Patrick Chukwuma “Kaduna” Nzeogwu wavutse ku itariki ya 26 Gahyantare 1937 agapfa ku itariki ya 29 Nyakanga 1967, yari umusirikare w’Umunyanijeriya n’impirimbanyi y’impinduramatwara wayoboye coup d’etat ya mbere ya gisirikare yahiritse Repubulika ya Mbere y’iki gihugu.
Patrick Chukwuma Nzeogwu yavukiye i Kaduna mu majyaruguru ya Nigeria ku babyeyi bo mu bwoko bwa Anioma mu mujyi wa Okpanam hafi ya Asaba muri Leta ya Delta y’ubu. Nzeogwu yize amashuri abanza ku Ishuri Ribanza ryitiriwe Mutagatifu Joseph, akomeza ayisumbuye kuri College Saint John muri Kaduna, aho yahuriye na Christian Anufuro tuza kugarukaho, baba inshuti zikomeye.
Muri Werurwe 1957, Nzeogwu yinjiye mu ishuri rya ba ofisiye muri Nigeria Regiment of the West African Frontier Force nyuma amara amezi atandatu mu myitozo yibanze muri Ghana. Yasoje amasomo ye muri Ghana u Kwakira 1957, akomereza muri Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst mu Bwongereza arangiza mu bijyanye n’intambara yo ku butaka mu 1959.
Nyuma yakomeje amasomo ya platoon commander muri Warminster. Umuhanga mu by’amateka ya gisirikare yasobanuye Nzeogwu nk’Umugaturika ukomeye, utanywa inzoga n’itabi, kandi utarirukankaga inyuma y’igitsinagore nubwo yari akiri umusore.
Imirimo ya gisirikare
Asubiye muri Nigeria muri Gicurasi 1960, Nzeogwu yoherejwe muri Batayo ya mbere yakoreraga muri Enugu, aho Major Aguiyi-Ironsi yari komanda wungirije muzungu w’Umwongereza. Nyuma yoherejwe gukorera muri Batayo ya gatanu muri Kaduna, aho yahuriye na Olusegun Obasanjo bakaba inshuti. Bagezi be bo mu bwoko bwa Hausa mu gisirikare cya Nigeria ni bo bamuhimbye “Kaduna” kubera ko ari ho yavukaga.
Nyuma yo gukorera muri Congo mu 1961, Nzeogwu yoherejwe gutoz abandi basirikare mu kigo cya gisirikare cya Zaria, ahamara amezi atandatu, mbere yo koherezwa i Lagos kuyobora section y’ubutasi bwa gisirikare ku cyicaro cy’ingabo, aho ari we ofisiye wa mbere w’Umunyanijeriya wari uhakoreye.
Icyabanjirije urwego rushinzwe ubutasi mu gisirikare cya Nigeria (NAIC) ni ishami rishinzwe umutekano ku rugamba (FSS) ry’ingabo z’ubwami bwa Nigeria, ryashinzwe ku ya 1 Ugushyingo 1962, Capt. PG Harrington (BR) aba umuyobozi mukuru w’icyiciro cya kabiri (GSO2 Int). FSS ahanini yari urwego rw’umutekano mu nshingano zaryo harimo kugenzura abasirikare ba Nijeriya (NA), umutekano no gukumira ubutasi.
Major Nzeogwu yabaye Umunyanijeriya wa mbere wahawe inshingano zo kuyobora uru rwego kuva mu 1962 kugeza mu 1964. Nk’umusirikare mukuru wari ushinzwe ubutasi, yagize uruhare mu iperereza muri dosiye y’ubugambanyi bwashinjwaga Obafemi Awolowo n’abandi bantu bo mu ishyaka Action Group.
Nk’uko Olusegun Obasanjo yabitangaje, “Chukwuma yavuze amagambo ateye ubwoba avuga ku bijyanye n’umutekano w’igihugu cya Nigeria, ndetse no ku bari barimo gukorwaho iperereza. Iyo abigeraho , yavuze ko iyo ashingwa iyi dosiye ibyari kuvamo byari kuba bitandukanye.
Bivugwa ko Nzeogwu yagonganishije bamwe mu basirikare bagenzi binyuze mu nshingano ze nk’ushinzwe ubutasi bwa gisirikare, ndetse ngo akanagirana amakimbirane na minisitiri w’ingabo, Ibrahim Tako, bimuviramo koherezwa ku Ishuri rya gisirikare rya Kaduna, aho yongeye kuba umwarimu utoza abandi basirikare.
Coup d’etat ya mbere muri Nigeria mu 1966
Itegurwa
Itegurwa ry’iri hirika rya Repubulika ya mbere ya Nigeria ryatangiriye imbere mu gatsiko k’abasirikare bize kaminuza bakiri bato bateguraga impinduramatwara ya gisirikare binyuze mu gufata ubutegesi mu mirwa mikuru nka Kaduna y’Intara y’Amajyaruguru na Ibadan mu Ntara y’Iburengerazuba, nyuma bagafata Lagos, umurwa mukuru w’igihugu cyose.
Nzeogu yashinzwe kuyobora impinduramatwara mu majyaruguru ahereye ku itariki ya 15 Mutarama 1966, nyuma hakazakurikira ibindi byiciro nka Operation Kura, Operation Zaki na Operation Giwa.
Nzeogwu yari yatangiye imyiteguro ye ategura imyitozo y’iminsi ibiri ya nijoro yiswe “Operation Damisa” atoza abasirikare uburyo bushya bw’imirwanire. Iyi myitozo yari yemewe n’ubuyobozi bwa Brigade ya 1 y’ingabo z’igihugu, ariko itazi mu by’ukuri icyo Nzeogwu yari agambiriye ndetse umuyobozi wa Brigade, Major Alphonso Keshi, yari yohereje ubutumwa mu mitwe yose ibarizwa muri iyi brigade ngo igire uruhare mu gutuma imyitozo igenda neza.
