John Amadu Bangura
Encyclopedia
Brigadier John Amadu Bangura(August 13, 1920 - May 29, 1970) was the acting Governor-General
of Sierra Leone
from 18 April 1968 until 22 April 1968. He led the Sargents Coup in 1968 that successfully re-instated civilian rule in Sierra Leone.
in Northern Sierra Leone to Loko
parents. He received his military training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
. He returned as a Colonel to Sierra Leone and was appointed Deputy Chief of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
Prior to the 1968 National Elections, Siaka Stevens represented the North, Sir Albert Margai represented the South and there was a lot of tribalism going on. Rumors surfaced that Sir Albert Margai was considering turning Sierra Leone into a one party state and people whispered that Bangura was planning to stage a coup d'état. Bangura was accused of conspiracy and found not guilty. He was sent to Washington, D.C.
in the United States
as Military Attaché.
, he took issue when the government began to collapse after a series of coups that followed the hotly contested elections of March 1967.
Bangura formed the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement (ACRM) with a group of non-commissioned officers. In April 1968, Bangura led the Sargents Coup and overthrew Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith
and his National Reformation Council (NRC). Bangura arrested every high ranking officer in the army and police, so that he could restore the constitution and democracy to Sierra Leone.
There was another side of Bangura. Some accused him of being a bully, a tribalist, with no regard for authority in the military, as violent and having no principles. Being an army personnel, he betrayed his profession not once but twice. Firstly, by joining Stevens and other APC cohorts to plan an invasion of Sierra Leone, the very country he was employed and nurtured to protect and defend. The army was unhappy about this but the worst was to come when Bangura connived with some NCOs to overthrow the NRC government and impose Stevens on the people. Some argued that Stevens knew his violent potential and his position in the heart and mind of the army. Some of Bangura's associates were in the pay pocket of Stevens, hence they were spies. Bangura did plan a coup and Stevens knew every stage of the process that he let it go on to have grounds to liquidate Bangura. The army was happy to see the end of Bangura and when the hour came, they looked the other way while Bangura and his political friend slugged it out.
Bangura was political army personnel, while Sir Albert, as a lawyer was a constitutionalist and resorted to due process. Stevens was a thug (rally man) and street graduate and enjoyed sending closed associates to the gallows and displayed their bodies in public as trophy of political prowess. Stevens was quotedasf saying that he was no Sir Albert who was afraid of Bangura thus sending him abroad as a diplomat but he (Stevens) would teach Bangura a lesson in politics by sending him down the gallows. When this hour came, Bangura had no ally and he was left in the hands of his former friend turned enemy.
Bangura was appointed acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone by the ACRM. Bangura, who was not politically ambitious, served briefly from April 18, 1968 to April 22, 1968. He gave the post of Prime Minister to Siaka Stevens
, leader of the All People's Congress, the post of Prime Minister. Bangura did not do this for any personal reasons but because his predecessor Governor General Henry Lightfoot Boston
had declared the APC the winners of the election.
Stevens had campaigned on a platform of socialist principles. However, when he became Prime Minister he abandoned his pre-election promises and employed an authoritarian model of governance. Bangura, an ardent democrat, was greatly disappointed and he criticized Stevens' policies.
Stevens began to cut funds for the army which he saw as a threat to him attaining absolute power. Bangura spoke out against the Stevens regime and was promptly arrested in 1970. He was charged with conspiracy and plotting to commit a coup d'état against the Stevens government.
, who Bangura had put in power after the Sargents Coup in 1968
had Bangura arrested and charged him with conspiracy in 1970. Bangura was sentenced to death by execution for treason against the state. On March 29, 1970, Stevens had Bangura hanged after he was mercilessly beaten and had concentrated acid poured on Bangura. To prevent people from making a martyr of Bangura, Stevens ordered his body to buried at an undisclosed location which he had paved over with the Kissy Road.
After Stevens retired from office he told a reporter that he regretted having Bangura killed: "I should not have allowed those executions."
Siaka Stevens in his book: I am fully aware that many people were shocked when these sentences were carried out and that even today, much speculation goes on as to what prompted me to allow the law to take its course. There is even a fantastic rumour circulating that I had actually decided to commute the sentences to terms of imprisonment but that certain strong party members had forced me to change my mind. Let me put the record straight here and now. No single person, nor even the demon strations in favour of the death sentence that filed through the city, had any influence whatsoever on the action I was obliged to take. For me it was a dreadful act. I had to wrench myself out of my own character.
Governor-General
A Governor-General, is a vice-regal person of a monarch in an independent realm or a major colonial circonscription. Depending on the political arrangement of the territory, a Governor General can be a governor of high rank, or a principal governor ranking above "ordinary" governors.- Current uses...
of Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
from 18 April 1968 until 22 April 1968. He led the Sargents Coup in 1968 that successfully re-instated civilian rule in Sierra Leone.
Early life
John Amadu Bangura was born in the small rural town of Tabiama, Bombali DistrictBombali District
Bombali District is district in the Northern Province of Sierra Leone. It's capital and largest city is Makeni, which is also the fifth largest city in Sierra Leone and the largest city in the north. The other major towns in the district include Kamakwie, Kamabai, Masingbi and Binkolo...
in Northern Sierra Leone to Loko
Loko people
The Loko are one of the indigenous ethnic groups in Sierra Leone. They speak a Mande language that is also called Loko. The majority of the Loko people live in or around the capital city of Freetown and in the Northern Province of the country, particularly in Port Loko District. The Loko were among...
parents. He received his military training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
. He returned as a Colonel to Sierra Leone and was appointed Deputy Chief of the Sierra Leone Armed Forces.
