Aare Oona kakanfo – See the bravest politician and Generalissimo of the First Republic. 

@renoomokri

Many Nigerians do not realise that that scene in Scarface, where Al Pacino, starring as Tony Montana, welcomed his would be assassins with a salvo from his sub-machine gun, is likely stolen, without accreditation, from the true story of how Samuel Ladoke Akintola met his death. Akintola was the bravest politician of the First Republic. 

While other politicians killed on the night of January 15, 1966 by Majors Ifeajuna, Nzeogwu, Anuforo, Onwuatuegwu, and Okafor begged for their lives, with some even crying, not so Akintola. He had been warned by a telephone call from Mrs. Adunni Fani-Kayode, that Captain Nwobosi had arrested her husband, the father of @RealFFK.

 But rather than flee, he waited for what he must have known was coming. And he was prepared. When Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi ordered him to come out, he waited for him and his men to approach his door and opened fire on them with his SMG. It was actually Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi and his men who ran for cover. This continued until Akintola ran out of ammunition, whereupon, seizing the opportunity. Nwobosi and his men came out of hiding and wasted him. 

But for the fact that he ran out of ammunition, he may not have died. Captain Nwobosi would have been able to deny his part in the killing, as Major Ifeajuna did, but for the fact Chief Akintola’s neighbour, Justice Kayode Eso, was home and witnessed the events. Additionally, before he and his fellow putschist could kill Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode, they were counter attacked by forces led by Lt. Colonel Gowon, who rescued him, and he lived to tell what he witnessed. Ironically, Chief Akintola was the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba, and his defiance of the military was later re-enacted by Chief MKO Abiola, his successor as Aare Ona Kakanfo. 

@AKakanfo As an Aare Oona kakanfo, you must never turn your back to war. You must either emerge Victorious or die in battle. My great great grandfather was also an Aare Oona kakanfo. He died in battle in 1862. It is like Sepoku in Japanese culture. It is a big honor for any Aare Oona kakanfo to die in battle for the Yoruba people or any just cause. From Afonja to Kurunmi, to Aare Latoosa, to Akintola, to MKO Abiola, they all died as Warriors. 

Emerge Victorious or die in battle. They are the head of an ancient military class of the Oyo empire called Ikoyi Eso. As an Ikoyi Eso, you must never use your back to face the arrow or gun, you must use your “front” to take the bullets and attack. As an Ikoyi Eso, the day of death in Battle, is the happiest day of their life. It is almost equivalent to the Samurai class in Japan. I am a descendant of an Aare Oona kakanfo and I am also proud to have the Ikoyi blood in me. We don’t back out in any war. Thank you very much Reno. You know a lot about the Yorùbá people.

Emerge Victorious or die in battle. They are the head of an ancient military class of the Oyo empire called Ikoyi Eso. As an Ikoyi Eso, you must never use your back to face the arrow or gun, you must use your “front” to take the bullets and attack. As an Ikoyi Eso, the day of death in Battle, is the happiest day of their life. It is almost equivalent to the Samurai class in Japan. I am a descendant of an Aare Oona kakanfo and I am also proud to have the Ikoyi blood in me. We don’t back out in any war. Thank you very much Reno. You know a lot about the Yorùbá people.

@EbiriGbonka

The man assigned to lead the Ibadan operations for the January 66 coup was Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi….. Ifeajuna settled for him three days before the coup, after Majors Madeibo and Nzefilli turned down his request to join the coup. When they got to Ibadan.. the first place they drove to was the electricity company at Eleyele. Nwobosi told the workers to switch off the all powers and go home. The first house they arrived at was the deputy premier.

Remi Fani Kayode the soldiers tied him up and bundled him into their truck… There were a lot of thugs in his house.

As the soldiers left with Fani Kayode, his wife placed a call to the premier that her husband had been arrested. Akintola calmed her down. Took out his phonebook and tried to make a call to the barracks. While he was still trying to place the calls, he heard the convoys as they entered his compound and knew they had come for him. He looked out of his window and saw them….. this was a moment he knew was going to come…. There had been rumors that a coup would happen and at some point, he went to the North to beg the sadaurna that they should leave for Niger temporarily until the army can be purged of revolutionary minds… this was turned down by the Premier. He responded that his life was in the hands of Allah and it could only be taken if Allah so wished… The Sadaurna had a good friend in the North who was a powerful senior military officer.

Brigadier Ademulegun….He believed Ademulegun had enough troops to intercept any coup in the North…. What he did not know, however, was that the coup plotters were cold-hearted killers who marked senior-ranking soldiers for death… Especially those who were not Igbos. As Akintola saw the soldiers stepping down from their jeeps, he reached out for his machine gun and prepared to die fighting. After Akintola spoke with Fani Kayode’s wife…

Adunni called on the commanding officer for the 4th battalion at Ibadan. Colonel Largema – a few months earlier, he taught him how to shoot a gun.. they had a close friendship. By this time. Nwobosi had entered the house with his soldiers. Akintola fired back with his machine gun but soon ran out of bullets. When the soldiers realized he was out of bullets, they dragged him down the corridor and To the horror of Fani Kayode, his best friend. the Aare Ona Kakanfo and premier of the western region was shot dead right in his face.

Benjamin Adekunle Black Scorpion. The conqueror of Biafra was from Ogbomosho…. Same city as the Aare ona Kakanfo. Point of interest to note…. The gods of the sons of Zik were working overtime on the night of the coup while the gods of others went to bed early. All Igbo targets escaped death while all non-Igbo targets met their maker. This January coup was the origin of tribalism in Nigeria’s military. Northern soldiers organized to seek revenge and in the usual propaganda style, sons of Zik had amnesia about causing the provocation and cried the usual town cry….’ IGBO HATEEEEE’