Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun (20 October 1924 – 15 January 1966) was a

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is governed by the Nigerian Army Council (NAC). The Chief of Army Staff is the highest ranking military officer of the Nigerian Army. History Formation The Nigerian ...

officer, he was Commander of the 1st brigade during the January 1966 coup.

Early life and family

He was born on 20 October 1924 in

Ondo Town Ondo Town is the second largest town in Ondo State, Nigeria. Ondo Town is the trade center for the surrounding region. Yams, cassava, grain and tobacco are grown. Cotton is also grown, and is used to weave cloth called Aso Oke fabric which is w ...

, Western Nigeria, and was considered one of the country's finest officers at the time. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Ademulegun, he had his early education in Ondo state before joining the Nigerian Army as a private in 1942. Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun was married to Mrs. Latifat Feyisitan Abike Ademulegun (nee Noble) who was also known as Sisi Nurse, he was killed cold-bloodedly during the January 1966 coup. He was survived by his daughter Mrs. Solape Ademulegun-Agbi, Bankole, Kunle, Gbenga, Goke and his oldest son Frank Bamidele who later enlisted into the Nigerian Air Force where he rose to the rank of Group Captain before his death in 2002.

Career life

Ademulegun was commissioned in 1949, and was one of the senior Officer Corps of the army along with

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 leaders ...

Zakariya Maimalari Zakariya Maimalari was a Nigerian Army brigadier, he was killed in the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état. He was commander of the 2nd Brigade, Apapa, Lagos in 1966. Maimalari was born in the present day Yobe State, he was educated at Barewa College, Z ...

and Babafemi Ogundipe. He was among those vying for the top army post of GOC in 1965 upon the retirement of the expatriate GOC. He was considered friendly with Ahmadu Bello which brought distaste to some junior officers who frowned at their commander fraternizing with politicians.

Death

He and his wife were killed in the 1966 coup when coupists led by

Timothy Onwuatuegwu Timothy Onwuatuegwu (? – 15 January 1970) was a Biafran Army Major and former Nigerian Army Major. He was a leading military figure in the Nigerian Civil War and a participant in the 1966 Nigerian coup d'etat. Education Onwuategwu received hi ...

, an instructor at the Nigerian Military Training College barged into his room and was shot dead on his bed. In an eye witness account of the murder of Samuel Ademulegun in an interview by his daughter, Mrs. Solape Ademulegun-Agbi, she narrates how her father was killed by military officers. Her account provides details of the invasion and gruesome murder of the former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1st Division in

Kaduna state Kaduna State ( ha, Jihar Kaduna جىِهَر كَدُنا; ff, Leydi Kaduna, script=Latn, ; kcg, Sitet Kaduna) is a state in northern Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna which happened to be the 8th largest city in ...

. Killed in what is considered Nigeria's first coup, the perpetrators are recorded to believe to be ridding the country of corrupt politicians and those who were close to them.

Early life and family

Career life

Death

References

Further reading