There is evidence before us which tends to implicate
the then British High Commissioner Sir
Francis Cumming-Bruce. He was the British High Commissioner in Nigeria for
the greater part of 1966 and held the post at least as from 1964. He was based
in Lagos like all other ambassadors. Lagos was and still is the capital of
Nigeria. It was the seat of the Federal Military Government. In the third week
of May 1966 Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce chose to visit the North and was in fact,
according to the evidence, in the North when widespread riots broke out on May
29th. The official organ of the Northern Nigerian Government, the New Nigerian, carried an editorial
comment on Sir Francis’ visit in its issue of the 21st May, 1966. This
editorial was tendered in evidence as Exhibit JEE/153 and we find it
interesting enough to reproduce it hereunder.
An Envoy’s
Visit
The British High Commissioner, the Hon. Sir Francis Cumming-Bruce is now
touring the North. While here, he will talk to many Northerners at every level.
We hope that in these discussions there will be a
minimum of ‘platitudes’ and a maximum of plain speaking. Sir Francis will be
inspecting several institutions in which his government has an interest or to
which it has contributed generously.
He will be anxious to re-assure the British Government
that money allocated to the various projects in the fields of education and
development is being spent usefully and wisely.
One of the biggest projects which he will visit is
the new engineering block at Ahmadu Bello University, now under construction.
Britain has contributed more than half a million pounds towards the cost of
this.
We hope that Sir Francis will go away assured that
this money is well spent. Nigeria desperately needs engineering technical
experts and scientists. The new engineering unit will help to fill this need.
It is by giving assistance in such fields that
Britain can best help Nigeria. Joint co-operation in training establishments to
provide the skilled and highly educated society which the North needs,
strengthens the ties between the two countries.
Although considerable help has already been given
the need is still great. We hope that in their talks local administrators will
be able to tell Sir Francis of other projects which are worthy of assistance.
During his discussions we hope Sir Francis will
learn something of the feeling and opinions of the North regarding international and other issues in which
Britain is involved. It is Sir Francis’s job to convey these to the British
Government and if the North has strong feelings on various matters which
feature in headlines, this is the opportunity to pass them on.
We believe that Sir Francis and Lady Cumming-Bruce
will both have the opportunity for frank and free discussions. Nothing but
good, for both countries, can ensue from this”
There was no evidence whether during his discussions
with ‘local administrators’ the High Commissioner learnt “something of the
feeling and opinions of the North regarding international and other issues in
which Britain is involved....’’ but there was evidence that while in Kano he
visited a club called the Nasara Club.
According to the evidence of the 125th witness, Paul Ihekoronye Okwawa this Club was formed around March, 1966.
This witness was a tutor at the Ibo Union Grammar School, Kano. He left Kano
for the United Kingdom on some teacher’s course and returned in December, 1965.
He gave the origin of the this Club as follows:-
I arrived Kano
from the United Kingdom on 21st December, 1965. Two days later, two Northern
Nigerian friends informed me that on the 17th January 1966 all the Ibos in the
North would be attacked. When I asked them who was planning the attack I was
fold that the N.P.C. were organising it. The President Ibo Union confirmed it.
We were all living in such terrible fear until the 15th January coup relieved
us of our mental strain. The common people in Kano were jubilant. But the
ex-ministers, ex-politicians, Syrians, Arabs and other expatriates particularly
the English, were furious. They immediately started their campaign of hate
against the Ibo. They attended meetings, contributed money to avenge ‘this
heinous crime committed by these strangers (Ibos) at our gate’. Sometime in
March an exclusive Club Nasara Club was formed near Fagge. All the Kano
ex-politicians were members - Aminu Kano, Alhaji Maitama Sule, Musa
Gashash, Inua Wada, prominent Syrians and Arab personalities and a few
expatriate civil servants. Many prominent Ibos who applied for membership were
refused admission. In all their subsequent meetings in this Club Aminu Kano
presided. His Secretary was the English Born Provincial Secretary Mr. Nelson.
The evidence linked this Club with the riots that
started on the 29th May, 1966. This witness learnt a lot about the activities
of this Club from a Mustapha Garba,
an ex-student of the Ibo Union Grammar School and the son of Musa Gashash an
ex-Minister of Lands and Survey in the former Northern Regional Government and
a prominent member of the Club. We must point out however that it is not
certain whether Sir Francis was aware of the subversive undertone of this Club.
There was evidence however that he also attended a meeting held at the Muslim
Congress Headquarters Kaduna. There was evidence that from 19th May until the
eruption of riots at Kaduna on the 29th May, the building was converted into a
meeting place for ex-politicians and top civil servants. It was one of these
meetings that the High Commissioner attended.
The witness on this point is Joseph Afamefuna Egonu, the 70th witness, an employee of the
Nigeria Broadcasting Corporation, Kaduna.
