1966 Coup: “History Lied About Him” – ADC Guber Aspirant seeks Exoneration for Col. Victor Banjo

By Our Correspondent

Six decades after the dust settled on Nigeria’s first military coup, a prominent legal practitioner and 2027 gubernatorial aspirant, Barrister Niyi Aborisade, has declared that history has been “unfair” to the late Colonel Victor Banjo. He is now demanding a full national exoneration for the slain officer.

Aborisade, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the impassioned call during a special broadcast of The Poliscope on Dominion Television to mark the 60th anniversary of the January 15, 1966 coup.

According to the UK-based lawyer, the narrative that paints Col. Banjo as a traitor or a plotter is a “simplified version of events” that ignores the complexities of the time. He argued that Banjo’s actions during the Western Region crisis were driven by a desperate need to prevent bloodshed and preserve national stability, not to destroy the Nigerian state.

“History has not been fair to Colonel Victor Banjo… Six decades later, it is only just that the nation undertakes a transparent, scholarly review aimed at clearing his name,” Aborisade stated.

In a shocking revelation, Aborisade disclosed that despite the general belief that Banjo was executed, the Federal Government has never formally declared him dead. He noted that official military records still list the Colonel as “missing in action,” a status he says points to unresolved gaps in the official history.

The Mogaji of Ajagba compound claimed his position is backed by extensive research and high-level consultations, including discussions with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, whom he says corroborated the view that Banjo was innocent of the decades-old allegations.

Clarifying Banjo’s controversial role in the Civil War, Aborisade explained that the Colonel fought alongside Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu not because of ideology, but due to circumstance.

He reminded Nigerians that Banjo was already languishing in an Eastern prison when the war broke out and was released by Ojukwu, his personal friend.

Aborisade challenged the Federal Government and the National Archives to set up an independent panel to declassify documents and review eyewitness accounts.

Ending with a thought-provoking quote, he said: “Exoneration is not about rewriting history. It is about completing it.”

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