21/02/2025
A LEGACY WRITTEN IN BLOOD 🩸 AND BROTHERHOOD
On July 29, 1966, six months after Nigeria’s first coup—led by brave yet overzealous young officer -Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu.
Another bloody military takeover shook the nation.
This time,
it was the northern faction of the Nigerian Army striking back.
Their primary target?
General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s first Military Head of State.
A FRIENDSHIP TESTED IN FIRE🔥
General Ironsi had entrusted his friend and colleague, Lt. Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi,
with the role of Governor of the Western Region. —a position Fajuyi earned through discipline, commitment, and unwavering loyalty.
But on that fateful day in Ibadan, loyalty would be tested in the most brutal way.
A young northern officer T.Y Danjuma (a captain in the Nigerian army), who was supposed to be Fajuyi’s aide and protector let him down.
Instead of safeguarding his boss, he led a troop of soldiers from his region to capture Ironsi.
Perhaps, blinded by ambition or fear daya chikin
Biun, the young officer sought to prove his allegiance to the coup plotters (Northern Officers).
But did he truly understand that those using him questioned his faith, his beliefs, and his very identity? 🤔 (A topic for another day!)
MOMENT OF CHOICE ⚔️
As the soldiers stormed in, it became clear: Ironsi was the target.
The young officer, torn between duty and betrayal, gave Fajuyi two options:
1️⃣ Step aside and let them take Ironsi.
2️⃣ Stand with Ironsi—and share his fate.
💥 Fajuyi chose the second option.
His aide, thinking he was joking, tried to push him away, urging him to save himself. But Fajuyi stood firm.
He knew that if he let them take Ironsi while he remained free, the world would believe he was part of the conspiracy.
💬 “If you take him without me, I will have nothing to tell the world after the incident. No one will believe I had no part in this.”
Without hesitation, he entered the car willingly.