The May riots marked the beginning of the 1966
Pogrom. Some of the forces at work have emerged. We now turn to other forces
involved in this network.
Emirs, Ex-Politicians, Civil Servants and Native
Authority Functionaries
The evidence reveals the involvement of most of the
Emirs especially in areas dominated by the Hausa/Fulani aristocracy - Katsina
in Katsina Emirate, Zaria in Zaria Emirate, Gombe in Gombe Emirate, Gusau in
Sokoto Emirate, Bauchi in Bauchi Emirate and of course Kaduna the capital
territory. This involvement became all the more pronounced after the Conference
of Emirs and Chiefs which met at Kaduna in early June after the May riots to
consider among other things the way and means to bring peace to the country
particularly the North.
The May riots which erupted on the 29th May 1966 and
continued to the 30th and 31st May seemed to have abated by 1st June. The
Conference of Emirs and Chiefs and other prominent personalities in the North
started about 1st June and ended around the 3rd June. Riots of a more violent
nature resulting in more severe lootings and greater loss of lives again
erupted simultaneously in such important towns as Katsina, Gusau, Bauchi,
Gombe, and Kaura Namoda around the 4th June. This point was made by many
witnesses who testified before us or submitted written statements.
In their petition dated 6th June addressed to the
then Supreme Commander Major-General Aguiyi-lronsi and endorsed to all the
Military Governors (Exhibit JI/7) the Students of Eastern Nigeria origin at Ahmadu
Bello University Zaria at page 5 under the heading ‘Pertinent Questions’ had this to say:
As per Radio
announcement on Sunday 5/06/66, fresh outbreak of violence, looting and rioting
occurred in Katsina, Gombe and Kaura Namoda in Northern Provinces. Assuming
that the Northern Emirs held in good faith their meeting with the Provincial
Governor of the North on 1st June, 1966, and that their decision to sue for
peace amongst their subjects was taken too in good faith why should there be
more violent uprisings in Katsina Emirate belonging to the Provincial
Governor’s father? Why must these Emirs go back to organise more looting,
killing and pillaging? The country requires an answer to this conspiracy very
urgently.
Could the
Northern Emirs deny intimate knowledge of this plot to kill and destroy? If
not, who organised the demonstration in their emirates, and could such be
organised without their knowledge and consent. If they pretend ignorance of
what would be the ultimate result of their demonstration, what effective role
did they play to restrain their subjects from looting, killing and pillaging?
We now turn to consider the role played by the Emirs
and these other forces in the various emirates.
Katsina
Katsina is the capital of the Katsina Emirate. The
Emir of Katsina is the father of the Military Governor of Northern Nigeria, Lt.
Colonel Hassan Katsina. Four principal witnesses gave evidence of the
disturbances in the May riots in Katsina. They are Enock Ejikeme (26th
Witness), Vincent Modebelu (27th Witness), James Aka (139th Witness), and Mrs.
Cecilia Mabel Anebunwa.
The 26th witness Enoch Ejikeme lived in Katsina for 15
years from 1951 to June 1966 when he was compelled by the disturbances to flee
the North. He owns a storey building near the Emir’s palace. He has this to
say:
I am a native
of Ojoto. Katsina is perhaps the area worst affected by the disturbances even
though there was a deliberate attempt to play down the seriousness of the
situation there both during and after the disturbances. I am willing to appear
before the Tribunal to give evidence about what I saw during the disturbances.
It was about 2
a.m. - 4 a.m. in the early morning of 29/5/66 when a large number of Hausas
started collecting in the Emir’s palace. Round about 6 a.m. in the morning they
all burst out from the palace carrying sticks, matchets, daggers, axes etc. and
all other dangerous weapons, spread themselves all over the town looting and
burning houses and shops. Some of the N.A. Police took active part while others
made no attempt to bring the situation under control. This attack was directed
against people of Southern Nigerian origin with the exclusion of Yorubas. One Mr. Joseph of Udi was stabbed to death
that very morning. While the attack continued the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Osman Nagogo; the former Northern Minister
Alhaji Isa Kaita; Alhaji Musa Tafida Yaradua, former Federal Minister of Lagos
Affairs and Magaji Gari the Emir’s son were parading the town up and down
cheering them up. My two big shops and stores were all looted as well as my
residence. Not a pin was left for me. They even swept the rooms, shops and
stores with brooms. The telephone number 152 Katsina in one of my shops was
removed. They moved in gangs and each numbered about 300-400 people.
Towards the
evening every Southerner resident in Katsina had been rendered homeless,
hopeless and penniless. We were therefore evacuated by N.A. Police to a place
two miles from the town. We numbered over two thousand including women and
children, we were not allowed to move out from the compound which had but one
gate. We suffered from both hunger and fear.
