to fight. Therefore, without formal approval from Army HQ, he renamed it the “3 Marine Commando (3MCDO).” The “Black Scorpion” as he came to be known, was easily the most controversial, celebrated and mythologized figures in the civil war.

Gen. Adekunle and his men in the Midwest seized Escravos, Burutu, Urhonigbe, Owa and Aladima. They also captured Bomadi and Patani, Youngtown, Koko, Sapele, Ajagbodudu, Warri, Ughelli, Orerokpe, Umutu and Itagba.”

  He was promoted a Brigadier in 1972. After the war, Adekunle was put in charge of decongesting the Lagos port that was having a chronic congestion problem of clearing imported goods. He held this position until being retired on August 20, 1974.

He attributed his problems during and after the war to his rivals in the army. In various interviews, he said there was always a rumour of coup linked to him until the army authorities felt the concern to do something about it. He had large followings in both the army and public at large and was the most popular military commander during the war, apart from Obasanjo, who succeeded him and brought the war to an end with the same 3rd Marine Commando.

Adekunle led the Third Marine Commando Division with such great panache and determination that the foreign media, in looking for a human angle on the Biafran war, found him a ready source of news.

Culled from http://www.ngrguardiannews.com