Leaders of Southern Taraba Youth groups, debunk Kuteb Yatso allegations against Gen. T.Y Danjuma Describe the Allegations as False, baseless, Frivolous and Malicious

Leaders of four major youth ethnic groups from Southern Taraba Compressing of Mr. Nafinji Aboki, President, Jukun Youths and Cultural Development Association, Hon. Polycarp D. Ezekiel, President, Chamba Development Association, Mr. Theophelus Christopher, President Jibu Youths Forum and Moses Adanwo Amankye, President Wanu Development Association has described as false, baseless Frivolous and Malicious the allegations raised by Kuteb Yatso Association against Gen T.Y Danjuma and Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas.

The group was reacting to a press conference by the Kuteb group which  criticized the recent coronation of the First Class Chief of Takum, Barrister Sopiya Ahmadu Gboshi III, and made baseless allegations against General T. Y Danjuma, Governor Agbu Kefas, and others. In response, a rejoinder has been issued to debunk these allegations and provide historical context.

Read the full text of the rejoinder 

A RESPONSE TO THE BASELESS, FRIVOLOUS AND MALICIOUS ALLEGATIONS AGAINST GENERAL T. Y DANJUMA (RTD), GOVERNOR AGBU KEFAS, OUR ELDERS AND ROYAL FATHERS BY KUTEB YATSO ASSOCIATION.

INTRODUCTION:

Our attention has been drawn to a piece on Social Media  written by Kuteb group non as Kuteb Yatso Association in Takum and Ussa Local Government Areas in Taraba State, as well as the Kuteb in diaspora, vehemently opposing the recent coronation, installation and presentation of Staff of Office to the First Class Chief of Takum, Barrister Sopiya Ahmadu Gboshi III by the Taraba State Government. The Kuteb group  not only threw caution and decency to the winds through his baseless, fallacious, frivolous and malicious allegations against Lieutenant General Theophelus Yakubu Danjuma (Rtd), Governor Agbu Kefas and our revered royal fathers but displayed sheer ignorance  of the history of Takum and its peace-loving people. Ordinarily, we would not have bothered to join issues with such a disgruntled and reactionary element, but doing so will be a great disservice to the affected personalities. 

Therefore, we are constrained to debunk the outright falsehoods and historical fallacy through this rejoinder and to put everything in the correct perspective.

  

1. THE ALLEGATION THAT GENERAL T.Y. DANJUMA (RTD) WAS USED BY REBEL OFFICERS TO KILL GENERAL AGUINYI-IRONSI: 

Indeed, any student of history  would know that the counter-coup of July, 1966 was jointly organized by the majority Northern army officers who were aggrieved by the massacre of prominent northern politicians and senior army officers. It was also well known that the assassination of the then Head of State, General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguinyi-Ironsi, was as a result of his inability as the then Head of State to try the arrested the coup plotters of the 15th January, 1966 who were his fellow Igbo army officers. Those prominent northern politicians and senior army officers, who were killed during the 15th January, 1966 coup d'etat led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu were the Nigeria’s Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; the Premier of Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto; Commander of the 2nd Brigade, Lagos, Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari;  Commander of 2nd Battalion, Ikeja, Lagos, Colonel Kur Mohammed; Adjutant General of the Army Headquarters, Lt. Col. Yakubu Pam and Commander of 4th Battalion, Ibadan, Lt. Col. Abogo Largema, among others.

Therefore, let Rikwense Muri who is a latter-day historian know that the so-called rebel officers could not have used General T.Y Danjuma (rtd) to kill General Aguinyi-Ironsi as he mischievously alleged. At that time no even single Kuteb person was enlisted in the Nigerian Army. No wonder Muri would not know the pains Northerners went through, let alone appreciate the role and sacrifice T. Y Danjuma played in putting his life in the line to save the collapse of Nigeria.

We invite Muri to read what transpired between General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Agyuiyi- Ironsi and Major (then) Danjuma on the day of the counter- coup at Government House, Ibadan in 1966 when Danjuma confronted General Ironsi and his host Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, then Governor of Wester Region, viz:

Ironsi: “What do you want?”

Danjuma: “You are under arrest. You organized the killing of our brother officers in January and you have done nothing to bring the so-called dissident elements to justify because you are part and parcel of the whole thing.”

Ironsi: “Who told you that? You know it is not true.”

Danjuma:”You are lying. You have been fooling us. I ran around risking my neck trying to calm the ranks, and in February you told us that they will be tried. This is July and nothing has been done. You will answer for your actions.”  

