187:
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He attributed his problems during and after the war to his rivals in the army. In various interviews, he said there was always a rumor of coup linked to him until the army authority felt the concern to do something about it. He had large followings in both the army and public at large and was the
484:(3MCDO)." The "Black Scorpion" as he came to be known, was easily the most controversial, celebrated and mythologized figure in the war of attrition that laid the foundations for Nigeria's contemporary crisis; and threw a wedge into the national fabric. Benjamin "Adekunle's boys including
476:. However, Colonel Adekunle did not think the name "3 Infantry Division" was sensational enough nor did it project the nature of the unique terrain in which his men had to fight. Therefore, without formal approval from Army
451:
subsequently took part in operations to liberate the
Midwest following the Biafran invasion of August 1967. The 7th (under Major Abubakar) stayed behind to hold Bonny. Because Major Jalo's Unit was seconded to Lt. Col.
36:
829:
733:
834:
424:
erupted in July 1967, Adekunle was tasked to lead elements which included two new battalions (7th and 8th) - to conduct the historic sea borne assault on
523:
Adekunle led the Third Marine
Commando Division with such great panache and determination that the foreign media, in looking for a human angle on the
464:
status through the creation of the 31 and 32 Battalions (under Majors Aliyu and Hamman, respectively). This formation, combined with elements of the
839:
849:
492:, Owa and Aladima. They captured Bomadi and Patani, Youngtown, Koko, Sapele, Ajagbodudu, Warri, Ughelli, Orerokpe, Umutu and Itagba".
457:
575:
436:'s unit). This happened after the federal government gained confidence of most south western ethnic groups as a direct result of
349:
819:
737:
685:
766:
329:
141:
666:
789:
782:
610:
814:
686:"Colonel Benjamin Adekunle Interview, "Black Scorpion" on Ojukwu & Political Ambition, October 1970"
640:
824:
50:
400:, who was proceeding on a course outside the country. However, he later handed over the position to
256:
783:
Battle of Port
Harcourt: Col. Adekunle's 3 Marine Commando Div. Deny Biafra Access To Sea, May 1968
324:
in 1958 shortly after completing his school certificate examinations. He passed the army selection
246:
790:
Federal Troops Attack
Arochukwu, Col. Adekunle's 3 Marine Commando, Nigerian Civil War, July 1968
693:
618:
611:"Colonel Benjamin Adekunle Tours the Liberated Village of Ediba, Nigerian Civil War, April 1968"
844:
473:
433:
373:
809:
804:
251:
8:
404:
James Pam and was posted back to his old
Battalion (1st Battalion) in Enugu as a Company
388:. In 1964, Major Adekunle attended the Defence Services Staff College at Wellington, in
551:"Nicknames, Slogans, Local and Operational Names Associated with the Nigerian Civil War"
485:
421:
289:
241:
762:
377:
376:, he was posted back to the Congo as Staff Captain (A) to the Nigerian Brigade HQ at
215:
77:
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He died on 13 September 2014 and was buried in the Vaults and
Gardens, Ikoyi, Lagos
453:
393:
109:
35:
309:
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The 6th (under Major Jalo) and 8th (under Major Ochefu) battalions of the Lagos
715:
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push to mid-west state and probe into
Western region. Adekunle was promoted to
429:
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345:
337:
460:. He, therefore, protested to Army HQ and got the Lagos garrison upgraded to
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357:
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512:. He held this position until being compulsorily retired on 20 August 1974.
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ethnicity. He underwent secondary education at the
Government College,
136:
670:
599:
Obasanjo, 'My
Command,' Heinemann, Ibadan/London/Nairobi, 1980, p.45-6
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in 1972. After the war
Adekunle was put in charge of decongesting the
352:
with the 1st Battalion, Queen's Own Nigeria Regiment during his first
316:(now known as Abdul Aziz Atta Memorial College, Okene, in present-day
520:, who succeeded him and brought the war to an end with the same 3MC.
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489:
405:
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211:
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456:'s 2nd Division, Adekunle was left with only the 8th Battalion at
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576:"Brigadier-General Benjamin Adekunle: The hero Nigeria deserves"
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port that was having a chronic problem of clearing imported
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most popular military commander during the war, apart from
353:
734:"Adekunle's Burial: Fashola, COAS, CAS, Pay Last Respects"
527:
488:
who then is his Chief of Staff, seized Escravos, Burutu,
396:
at the Army Headquarters in May 1965 to replace Lt. Col.
