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Alhaji Baba Sarki, the nephew of General Zakariyya Maimalari, one of the victims of the January 1966 coup, recounts what took place. Sarki, who currently serves as the District Head of Maimalari village in Yusufari LGA of Yobe State, mentioned that the pain of losing Brig-Gen Maimalari goes well beyond initial grief, creating a lasting effect across generations within the family and the Maimalari community.

What do you know about Brig-Gen Maimalari?

I would like to introduce myself properly; I am the nephew of the late Brig-Gen Zakariyya Maimalari, and the son of his elder brother, Alhaji Barma Hassan.

Although I was not alive at the time of his assassination, my parents and senior members of the community have shared with us the sorrowful account of how he met his end.

Brig-Gen Maimalari hails from this village and completed his primary education in Nguru town, where he studied alongside the father of the current Emir of Machina, Mai Bukar. He later attended Maiduguri middle school, where he was classmates with Liman Chiroma, the elder brother of the late Adamu Ciroma.

Afterward, he moved to Barewa College in Zaria, and later joined the military, where his dedication and effort in the field set him apart from his peers.

At that time, he was one of the few Nigerians who studied at the Royal Academy in England. It was there that he formed a friendship with the father of King Muhammad of Morocco, and he was among the first Africans to attend the institution.

What oral or written records did you come across regarding Maimalari or the circumstances of his assassination?

I found out that Maimalari was a very brave individual who had deep love for his family. My father shared with me that, every time Maimalari traveled to Maiduguri or Sokoto, he would go through challenging landscapes to come to this village, talk with his parents and relatives, and stay overnight before heading to Maiduguri.

Additionally, as a prince and the son of the District Head of Maimalari, he ensured that every aspect of the palace was distinctive, bringing in exquisite items from the UK, Germany, and other overseas locations. The opportunity and status he enjoyed stemmed from his position with the UN peacekeeping mission. This role provided him with global exposure, allowing him to witness the very items he later presented to the king.

His first son, Abubakar Sadiq Maimalari, was born in Pakistan, but the naming ceremony took place in Maimalari. He is deeply attached to the village and has a strong passion for horse racing.

What did your parents share with you regarding the coup and his assassination?

We express gratitude to God that he nearly achieved the height of his military career before passing away. However, we discovered that even prior to the coup, he informed those around him, including Maitama Sule, to convey to the prime minister, Tafawa Balewa, that these individuals were plotting to overthrow the government, and the coup would not succeed unless they eliminated him.

Regrettably, they did not regard him with due seriousness; he even mentioned some soldiers who were once adversaries and had not spoken to one another, but at that moment, they became friends, sharing meals and drinks together in the barracks dining hall.

Our parents informed me that he cautioned the minister, stating it could only occur when they were working towards a shared objective, which was the coup.

Regrettably, in January 1966, the very individuals he had cautioned against invaded his family’s home in Lagos, firing shots and searching for him, yet he managed to flee with his bodyguard.

Regrettably, the soldiers he had confidence in, someone like Ifejuna, turned against him. He was heading to the Barracks when he spotted them in a military Land Rover, and he halted them, believing he would be secure, but was pursued and killed by the very soldiers he had trusted.

How did the neighborhood respond upon finding out that he had died?

Upon hearing the unfortunate news, the entire town was overwhelmed with sorrow. For more than a week, shops remained closed, and the whole community was in mourning. Indeed, people refused to depart from the district head’s residence.

Thank goodness he left a wife and three children. One of the sons, Waziri, passed away later, leaving Colonel Maimalari, who was the last military administrator in Jigawa state, and the only daughter, Amina Zakariyya, who is now residing in Kaduna.

How did the family manage to endure following his death?

They initially moved to Nguru following their father’s murder, but the then Nigerian president, Yakubu Gawon, ordered them to be transferred to Kaduna, where they were placed in school under the supervision of Brigadier General Abba Kyari.

As Muslims, we have faith in fate; no one can dispute what God has decreed to occur, yet a key member of this family has been lost.

What has altered in the lives of individuals within your neighborhood since the moment you experienced his loss?

He became famous, with a barracks named in his honor; however, what had the most negative impact on us was when people removed their children from Western education, as Maimalari was regarded as a role model at that time, only to be brutally killed by his own friends and colleagues.

Maimalari was the one who urged parents to send their children to school during that period. It required our father many years of negotiation to persuade them to go back to school.

The mattress that the current district head slept on in the bedroom was an Italian bed purchased by Maimalari from Italy.

Has anyone explained the cause of his assassination?

We were told that he was a trainer affiliated with the United Nations, and a former military leader who visited the family mentioned that the cause of his killing was a dispute regarding the deployment of Nigerian forces to Congo.

Zakariya was a soldier and trainer who instructed troops in Nigeria. Therefore, a proposal was presented to him regarding Nigeria’s involvement in Congo, and he requested his superiors that most Nigerian soldiers had only been trained in combat, not in peacekeeping operations.

He suggested that they should first undergo training in peacekeeping before being deployed to Congo. This was the beginning, and the hostility intensified, ultimately resulting in his death.

It was a significant loss for the village, as his affection for the community was immeasurable.

Do you recall any of his closest military friends visiting his family?

Indeed, the former presidents, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd) and General Olusegun Obasanjo (rtd), are closely connected to the family. I believe that even in his resting place, Zakariyya is delighted with these two individuals. They remain in contact with us and have shared many positive recollections they cherished with him.

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