2. THAT GENERAL T.Y DANJUMA (RTD) SUPERVISED THE GENOCIDE AND SUFFERING OF THE IGBOS DURING THE CIVIL WAR: 

This is false and blatant lie from the pit of hell. The then Head of State and Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces was General Yakubu Gowon. On 27th May, 1967 he announced the splitting of the country from four regions to twelve States. But in a swift reaction, the Military Governor of Eastern Region, Lieutenant Colonel Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu announced the secession of the Eastern Region from the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which led to 30-month Civil War. So how could  General T.Y Danjuma (rtd) who was then Lieutenant Colonel supervise the genocide and suffering of the Igbos during the Civil War as alleged by Rikwense Muri? Instead, T. Y Danjuma and his patriotic colleagues played a crucial role, as well as made supreme sacrifice to keep Nigeria as one indivisible entity that we are all proud of today. Can Muri mention one Kuteb army officer dead or living, who played such a role or is he being mischievous?   

 

3. THAT GENERAL TY DANJUMA (RTD) SUPPORTED THE COUP THAT REMOVED GENERAL YAKUBU GOWON: 

Again, Rikwense Muri, who lacks knowledge of the history of coup d'etat in Nigeria, got it wrong. Lieutenant General T. Y Danjuma was a loyal officer to the regime of General Yakubu Gowon. Proof! As recently as 2020 when Lt.- Gen. Danjuma celebrated his 84th birthday, Gen. Gowon paid tribute to Danjuma, thus:

“He was a courageous, gifted and outstanding officer who was always able to apply the theories he learnt in military schools to challenging practical situations. I used him to re-organize the military after Civil War and tackle the problems of corruption that was beginning the fester. Again, he was very effective. He was always a loyal supportive officer”. This testimony by General Yakubu Gowon was made about three and half years ago. The coup that toppled Gowon was in 1975 (about 49 years ago). How would Gowon pay a positive tribute to Lt.-Gen. Danjuma if really Danjuma played a key role in removing him from power? Again, Muri and Kuteb mischief.   

4.THAT GENERAL T.Y DANJUMA (RTD) PLEDGED LOYALTY TO GENERAL MURTALA MOHAMMED BUT TURNED AROUND TO SUPPORT HIS BOYS LIKE GOMWALK WHO PLOTTED THE COUP THAT KILLED GENERAL MOHAMMED: 

The coup leader that killed General Mohammed on 13th February, 1976 was Col. Bukar Suka Dimka. Interestingly, on the list of those slated to be killed, General T.Y Danjuma as Chief of Army Staff was second, after General Murtala Mohammed, while General Olusegun Obasanjo, the then Chief of Defence Staff though second on the hierarchy, was listed third. Also, it was common knowledge in the military circles that it was General TY Danjuma who foiled the Col  Dimka-led coup by ordering Col Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida of the Armoured Corp  to "flush out" Col Dimka and his men at the premises of the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, near Dodan Barracks, Ikoyi, Lagos. 

Therefore, no rationally thinking person would link General T.Y Danjuma to Col. Dimka-led coup d'etat at all. In fact, he even declined to become head of state after the death of General Murtala Mohammed and ensured General Obasanjo who was visibly ruffled to become the Head of State. Thus, General T.Y Danjuma remained the Chief of Army Staff to sanitize the system.  

5. THAT GENERAL T.Y DANJUMA (RTD) BECAME BILLIONAIRE THROUGH OIL WELL GIVEN TO HIM BY GENERAL ABACHA: 

It will be recalled that on 1st October, 1979 when General T.Y Danjuma retired voluntarily from the Nigerian Army, General Sani Abacha was then a Colonel Shortly after his retirement General Danjuma went into business. In that same year he formed the Nigeria America Line (NAL) which initially leased out a ship called "HANNATU", which traded between Lagos and Santos in Brazil. In 1984 General Danjuma established COMET Shipping Agencies Nigeria Limited, which business was to act as an agent of Nigeria America Line (NAL). COMET witnessed steady growth and by the 1990s it became one of the large independent agents operating in Nigeria, with experience in handling many types of vessels and cargoes.  In 1995 General Danjuma went into oil exploration and production when he secured license and established South Atlantic Petroleum (SAPETRO). In 2005 NAL-COMET acquired a roll-in-roll-out port in Lagos which made it the largest independent port operator in Africa. Therefore, General Danjuma had become a business mogul and multi billionaire several years before General Sani Abacha became head of state in November 1993. Attributing his wealth to the oil well is therefore preposterous. Kuteb people are generally envious of T. Y Danjuma’s might. He is not as lazy as Kuteb people. They can never be in his class.

