Akintunde Akinsehinwa
Encyclopedia
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Murtala Ramat Mohammed - military ruler (Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
) of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
(1975 – 1976).
Akintunde Akinsehinwa was born in Ondo town in Ondo State
Ondo State
Ondo State, Nigeria was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It originally included what is now Ekiti State, which was split off in 1996. Akure is the state capital.-Government and society:...
, Nigeria on November 11, 1944. He started his early education in Owo
Owo
Owo is a town in the Ondo state of Nigeria. Between the years 1400 and 1600 AD it was the capital of a Yoruba city-state.-Etymology:According to Owo historian Chief Ashara, the name Owo derives from the first ruler, or Olowo, named Ojugbelu...
and finished his secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
education at Edopkolo Secondary School in Benin City
Benin City
Benin City, is a city and the capital of Edo State in southern Nigeria. It is a city approximately twenty-five miles north of the Benin River. It is situated 200 miles by road east of Lagos...
, Nigeria where he obtained his Secondary School Leaving Certificate (WASC) in 1963. Upon completion of his studies Akinsehinwa moved to Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
in the western province of Nigeria where he worked as a clerk at the High Court.
At the commencement of the Biafra War (Nigeria's Civil War) in 1967, Akintunde Akinsehinwa was recruited by the Nigerian Army and trained as an officer cadet at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry
Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji
The Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji is a training facility for the Nigerian Armed Forces, including the army, air force and navy. It is near the village of Jaji, Nigeria, about 35 km northeast of Kaduna in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria.-History:The Army...
in Jaji
Jaji, Nigeria
Jaji is a community in Nigeria near Kaduna in the Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.-Military staff college:Jaji is the site of the Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Jaji. The college opened in May 1976 with two senior officers' courses based on a curriculum derived from that of...
, Kaduna State
Kaduna State
-History:The state is the successor to the old Northern Region of Nigeria, which had its capital at Kaduna. In 1967 this was split up into six states, one of which was the North-Central State, whose name was changed to Kaduna State in 1976. This was further divided in 1987, losing the area now part...
. After 6 months of training Akinsehinwa was commissioned by the Army as a second lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
and sent to the war front to join the famous 3rd Marine Commando Division (3MCDO) under the stewardship of "The Black Scorpion" - Colonel Benjamin Adekunle
Benjamin Adekunle
General Benjamin Adesanya Maja Adekunle, Nigerian Army, , was a Nigerian military leader.-Early years and background:...
, where he participated in military offensive efforts on the Calabar
Calabar
Calabar is a city in Cross River State, southeastern Nigeria. The original name for Calabar was Atakpa, from the Jukun language....
front to quell the secession
Secession
Secession is the act of withdrawing from an organization, union, or especially a political entity. Threats of secession also can be a strategy for achieving more limited goals.-Secession theory:...
of the Biafran separatist movement.
After the war ended in 1970, Akinsehinwa chose to undergo further military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
training by taking Signal Officers Courses. Upon completion of his training he was promoted to rank of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
and posted to Arakan Signals Barracks in Apapa
Apapa
Apapa is the major port of the city of Lagos, Nigeria, and is located to the west of Lagos Island, across Lagos Harbour. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas.- Overview :...
, Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria as an officer of the Nigerian Army Signal Corps. While at Arakan, he was appointed as a staff officer to then Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Mohammed who was brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
of signals at the time. Brigadier General Mohammed was soon appointed as Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
of Communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
s by the Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
regime
Regime
The word regime refers to a set of conditions, most often of a political nature.-Politics:...
and took Akinsehinwa along with him as a personnel staff officer and technical assistant. On July 29, 1975, General Mohammed was made head of state (succeeding Gowon) by younger soldiers who wanted to ensure Nigeria's return to democratic rule. He was not directly involved in the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
that brought him to power, but he had played a prominent role in rallying northern officers behind the July 1966 coup that felled Aguiyi-Ironsi.
Upon becoming Head of State, Murtala appointed Akinsehinwa as his Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
(a role usually reserved for a senior officer such as a Lieutenant Colonel or Colonel). Mohammed citing Akinsehinwa's hard work, wit and intelligence, appointed Akinsehinwa as Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
effectively making him the youngest (Age - 30) and lowest ranking presidential Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
in Nigerian history. In a short time, Murtala Mohammed's policies won him broad popular support, and his decisiveness elevated him to the status of a national hero.
On Friday the 13th of February 1976, General Mohammed's motorcade was ambushed in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
by coup plotters and assassins
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
amid an abortive coup d'état. The coup plotters unleashed a hail of bullets on Mohammed's black Mercedes Benz limousine (not bulletproof) killing him instantly. Mohammed's driver
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
and orderly
Orderly
A medical orderly , is a hospital attendant whose job consists of assisting medical and/or nursing staff with various nursing and/or medical interventions. These duties are classified as routine tasks involving no risk for the patient.- Job details :Orderlies are often utilized in various hospital...
were also killed instantly. However Akinsehinwa survived the initial barrage of bullets and exited the limousine to return fire. Unfortunately he was overpowered and eventually succumbed to a hail of bullets (an autopsy revealed six bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
wounds in his back). Akintunde Akinsehinwa at 31 years of age thus became the first Aide-de-Camp to die in the line of duty while serving a Nigerian Head of State.