Prior to the 1968 National Elections, Siaka Stevens represented the North, Sir Albert Margai represented the South and there was a lot of tribalism going on. Rumors surfaced that Sir Albert Margai was considering turning Sierra Leone into a one party state and people whispered that Bangura was planning to stage a coup d'état. Bangura was accused of conspiracy and found not guilty. He was sent to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
as Military Attaché.
Sargents Coup
Bangura played a pivotal role in the history of post-colonial Sierra Leone. A staunch democratDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
, he took issue when the government began to collapse after a series of coups that followed the hotly contested elections of March 1967.
Bangura formed the Anti-Corruption Revolutionary Movement (ACRM) with a group of non-commissioned officers. In April 1968, Bangura led the Sargents Coup and overthrew Brigadier Andrew Juxon-Smith
Andrew Juxon-Smith
Brigadier Andrew Terence Juxon-Smith was a politician and military official in Sierra Leone. He was briefly Chairman of the National Reformation Council and acting Governor-General, equivalent to head of the Sierra Leonean state...
and his National Reformation Council (NRC). Bangura arrested every high ranking officer in the army and police, so that he could restore the constitution and democracy to Sierra Leone.
There was another side of Bangura. Some accused him of being a bully, a tribalist, with no regard for authority in the military, as violent and having no principles. Being an army personnel, he betrayed his profession not once but twice. Firstly, by joining Stevens and other APC cohorts to plan an invasion of Sierra Leone, the very country he was employed and nurtured to protect and defend. The army was unhappy about this but the worst was to come when Bangura connived with some NCOs to overthrow the NRC government and impose Stevens on the people. Some argued that Stevens knew his violent potential and his position in the heart and mind of the army. Some of Bangura's associates were in the pay pocket of Stevens, hence they were spies. Bangura did plan a coup and Stevens knew every stage of the process that he let it go on to have grounds to liquidate Bangura. The army was happy to see the end of Bangura and when the hour came, they looked the other way while Bangura and his political friend slugged it out.
Bangura was political army personnel, while Sir Albert, as a lawyer was a constitutionalist and resorted to due process. Stevens was a thug (rally man) and street graduate and enjoyed sending closed associates to the gallows and displayed their bodies in public as trophy of political prowess. Stevens was quotedasf saying that he was no Sir Albert who was afraid of Bangura thus sending him abroad as a diplomat but he (Stevens) would teach Bangura a lesson in politics by sending him down the gallows. When this hour came, Bangura had no ally and he was left in the hands of his former friend turned enemy.
Bangura was appointed acting Governor-General of Sierra Leone by the ACRM. Bangura, who was not politically ambitious, served briefly from April 18, 1968 to April 22, 1968. He gave the post of Prime Minister to Siaka Stevens
Siaka Stevens
Siaka Probyn Stevens was the 3rd prime minister of Sierra Leone from 1967–1971 and the 1st president of Sierra Leone from 1971–1985. Stevens is generally criticised for dictatorial methods of government in which many of his political opponents were executed, as well as for mismanaging...
, leader of the All People's Congress, the post of Prime Minister. Bangura did not do this for any personal reasons but because his predecessor Governor General Henry Lightfoot Boston
Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston
Sir Henry Josiah Lightfoot Boston was a Sierra Leonean diplomat and politician. He was the first indigenous Governor-General of Sierra Leone...
had declared the APC the winners of the election.
Political prisoner
Bangura was a magnetic and popular figure. The army was devoted to him and this made him potentially dangerous to Steven's new agenda in the shifting political climate of Sierra Leone. Bangura was widely considered the only person who could put the brakes on Stevens.Stevens had campaigned on a platform of socialist principles. However, when he became Prime Minister he abandoned his pre-election promises and employed an authoritarian model of governance. Bangura, an ardent democrat, was greatly disappointed and he criticized Stevens' policies.
Stevens began to cut funds for the army which he saw as a threat to him attaining absolute power. Bangura spoke out against the Stevens regime and was promptly arrested in 1970. He was charged with conspiracy and plotting to commit a coup d'état against the Stevens government.
Execution
StevensSiaka Stevens
Siaka Probyn Stevens was the 3rd prime minister of Sierra Leone from 1967–1971 and the 1st president of Sierra Leone from 1971–1985. Stevens is generally criticised for dictatorial methods of government in which many of his political opponents were executed, as well as for mismanaging...
, who Bangura had put in power after the Sargents Coup in 1968
had Bangura arrested and charged him with conspiracy in 1970. Bangura was sentenced to death by execution for treason against the state. On March 29, 1970, Stevens had Bangura hanged after he was mercilessly beaten and had concentrated acid poured on Bangura. To prevent people from making a martyr of Bangura, Stevens ordered his body to buried at an undisclosed location which he had paved over with the Kissy Road.
After Stevens retired from office he told a reporter that he regretted having Bangura killed: "I should not have allowed those executions."
Siaka Stevens in his book: I am fully aware that many people were shocked when these sentences were carried out and that even today, much speculation goes on as to what prompted me to allow the law to take its course. There is even a fantastic rumour circulating that I had actually decided to commute the sentences to terms of imprisonment but that certain strong party members had forced me to change my mind. Let me put the record straight here and now. No single person, nor even the demon strations in favour of the death sentence that filed through the city, had any influence whatsoever on the action I was obliged to take. For me it was a dreadful act. I had to wrench myself out of my own character.