The Tragic Story Of Emmanuel Ifeajuna Who Died By Facing A Firing Squad After Winning Gold At The Olympics.
Emmanuel Ifeajuna is one man that has continued to divide public opinion till today, born in 1935, he has the reputation of being the first African to win gold at the commonwealth Olympic games in Vancouver, Canada in 1954, he was a high jumper, it was reported that he won the gold at the Olympics without putting on his right shoe, upon his return to Nigeria, he proceeded to further his education and he met his wife Rose in the university, they got married and had two sons, without a doubt, Ifeajuna had a bright future ahead of him, but how did such a promising star die by facing a firing squad? continue reading to find out.
Most of you are quite aware of the notebook above, it was made in honor of Emmanuel Ifeajuna, I know lots of you might not be aware, but such was the magnitude of Ifeajuna’ s victory that he received a resounding welcome from Nigerians after striking gold at the Olympics, but along the line, he made some bad decisions that cost him his life.
Upon his return to Nigeria, Emmanuel joined the Nigerian army, because of his academic qualifications, he obtained the status of major within a short while as he quickly rose through the ranks, expressing his displeasure towards the Nigerian government, he joined a host of other soldiers to plot the country’s first coup, he joined Major Kaduna Nzeogwu and a host of others, it is also on record that it was Emmanuel Ifeajuna that arrested then prime minister Tafawa Balewa and a host of other top army officials, the coup proved abortive as Aguiyi Ironsi seized power, he had no choice than to escape to Neighboring Ghana.
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With the Nigerian civil war looming on the horizon, General Odumegwu Ojukwu invited Emmanuel to Nigeria after giving him assurances that his life is not at risk, upon his return, he enlisted and joined the Biafran Army who was already preparing for a war with the Nigerian government, within a short while, he fell out with Ojukwu who accused him and other top officials of treason, it was reported that Emmanuel speaks to Ojukwu as he pleases, he did not care about hierarchy because Ojukwu was his friend, after being accused of treason, his trial was hastily conducted and he was found guilty, he was taken to the stakes, tied and shot severally till he gave up the ghost, at the time of his death, the Nigerian troops were already closing in on the Biafrans, hence when he was about to be killed, his last words were ” You may kill me now, but I am afraid, it is too late, the Nigerians are already in your midst, it won’t be long before they get all of you”
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His story has continued to divide public opinion till this day, many people believe that Ojukwu executed Ifeajuna because he was scared of his potentials while others believe he deserve what he got, for those of the older generation who can relate to this, let us hear your opinion below as we promise to update more interesting historical stories.
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