Remi Fani-Kayode
Encyclopedia
Victor Babaremilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode (nicknamed "Fani-Power"), Q.C., S.A.N
, C.O.N (1921–1995) was a leading Nigerian politician
, aristocrat
, nationalist, statesman
and lawyer
. He was elected Deputy Premier of the Western Region of Nigeria
in 1963 and he played a major role in Nigeria's legal history and politics from the late 1940s right up until 1995. He hailed from a prominent and well educated Yoruba
family who are of Ife
stock from south-western Nigeria. His grandfather Rev. Emmanuel Adedapo Kayode was an Anglican Priest who had got his Master of Arts
(Durham
) degree from Fourah Bay College
which at that time was part of Durham University
in 1885 and his father Victor Adedapo Kayode studied law and graduated from Cambridge University in 1921, was called to the British Bar (Middle Temple
) in 1922 and went on to become a prominent lawyer and then a judge in Nigeria
. His mother was Mrs. Aurora Kayode (née Fanimokun) who was the daughter of the respected Rev. Joseph Fanimokun who had also been an Anglican priest, who had also got his Master of Arts
(Durham
) degree from Fourah Bay College
and who later became the Principal of the famous CMS Grammer School in Lagos from 1896 to 1914. This was a missionary school that was founded by Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther
.
In July 1958 he successfully moved the motion for Nigeria's independence in the Federal House of Assembly. He argued that independence should take place on April 2, 1960 (the minutes of Hansard
, 1958; Richard Sklar's "Nigeria's political parties:Power in an Emergent African Nation",World Press,p6.269; pg269;Professor Onabamiro's "Glimpses in Nigeria's History" pg140). In 1959 there was a further motion that was moved in the Nigerian Parliament asking for a slight amendment to the Fani-Kayode motion of July 1958. This new motion, which was moved by Sir Tafawa Balewa, asked that the April 2, 1960 date for independence which had already been accepted and approved by Parliament and which had been acquiesed to by the British colonial authorities, should be shifted from April 2 of the same year to October 1 instead. This motion of amendment was passed and approved by Parliament and it was acquiesed to by the British and that is how the date for Nigeria's independence, October 1, 1960, was finally arrived at.
, Remilekun Fani-Kayode went to Cambridge University (Downing College) in 1941 after which he did the British Bar examinations where he came top in his year for the whole of the British Commonwealth. He was called to The British Bar at Middle Temple
in 1945 and he went on to be appointed Queens Counsel (Q.C.) in 1960 (he was the third and youngest Nigerian ever to be made Q.C) and later Senior Advocate of Nigeria
(SAN) in 1977 (he was the third Nigerian to be made a SAN). He set up the first indigenous Nigerian law firm in 1948 with Chief Frederick Rotimi Williams
and Chief Bode Thomas
who were also both lawyers who had been trained at Cambridge and London University respectively. The law firm was called "Thomas, Williams and Kayode". In 1970 he established another law firm called "Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo" with his old friend and partner Chief Sobo Sowemimo, S.A.N.
and a number of others, were all detained by the British colonial authorities for the very active and passionate role that they played in the struggle against the British. He was elected the leader of the Action Group
youth wing in 1954. He set up a youth wing for the party who wore "black shirts" and used the "mosquito" as their emblem in order to reflect their disdain for British colonial rule. Again, in 1954, the Oloye Fani-Kayode was elected into the Federal House of Assembly on the platform of Chief Obafemi Awolowo
's Action Group
and he continued his fight for Nigeria's Independence from there. He was the Assistant Federal Secretary of the Action Group and in that respect played a pivotal role, with the Federal Secretary, the late Chief Ayo Rosiji
, in the organisation and administration of the Action Group
. He, alongside Chief Awolowo, S. O. Ighodaro, E. O. Eyo, Adeyemi Lawson and S. G. Ikoku, represented the Action Group at the 1957 London Constitutional Conference. In 1957 he led the team of Action Group lawyers who represented and fought for the people of the Northern minorities at the Willinks minorities Commission in their quest for the creation of a middle belt region which would have been carved out of the old Northern Region of Nigeria
. In July 1958 he successfully moved the motion for Nigeria's independence in the Federal House of Assembly (the minutes of Hansard, 1958; pg269; Professor Onabamiro's "Perspectives on Nigeria's History" pg140).
