11 Facts About Victor Banjo

Victor Adebukunola Banjo was a colonel in the Nigerian Army.

Victor Banjo fought in the Biafran Army during the Nigerian Civil War.

Victor Banjo was alleged to have staged a coup plot against Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu and was executed as a result.

Lieutenant Colonel Victor Banjo was the first Nigerian Director of the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps of the Nigerian Army.

Victor Banjo joined the Army in 1953 as Warrant Officer 52 and he was the sixteenth Nigerian to be commissioned as an officer.

Victor Banjo's travails began after the 15 January 1966 coup, which brought Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to power.

Three days after Aguiyi-Ironsi came to power, Victor Banjo was summoned to the office of the Supreme Military Commander and was arrested while he was still waiting to see the head of state.

Victor Banjo was accused of planning to kill the head of state.

Victor Banjo was detained in various prisons between January 1966 and May 1967.

When Biafra was proclaimed on 30 May 1967, Victor Banjo was released from an Eastern Nigerian prison by President Odumegwu Ojukwu and promoted to colonel.

Victor Banjo was able to capture Benin City in less than a day and was able to get within 300 kilometers of then-capital Lagos.