Timothy Onwuatuegwu (? – 15 January 1970) was a
Biafran Army Major and former
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 ...
Major. He was a leading military figure in 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 ...
and a participant in the
1966 Nigerian coup d'etat
Events January
* January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko.
* January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...
.
Education
Onwuategwu received his commission into the Nigerian army after graduating from 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 in 1961,
where he was coursemates with other officers such as
Murtala Muhammed
Murtala Ramat Muhammad (8 November 1938 – 13 February 1976) was a Nigerian general who led the 1966 Nigerian counter-coup in overthrowing the Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi military regime and featured prominently during the Nigerian Civil War ...
,
Muhammed Shuwa, and
Illiya Bisalla.
1966 Coup
Timothy Onwuatuegwu took part in the
1966 military coup which overthrew Nigerian Prime Minister
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa (December 1912 – 15 January 1966) was a Nigerian politician who served as the first and only Prime Minister of Nigeria upon independence.
Early life
Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was born in December 1912 in modern-day B ...
while also killing many other Northern senior army officers. Onwuatuegwu was put in control of a small band of soldiers whose main job was to assassinate any Nigerian officer or politician they deemed a threat
Kaduna
Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Region, Nigeria, Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade Centre and a major transportation hub as the ...
. Maj. Onwuatuegwu, personally led a detachment of soldiers to Brig. Samuel Ademulegun's house. Onwuatuegwu made his way up to the Brigadier's room where he was laying beside his wife. Upon seeing Onwuatuegwu enter the room, Ademulegun shouted at him "Timothy, what the devil do you think you're doing?". Onwuatuegwu told Ademulegun that he was under arrest. Ademulegun reached for a drawer beside his bed, and as he did so, Onwuatuegwu shot him dead in his bed, along with Ademulegun's wife who was laying beside him. Although the coup was stopped by 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 ...
both Onwuatuegwu and his superior Major
Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu
Patrick Chukwuma "Kaduna" Nzeogwu (26 February 1937 – 29 July 1967) was a Nigerian military officer and revolutionary who played a leading role in the first military coup d'ètat of 15 January 1966, which overthrew the first Nigerian republ ...
were able to control the northern portion of
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 ...
for a few weeks. Both Onwuatuegwu and Nzeogwu were arrested by Nigerian police officers in early February but were not executed which outraged many Northern civilians. For an entire year Onwuatuegwu was in an
Enugu
Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...
prison until May 30, 1967 when he was freed by Biafran president
Odumegwu Ojukwu
Chukwuemeka "Emeka" Odumegwu Ojukwu (4 November 1933 – 26 November 2011) was a Nigerian military officer, statesman and politician who served as the military governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria in 1966 and the president of the se ...
.
Biafra
When Biafra was declared independent on 30 May 1967 Ojukwu made Onwuatuegwu a Major in his Army.
Onwuatuegwu didn't see much action until March 1969 when he was put in charge of the Biafran S Division, in charge of re-capturing
Owerri
Owerri ( , ) is the capital city of Imo State in Nigeria, set in the heart of Igboland. It is also the state's largest city, followed by Orlu, Okigwe and Ohaji/Egbema. Owerri consists of three Local Government Areas including Owerri Municipal, ...
from the Nigerian Army. On 15 March 1969 Onwuatuegwu led an assault on the Nigerian 16th Division, who had been occupying Owerri since October 1968, but was forced to halt after suffering heavy casualties. Onwuatuegwu placed half of his men under the command of Maj.
Joseph Achuzie
Joseph "Hannibal" Achuzia (1929 – 26 February 2018) was a Nigerian British-trained aeronautical engineer who served as a major in the Biafran Army.
Biafra
Prior to joining the Biafran Army in May 1967, Achuzia had been an engineer with the She ...
, who managed to get within 1km of the city. Achuzie demanded total control of the S Division but was refused by Onwuatuegwu and the two men almost shot each other after drawing their pistols. President Ojukwu stepped in and gave Achuzie command of the S Division for 1 week. Achuzie's full-frontal attack ultimately failed and was forced to retreat and Ojukwu restored Onwuatuegwu as head of the S Division. On 9 January 1970 Onwuatuegwu escorted Biafran president, Odumegwu Ojukwu, to Uli Airport.
Death
There are two accounts about Timothy Onwuatuegwu's death in days following the surrender. One account by his former co-conspirator Maj.
Adewale Ademoyega
Adewale Ademoyega (died February 21, 2007) was one of the five revolutionary Nigerian Army Majors who led the 1966 coup that ended the first democratic Nigerian government.
Early life and education
Adewale was born in Ode Remo in present-day O ...
states that he was tricked into attending a meeting at a hotel with federal officers of the 3rd Marine Commando Division. At this meeting, that was said to have occurred on 15 January, he was summarily shot dead by vengeful officers personally aggrieved by the assassination of Brig. Ademulegun and his wife during the
1966 Nigerian coup d'état
The 1966 Nigerian coup d'état began on 15 January 1966, when mutinous Nigerian soldiers led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed 22 people including the Prime Minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, many senior Army o ...
. An alternative account given by Col. Obasanjo states that during the process of surrender, Onwuatuegwu unsuccessfully attempted to ambush him near Amichi. After this he apparently made for the
Cameroon
Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...
border and was later killed in a firefight with Nigerian 1st Division soldiers. The truth about Maj. Onwuatuegwu's death remains a mystery.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onwuatuegwu, Timothy
Nigerian Army officers
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Nigerian Army personnel
Participants of coups in Nigeria
Participants in the January 1966 Nigerian military coup
1970 deaths
Date of birth missing
Military personnel killed in the Nigerian Civil War