Nyuma Major Keshi yaje kuvumbura ko “Operation Damisa” ahubwo ari ubugambanyi bwa gisirikare ariko atakibashije kubihagarika.
Ishyirwa mu bikorwa rya coup d’etat
Mu rukerera rwo ku itariki ya 15 Mutarama 1966, Nzeogwu yayoboye itsinda ry’abasirikare avuga ko bagiye mu mytozo, ahubwo abajyana kugaba igitero ku wari minisitiri w’intebe w’amajyaruguru, Sr Ahmadou Bello, muri coup d’etat yamennye amaraso menshi yaguyemo ba minisitiri b’intebe b’Amajyaruguru n’uburengerazuba bya Nigeria icyo gihe ubu bigabanyijemo leta zitandukanye.
Minisitiri w’intebe Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, minisitiri ku rwego rw’igihugu, Festus Okotie-Eboh, na bamwe mu basirikare bakuru bavuka mu majyaruguru n’uburengerazuba nabo bishwe urupfu rubi. Minisitiri w’intebe w’intara y’Uburasirazuba, Micheal Okpara, Perezida wa Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe, wakuwe ku butegetsi, n’Umuyobozi w’ingabo muri Igbo, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi ni bo barokotse.
Raporo y’ishami ry’igipolisi kidasanzwe cya Nigeria ivuga ko Nzeogwu yishe nibura abasirikare n’abapolisi 4 barimo umwe mu bagabo bari mu ikipe ye (Sgt Daramola Oyegoke). Nzeogwu yagize kandi uruhare mu iyicwa rya Col. Raph Shodeinde, wari umuyobozi we mukuru mu kigo cy’imyitozo ya gisirikare cya Nigeria kandi bivugwa ko yarashe mu buryo butarobanura ku bagore n’abana bahungaga.
Nyuma yo gutegereza itangazo rya mu gitondo kuri radiyo ryatanzwe na Major Adewale Ademoyega i Lagos, ritatambutse kubera ko ihirikwa ry’ubutegetsi i Lagos ryapfubye, Major Nzeogwu yasohoye itangazo ku gicamunsi, atangaza ibihe bidasanzwe mu majyaruguru ya Nigeria.
Itabwa muri yombi
Nyuma y’itangazo rya Kaduna, n’amakuru yavugaga ko Nzeogwu arimo gukusanya ingabo zo gutera Lagos ibintu byashobokaga cyane muri kiriya gihe, Umuyobozi w’ingabo, Maj. Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi yohereje intumwa ziyobowe n’umugabo Maj. Nzeogwu yubahaga cyane, Lt. Col. Conrad Nwawo, i Kaduna kugira ngo baganire ku biganiro by’amahoro na Maj. Nzeogwu ndetse no kwitanga kwe bishobotse.
Maj. Nzeogwu yashyizeho ibisabwa Gen. Ironsi yemeye. Aguyi Ironsi yafashe ubutegetsi, Nzeogwu nyuma aza gufatirwa i Lagos ku ya 18 Mutarama 1966 binyuranyije n’amasezerano yari yamaze kugirana na Ironsi. Yafungiwe muri gereza irinzwe cyane ya Kirikiri i Lagos mbere yo kwimurirwa muri gereza ya Aba mu karere k’iburasirazuba aza kurekurwa muri Werurwe 1967 na guverineri w’akarere k’iburasirazuba wanaje kuba Perezida wa Biafra, Chukwuemeka Ojukwu.
Intambara hagati y’abaturage n’urupfu rwe
Ku itariki ya 30 Gicurasi 1967, Biafra yatangaje ubwigenge bwayo ishaka kwitandukanya na Nigeria bitewe n’ubwicanyi bwakorerwaga abaturage bo mu bwoko bwa Igbo mu majyaruguru ya Nigeria no kuba umukuru w’igihugu w’icyo ghe w’umusirikare, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, yaranze kohereza ingabo zo guhagarika ubwicanyi.
Ku ya 29 yakanga 1967, Nzeogwu, wari ugeze ku ipeti rya Lt. Colonel ku ruhande rw’abashakaga ubwigenge bwa Biafra, yaguye mu mutego (ambush) hafi ya Nsukka, ubwo yari mu gikorwa cya reconnaissance nijoro ashaka gukumira ingabo za leta zari ziyobowe na Capt. Mohammed Inuwa Wushishi wo muri Batayo ya 21.
Yiciwe mu mirwano yakurikiye umurambo we uramenyekana, ariko mushiki we yemeza ko yiyahuye kugirango atazagaraguzwa agati n’ingabo za leta. Nyuma yo gutsindwa kwa Biafra, Perezida Gen. Yakubu Gowon yatanze amabwiriza yo kumushyingura mu irimbi rya gisirikare muri Kaduna kandi mu byubahiro bye byose nk’umusirikare.
Umurage
Bamwe bemeza ko Nzeogwu yari impirimbanyi y’impinduramatwara ariko ibikorwa bye hamwe n’abandi bagambiriye guhirika ubutegetsi ku ya 15 Mutarama 1966 byagize uruhare runini kuri guverinoma ya Nigeria yatowe binyuze mu nzira ya demokarasi. Ihirikwa ry’ubutegetsi ryatumye abayobozi bakuru ba leta bicwa kandi biharura inzira y’imyaka 13 y’ubutegetsi bwa gisirikare (1966 kugeza 1979), mbere y’uko ubutegetsi busubira mu maboko y’abasivili kuva mu 1979 kugeza mu 1983, bukongera na none kwigarurirwa n’abasirikare mu myaka 16 kugeza mu 1999.