336:'s initial officer entry academy. He was commissioned
830:Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
756:
796:
602:
759:The Nigeria-Biafra Letters: A Soldier's Story
736:. Leadership. October 4, 2014. Archived from
420:Garrison as a substantive Lt. Col. When the
392:. When he returned he was briefly appointed
360:tour of duty. In 1962, Lt. Adekunle became
295:
835:Military personnel of the Nigerian Civil War
495:
641:"Alabi-Isama's memoir: War by other means"
34:
281:(26 June 1936 – 13 September 2014) was a
840:Burials at the Vaults and Gardens, Ikoyi
797:
667:"Blunders of the Nigerian Civil War-9"
416:Adekunle later assumed command of the
850:Defence Services Staff College alumni
411:
328:and thereafter was despatched to the
530:, found him a ready source of news.
683:
608:
13:
500:Benjamin Adekunle was promoted to
14:
861:
776:
548:
472:, was officially designated the
432:on 26 July 1968 (carried out by
330:Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
210:
185:
167:
142:Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
696:from the original on 2021-12-18
621:from the original on 2021-12-18
480:, he renamed it the " 3 Marine
279:Benjamin Adesanya Maja Adekunle
726:
708:
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659:
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593:
568:
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308:, while his mother was of the
1:
536:
304:. His father was a native of
67:July 1967 – May 1969
372:. The following year, as a
340:on December 15, 1960. As a
7:
716:"Benjamin Adekunle is dead"
468:garrison along the eastern
368:of the eastern region, Sir
40:Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle
10:
866:
757:Adekunle, Abiodun (2003).
296:Early years and background
225:3 Marine Commando Division
51:General Officer Commanding
820:Yoruba military personnel
444:after the Bonny landing.
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257:Invasion of Port Harcourt
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761:. Africa Phoenix Group.
496:Role after the civil war
344:commander, he served in
247:Midwest Invasion of 1967
434:Major Isaac Adaka Boro
320:). He enlisted in the
300:Adekunle was born in
199:Years of service
151:"The Black Scorpion"
53:3 Infantry Division,
16:Nigerian Army officer
740:on November 27, 2014
722:. 13 September 2014.
252:Operation Tiger Claw
684:Makinde, Adeyinka.
609:Makinde, Adeyinka.
474:3 Infantry Division
815:People from Kaduna
486:Godwin Alabi-Isama
422:Nigerian Civil War
412:Nigerian Civil War
242:Nigerian Civil War
825:Nigerian generals
386:Babafemi Ogundipe
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216:Brigadier General
119:13 September 2014
28:Benjamin Adekunle
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394:Adjutant General
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158:Military service
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777:External links
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673:on 2003-05-03.
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647:. 16 July 2013
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430:Bight of Benin
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346:Kasai Province
338:2nd Lieutenant
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744:November 15,
742:. Retrieved
738:the original
728:
719:
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698:. Retrieved
689:
679:
671:the original
661:
649:. Retrieved
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635:
623:. Retrieved
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584:. Retrieved
582:. 2014-09-18
579:
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558:. Retrieved
554:
544:
532:
522:
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499:
446:
415:
398:Yakubu Gowon
362:Aide-de-Camp
334:British Army
326:examinations
299:
278:
277:
237:Congo Crisis
230:Battles/wars
121:(2014-09-13)
103:26 June 1936
73:Succeeded by
62:
810:2014 deaths
805:1936 births
700:6 September
692:. Youtube.
625:6 September
617:. Youtube.
560:6 September
370:Akanu Ibiam
292:commander.
153:"Na Cinema"
148:Nickname(s)
78:O. Obasanjo
799:Categories
586:2022-03-08
555:Dawodu.com
537:References
378:Luluabourg
318:Kogi State
163:Allegiance
137:Alma mater
99:1936-06-26
645:Thenation
502:Brigadier
490:Urhonigbe
406:Commander
382:Brigadier
306:Ogbomosho
290:Civil War
286:Brigadier
202:1958–1974
63:In office
24:Brigadier
694:Archived
619:Archived
518:Obasanjo
482:Commando
470:seaboard
458:Escravos
449:Garrison
402:Lt. Col.
380:- under
366:governor
222:Commands
690:Youtube
651:23 June
615:Youtube
525:Biafran
462:Brigade
442:colonel
438:Biafran
428:in the
374:captain
364:to the
342:platoon
310:Bachama
175:Nigeria
130:Nigeria
765:
720:YNaija
302:Kaduna
190:
172:
106:Kaduna
510:goods
506:Lagos
466:Lagos
426:Bonny
418:Lagos
390:India
350:Congo
314:Okene
126:Lagos
763:ISBN
746:2014
702:2020
653:2023
627:2020
562:2021
354:ONUC
288:and
207:Rank
116:Died
93:Born
528:war
408:.
384:B.
356:UN
348:of
801::
718:.
688:.
643:.
613:.
578:.
553:.
478:HQ
128:,
108:,
771:.
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704:.
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101:)
97:(
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