One Monday,
30/5/66, the Military Governor of the Northern Group of Provinces summoned the
meeting of Emirs and Chiefs to state their grievances. So on the 31/5/66 the
Emir left for Kaduna to attend the meeting, and it was alleged that the Emir on
leaving for Kaduna, ordered his men not to tamper with our lives yet pending
his return and the result of their meeting. On Wednesday 1/6/66; the Nigerian Army
arrived at the scene and we were released forthwith. So on the following
Thursday and Friday 2nd and 3rd respectively some of us fled to Kano. On that very Friday (3/6/66) afternoon the Emir returned from
Kaduna and on Saturday 4/6/66 no Southerner was allowed to leave the town.
Those who
managed to escape were pursued and many of them slaughtered on the way. The
violence was therefore renewed and the worst inhuman acts were performed on
that Saturday 4/6/66.
The Emir again
took the lead together with his team comprising Alhaji Isa Kaita - former
Northern Minister of Education, Alhaji Musa Tafida Yaradua former Federal
Minister of Lagos Affairs, Magajin Gari, Lt. Col. Kasina’s twin brother, the
Emir’s son.
The climax was
reached when southerners seeing what was happening ran and took refuge in the
Nigerian Police charge office. These people were locked inside and the office
which was packed full with refugees was set on fire and was burnt to ashes
together with all the refugees therein. This Saturday episode affected many
Government employees who could not leave the town without the consent of their
employers as well as the independent business people who were tied down by
their business links or otherwise. None was left alive except a few of us whom
God hid away out of their sight, who live now to tell the story.
Another
devilish plan worthy of note was that as soon as the Saturday massacre started
the Katsina Provincial Secretary instead of telephoning to Kano to bring the
armies chose to ride on his car to Kano a distance of 108 miles in order to
bring the army by himself. The trick lies in the fact that before he could
return to Katsina with the armed forces the operation had been completed and
many lives lost.
The fact that
a large and unknown number of people were burnt alive in Police Charge Office
made it highly impossible for anybody to give an accurate figure of the deaths;
also many were killed and hidden away and many thrown into wells and pits.
The gruesome incident of the burning of Nigeria police
building at Katsina was confirmed by Mrs. Mabel Anebunwa (235th Witness) whose
husband Mr. D.G. Anebunwa was one of the victims. She watched him die. Her
evidence deserves reproduction.
I am Mrs. Cecilia Mabel Anuebunwa. I joined
my husband at Katsina on 4/08/62 and returned to the East on 18/06/1966 after
my husband was murdered on 4/06/66. I have two children. My husband had three
children by the first wife who died earlier. I am now caring for those three
children in addition to my two.
My husband was
a first class clerk in the Ministry of Agriculture, Katsina, and also a Special
Constable. On 4/06/66, he returned suddenly to inform me that the incident of
looting which occurred on 29/05/66 was being repeated. I immediately backed my
baby and together we escaped to the nearest Police station while we were
pursued by armed civilians. We were admitted inside by the Police station.
Thereupon the mob attacked the shutters with knives and axes. The Police warned
them not to attack the station but Mallam Magajin Gari (Lt. Col. Hassan
Katsina’s twin brother) retorted warning the Police not to disturb the
civilians who were carrying out the orders of the Emir. The rioters were
thenceforth unfettered and they broke inside
through the doors and windows and started to kill people indiscriminately, and
one of the victims was my husband, Mr.
D.G. Anebunwa.
Many other
women and I went to appeal to Magajin Gari (Hassan’s twin brother) but he said
they could not disobey the Emir. About 18 men were victims. Their corpses were
burnt followed by burning of the Police station and the Government staff
quarters.
In the
evening, the women were conveyed in Police truck to the N.A. Police station
where we stayed for some days. Later we were taken to an unfinished hotel building
where the Red Cross supplied us food and some baby clothing.
I left Katsina
to Kano on 9/06/66 to meet my husband’s brother. On 14/06/66 I left Kano for
the East. One Rev Father X was very kind to victims. He helped many wounded
people to the hospital until he was seriously warned by one Mr. Mc Namara (a
British) that if he continued he (Father X) would be attacked for transparently
taking side with Easterners. It was in this Mc Namara’s house that several
night meetings were held. Mr. Mc Namara was soul and body in the planning of
the pogrom.
This witness was questioned closely. In one of the
questions she had this to say:
Q. 8771: “You
actually saw Magajin Gari with your own eyes in that Police Station?” “Yes, I
saw him. My husband was working with them. This Magajin Gari was N.A. (Native
Authority) Police Officer, so my husband was working with them. He used to come
to our house frequently in connection with his work. So that when this thing
happened l went with other women, appealed to the man and begged him to stop
the rioters. He said that he will not do so and that it was an order from the
Emir. And Emir is his father.”
From Katsina the disturbances spread to other towns
in Katsina emirate - Funtua, Mallumfashi, Tsiga etc. In these towns the story
of the direct involvement of the Emir in the disturbances is told again and
again by the witnesses. The death toll in Katsina emirate will be seen in the
chapter on the loss of lives.
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