Joseph Akahan (12 April 1937 – May 1968) was Chief of Army Staff (

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

) from May 1967 until May 1968, when he was killed in a helicopter crash during the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Nigerian–Biafran War or the Biafran War, was a civil war fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a secessionist state which had declared its independence f ...

Birth and education

Akahan was born on 12 April 1937 in

Gboko Gboko is a town in the Benue State of North-central Nigeria. Climate References External links Location on a map of Nigeria
{{LGAs and communities of Benue State Local Government Areas in Benue State ...

Local Government Area of

Benue State Benue State is one of the North Central states in Nigeria with a population of about 4,253,641 in 2006 census. The state was created in 1976 among the 7 states created at that time.The state derives its name from the Benue River which is th ...

. He attended Government College

Keffi Keffi is a town in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Keffi. Keffi is 50 kilometers from Abuja. Nasarawa State university is located in Keffi sitting along Keffi-Akwanga express way. It has an area of 138 km and a ...

where he obtained his Cambridge School Certificate (1952–1956). He trained as an officer cadet at the RWAFF Training School Teshi,

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

(1957–1958) and the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial officer training centre. It is located in the town of ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

(1958–1960). He was commissed on 23 July 1960.

Military career

Akahan served with the Nigerian Contingent during the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations in Congo. In the January 1966 coup that brought Major General

Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966) was the first military head of state of Nigeria. He seized power during the ensuing chaos after the 15 January 1966 military coup, which decapitated the country's leadersh ...

to power, the mainly northern Ibadan-based 4th battalion lost its commanding officer who was replaced by an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

, Major Nzefili. The northern officers refused to obey him, and Aguiyi-Ironsi was forced to replace him with Major Joe Akahan, a northern Tiv officer. Akahan was one of the leaders of the

Nigerian counter-coup of 1966 The 1966 Nigerian counter-coup, or the so-called "July Rematch", was the second of many military coups in Nigeria. It was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and many northern military officers. The coup began as a mutiny at roughly midn ...

in which Aguiyi-Ironsi was killed and replaced General

Yakubu Gowon Yakubu Dan-Yumma 'Jack' Gowon (born 19 October 1934) is a retired Nigerian Army general and military leader. As Head of State of Nigeria, Gowon presided over a controversial Nigerian Civil War and delivered the famous "no victor, no vanquish ...

, and in which there was a mass slaughter of Igbo officers at 4th Battalion in

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano, with a total population of 3,649,000 as of 2021, and over 6 million people within its me ...

under Akahan's command. Following the coup he said there would be no more killing by Northern soldiers "since events had now balanced out". Akahan was appointed Chief of Army Staff in May 1967 shortly before the outbreak of the

. He was said to be the brain behind the concept of the sea-borne operations led by Lt. Colonel

Benjamin Adekunle Benjamin Adesanya Maja Adekunle (26 June 1936 – 13 September 2014) was a Nigerian Army Brigadier and Civil War commander. Early years and background Adekunle was born in Kaduna. His father was a native of Ogbomosho, while his mother was of the ...

that captured Bonny in July 1967. When he died in a helicopter crash in May 1968, he was replaced as COAS by General

Hassan Katsina Hassan Usman Katsina (31 March 1933 – 24 July 1995), titled Chiroman Katsina, was the last Governor of Northern Nigeria. He served as Chief of Army Staff during the Nigerian Civil War and later became the Deputy Chief of Staff, Supreme Headqua ...

. Joe Akahan Barracks is named after him, located in

Makurdi Makurdi is the capital of Benue State, located in central Nigeria, and part of the Middle Belt region of central Nigeria. The city is situated on the south bank of the Benue River. In 2016, Makurdi and the surrounding areas had an estimated popula ...

, capital of his home state (Benue) and an early base of operations during the civil war.

References

1937 births 1968 deaths People from Gboko Nigerian Army officers Participants in the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Military personnel killed in the Nigerian Civil War Chiefs of Army Staff (Nigeria) {{nigeria-mil-bio-stub