Admin.
At their court martial, it was Victor Banjo that stood as counsel for himself and the three others. His words, as recorded by Alexander Madiebo in his book, are these:
“My name is Brigadier Victor Banjo. I command the liberation army in Mid-West. Before then, l commanded all the operations in the Northern front.
“I know all the other three accused persons fairly well. The second accused, Philip Alale, l met for the first time on July 9, 1967, when there was a collapse of the Nsukka front among our troops. Neither himself nor myself was then an officer in the Biafran Army.
“We went to Nsukka together with Brigadier Philip Effiong to assist to watch Philip talk to the troops with vehemence and sincerity. That, to a great extent, helped to rekindle their sagging morale.
“His Excellency, Col. Ojukwu was as well at Nsukka that night. I later found out from the governor that Philip Alale has been his close friend and that the man was primarily instrumental in organising the support of the masses for the declaration of the Republic of Biafra.
“I know that Major Alale has been involved in settling some conflicts in the trade union movements, which might well account for the extraordinary hostility of one of the witnesses for the prosecution. I remember, in fact, that when l was about to return to the Western Command, His Excellency refused to allow Major Alale accompany me because he needed Major Alale for the task of preparing a political programme for the Republic of Biafra. It would be impossible to conceive of Major Alale being tried by this tribunal for the offense in this charge.
“I know Lieutenant Colonel Emmanuel Ifeajuna very well. He had been my colleague in the old Nigerian Army, although a junior colleague. I know about his involvement in the coup of January 1966. He was responsible for the deaths of a few people. He was with me in prison for quite some time.
“I have had the opportunity to discuss the details of that coup with him. I know he regrets the bloodshed that took place on that occasion in fact, his aversion to bloodshed is in the nature of an obsession, which to a certain extent, militates against his efficiency as a commander of troops in the battlefront.
“These considerations were primary in my mind when he was offered to me as a commanding officer for the Western operations. Instead, l chose to make him my Chief of Staff. As Chief of Staff, he discharged himself with such confidence that constituted in no small measure to the success of that operation.
“Lt-Col. Ifeajuna joined the group of young men who have been in the habit of giving advice to His Excellency on State matters. During my short disagreement with his Excellency on the MidWest political policy, he was himself personally instrumental in bringing to His Excellency my point of view on the Mid-West operation. I am aware that he subsequently became a frequent member of this group.
“My stay in Biafra, after having been released from prison, has been due to my friendship with Col. Ojukwu. I clearly remember once telling him that l would return to the West. He told me that he needed me here because he felt he needed someone who could ta to hi without ceremony; someone in a position to give blame t him for his mistakes. Most of the political maneuvers that Col. Ojukwu planned early this year in connection with achieving Southern solidarity against the North, which was planned with me.
“When he decided to declare an Independent Republic of Biafra, l pleaded with him to postpone it as both the people West and Mid-West wee not ready or at that stage, sufficiently strong militarily to take the same stand, even though they would wish it.
“I pointed out to him his declaration of Biafra at the time was not consistent with our plans and agreements. I told him that the people of the West who were acting on the basis of the fact that l would bring assistance to them from here, would consider the decision to declare Biafra at that time a betrayal of our arrangements. I told the military governor that l would leave Biafra for the West or for the outside world after his declaration of Independence.
“However, when l discovered the emerging trend that followed the declaration of Independence of Biafra, it became clear to me that a war with the North was imminent. I decided to stay behind and assist in the prosecution of the war, both for the sake of my friendship with Colonel Ojukwu and in the hope that having assisted to fight back the Northern threat to Biafra, he would assist me with troops to rid the Mid-West and Lagos of the same menace.
“I came into the war at a moment of temporary collapse of the Biafran fighting effort, when it became quite clear to me that the fighting effort of the Biafran Army was not only being incompetently handled, but also being sabotaged. Since then, it has been my fortune to command the Biafran troops on their successful exploits.
“On the whole, l had in private, told Col Ojukwu that l could never be made to stand charged for having plotted against his office and his person. There was no plot against him.”
The highest authorities of the Biafran government did not believe Banjo’s story. The officers hearing the court martial of these four officers found them guilty of plotting to overthrow the government of Biafra, which Ojukwu headed.
They were sentenced to death. Banjo’s last moment reels with poignancy. It was said that all four men walked to the site of their death with head high. Banjo, without his glasses, stood erect as he was tied to the poles. Their executors took position and opened fire on them. After the first round of fire, all three men were dead except Banjo. Defiant till the end, he let out a cry. “I AM NOT DEAD YET… I AM NOT DEAD YET…” This time, all executors directed their rifles at Banjo alone. After the second round of shots, Banjo was still screaming defiantly: “I AM NOT DEAD YET…” However, the third rounds of shots silenced him.
In a country were the legacies of soldiers who fought on both sides have largely been forgotten, Lt. Col. Victor Banjo̩ did set a template for us as Nigerians to live beyond tribe, and for the greater purpose of humanity.
Victor Banjo, Ifeajuna, Alale, and Agbam were executed in September 1967, barely four months after the commencement of the civil war.
If he was alive, Victor Banjo would have turned 95 years on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.