   

6. THAT GENERAL DANJUMA (RTD) COMMITED GENOCIDE AGAINST THE KUTEB PEOPLE FROM 1997 TO 1998 AND WAS ALSO BEHIND THE POLITICAL STATUS YANGTU DEVELOPMENT AREA: 

That is another weighty allegation that can neither be substantiated by Rikwense Muri nor by any Kuteb elite, after all. The Kuteb people actually made Takum a hotbed of ethnic conflict in Southern Taraba due to their bellicosities, hostilities and acts of barbarism as well as cannibalism which earned them the name “Zumpere” (cannibals). Recall that in 1997 the military regime of General Sani Abacha, through Decree 7, created additional states and local government areas across the federation to meet the yearnings of the people.  In Taraba State, one of the additional local government areas created was Ussa which was carved out from the old Takum local government area.

Therefore, when it became imperative for the then military administration in the State to dissolve the old Takum local government council to pave way for fresh elections of the new councils in both Takum and Ussa, hell was let loose as irate Kuteb youths, armed with dangerous weapons, viciously attacked the unsuspecting Jukun and Chamba residents in Takum and the environs.  

Prior to that dastardly act, there were similar violent attacks by the Kuteb militia on Jukun and Chamba in 1977, 1980, 1991, 1992 and 1993. It is, therefore, a sad irony that the Kuteb who have been the aggressors are now crying wolf as the victims of what they described as genocide. One wonders why Kuteb people are anti-development policy of the Federal Government which is geared towards their own benefit at the grassroots. Is it the reason why Ussa Local Government Area and Yangtu Development Area have remained underdeveloped 28 years after their creation? Haba, Kuteb. It is a shame! Many communities in Nigeria would wish they have the chance of their communities to have local government areas or special development areas being created for them for accelerated development. Rather than the Kuteb to eternally appreciate T. Y Danjuma, if assuming he really played a role in the creation of a local government area (Ussa) and special development area (Yangtu) for them, they instead choose to castigate him. What manners of people are the Kutebs? Ingrates, of course. 

7.THAT GENERAL DANJUMA (RTD) PERSONALLY ORDERED GOVERNOR KEFAS TO UPROOT THE ANCIENT STOOL OF UKWE TAKUM AND CREATE FIRST CLASS TRADITIONAL STOOL OUT OF THE BLUES FOR HIS CHAMBA ETHNIC GROUP IN TAKUM: 

It is, indeed, noteworthy that prior to the creation of the rotational First Class Stool of Takum Chiefdom, a precedence had already been set to resolve an age-long ethnic and chieftaincy conflict in Taraba State between the Mambilla and Fulani in Gembu, Sardauna local government area, several years ago by the State Government.  But what is most appalling is that the Kuteb spokesman and his fellow Kuteb elites have failed to accept the stark reality. They also failed to understand the fact that "The Taraba State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law, 2021 which was enacted by the previous administration has actually empowered the State Governor "to create new chiefdoms in the State, specify their respective compositions and may grade the office of a Chief as first, second or third class as may be appropriate and in accordance to the size and importance of such office." In addition, the defunct Benue/Plateau Government through the 1975 Gazette had already repealed the archaic 1963 Gazette which the Kuteb have held on in retrospect. Note that the 1975 Gazettem (now repealed) had also granted the Chamba families of Tikari and Dinyi eligibility to the throne of the First Class Takum Chiefdom.  But when the Kuteb felt aggrieved and challenged it up to Court of Appeal, Kaduna Division, in1979, the appellate court ruled that the Benue/Plateau Government did not act ultra vires by the repeal of the Legal Notice of 1963. The appellate court dismissed the case for lack of merit with costs in favour of the Attorney General of the defunct Benue/Plateau State and the old Wukari local government area. 

Therefore, if the foregoing historical perspective and the provisions of "The Taraba State Chiefs (Appointment and Deposition) Law, 2021 as well as recent establishment of one rotational First Class Chief and three Third Class chiefs in Takum by the Law No.01 of 2024 are anything to go by, then the action of Governor Agbu Kefas is most commendable and appropriate.

CONCLUSION:

By and large, it was in the interest of democracy, fairness and justice, that Governor Agbu Kefas was compelled to bring to an end the prolonged bloody imbroglio on the First Class Takum Chiefdom Stool. In fact, it would only take a courageous and pragmatic leader with tenacity and temerity like Governor Kefas to break such jinx. Kudos to Governor Agbu Kefas.

Finally, General T.Y Danjuma has remained the most respected General and a colossus in the history of Nigerian Military. He is also a towering figure in the business world both nationally and internationally. Therefore, no amount of campaign of calumny and cheap blackmail by Rikwense Muri, the mouthpiece of the Kuteb and his other co-travelers would tarnish the good and hard-earned image of Lieutenant General Theophelus Yakubu Danjuma. 

Signed: 

Mr. Nafinji Aboki, President, Jukun Youths and Cultural Development Association

Hon. Polycarp D. Ezekiel, President, Chamba Development Association

Mr. Theophelus Christopher, President Jibu Youths Forum

 Moses Adanwo Amankye, President Wanu Development Association