In 1959 Remilekun Fani-Kayode resigned from the Action Group
and joined the (N. C. N. C
) National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
, an opposition party. In 1960 he was elected the leader of the N. C. N. C
party in the Western House of Assembly. In 1963 he was elected Deputy Premier of the old Western Region of Nigeria
under Chief Samuel Akintola
on the platform of the Nigerian National Democratic Party
. He was also appointed Minister of Local Government Affairs for the Western Region in that same year. In the early hours of the morning of January 15, 1966 Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, a Nigerian Army officer of Igbo
extraction, attempted to effect the first military coup d'état in the history of Nigeria. The attempt, though ultimately unsuccessful, resulted in a lot of bloodshed and many senior members of the ruling party, the military and the government of the day were brutally killed. Early that morning the coupists, under the command of Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, attacked and stormed the home of Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the Western Region. Fani-Kayode was brutalised by the mutineers in front of his whole family and in the presence of his son Femi Fani-Kayode
who was to become Nigeria's Minister of Aviation
40 years later
. He was then whisked away by them to an unknown destination. After leaving Fani-Kayode's home the mutineers, with Fani-Kayode in their custody, went to the Ibadan
home of Chief S.L. Akintola, who was Premier of the Western Region, stormed his house as well and murdered him in front of his whole family. They also wounded his grandson and daughter-in-law. Chief Fani-Kayode personally witnessed the killing of his friend S.L. Akintola by the mutineers and from there he was taken to the military cantonment in Lagos
where he was also scheduled to be executed by them. However, luckily for him, on arrival at the Ikeja
military cantonment in Lagos
the mutineers were overpowered, overwhelmed and killed by loyalist troops under the command of Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon
(who later became Nigeria's Head of State). Fani-Kayode was freed by the loyalists and kept by them in a safe house until law and order was restored in the country. The coup attempt was effectively quelled by the loyalist forces and all it's ringleaders were either killed or captured and detained. Out of all the key government officials and senior military figures that were attacked in their homes and that were apprehended by the mutineers and coup plotters that night, including Sir Ahmadu Bello
(the Premier of the Northern Region), Sir Tafawa Balewa (the Prime Minister), Chief Okotie-Eboh
(the Minister of Finance), General Maimalari (the Chief of Army Staff), Brigadier Ademulegun(Commander of the Northern Garrison) and so many others, Chief Remi Fani- Kayode, together with Sir Kashim Ibrahim
(the Governor of the Northern Region) were the only ones that were not killed. General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
himself took over power from the remnants of the Tafawa Balewa government on January 16 the day after successfully foiling Major Nzeogwu's mutiny and violent coup attempt. He then assumed the position of the Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces. However a few months later he himself was toppled in a successful northern coup d'état which was effected on July 29, 1966 and which was led by Lt. Col. Murtala Mohammed
and Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon
(as they then were). During the coup General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
was arrested in Ibadan
, together with his host General Adekunle Fajuyi
, by northern soldiers under the command of Major Theophilus Danjuma
(as he then was). Both men were then whisked away and taken to a road side bush where they were both stripped naked and shot. Such was the brutality of the northern "revenge" coup of July 29, 1966 that no less than 300 Igbo
army officers and non-commissioned officers were killed. This was due to the fact that, amongst a number of other grievances, the northern officers were of the view that General Aguiyi-Ironsi
had been far too lenient with Major Nzeogwu and his fellow mutineers after the January 15 Igbo coup attempt in which many northern (Hausa
- Fulani) and western (Yoruba) political leaders and senior military officers had been brutally murdered. The suspicion by the northern officers that there was some kind of collusion and understanding between the Nzeogwu group and General Aguiyi-Ironsi was further fuelled by the fact that Aguiyi-Ironsi himself was of Igbo ethnic stock. Interestingly 40 years after his murder Aguiyi-Ironsi's son, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi
, was to become Nigeria's Minister of Defence
and ironically he took over that position from General Theophilus Danjuma
, the man that had killed his father 40 years earlier. Many have said that the seeds of the northern officer's counter-coup of July 1966, which witnessed the killings of General Aguiyi-Ironsi
and many other officers of mainly Igbo extraction and which eventually led to the Nigerian civil war itself were planted on that fateful night of January 15 by the bloodletting of Major Nzeogwu and his men, most of whom were of Igbo
extraction. After the first ever attempted military coup in Nigeria on January 15, 1966 Remilekun Fani-Kayode together with a number of other notable figures were all detained by the military government of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
. They were later released. In July 1966, after the northern counter-coup,led by Lt. Col. Murtala Muhammed, Major Theophilus Danjuma
and after Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon
became Nigeria's Head of State, Remilekun Fani-Kayode left Nigeria with his whole family and moved to the seaside resort town of Brighton
in south eastern England. They set up home and lived there in exile, for many years. In 1978 he was one of those that founded and pioneered the National Party of Nigeria
(N. P. N). In 1979 he was elected to the position of the National Vice Chairman of that party and in recognition of his contribution to national development he was conferred with the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (C. O. N) by President Shehu Shagari
. From 1990 until 1994 he was a member of the elders caucus of the National Republican Convention
(N.R.C), one of the two political parties set up by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida
during Nigeria's third republic. After the annulment of Chief Moshood Abiola
's presidential election on June 12, 1993, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode was one of those who openly wrote about and spoke out strongly against the annulment. He even went to court over the issue. In 1994 the government of General Sanni Abacha appointed him into the Justice Kayode Eso panel of inquiry which effectively probed and helped to sanitise the Nigerian judiciary and rid it of corrupt judges.
, Femi Fani-Kayode
, Mrs. Toyin Bajela and Mrs. Tolu Fanning. Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode also had four other children: Mrs. Aina Ogunbe, Mrs. Remi Nana Akuffo-Addo (they were later divorced),Tokunbo Fani-Kayode and Ladipo Fani-Kayode.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Senior Advocate of Nigeria is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession...
, C.O.N (1921–1995) was a leading Nigerian politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, nationalist, statesman
Statesman
A statesman is usually a politician or other notable public figure who has had a long and respected career in politics or government at the national and international level. As a term of respect, it is usually left to supporters or commentators to use the term...
and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
. He was elected Deputy Premier of the Western Region of Nigeria
Western Region, Nigeria
The Western Region was a subdivision of the federation of Nigeria until 1967. Its capital was at Ibadan.It was established in the 1930s under British rule as a subdivision of the Southern Nigeria colony...
in 1963 and he played a major role in Nigeria's legal history and politics from the late 1940s right up until 1995. He hailed from a prominent and well educated Yoruba
Yoruba people
The Yoruba people are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. The majority of the Yoruba speak the Yoruba language...
family who are of Ife
Ife
Ife is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. Evidence of inhabitation at the site has been discovered to date back to roughly 560 BC...
stock from south-western Nigeria. His grandfather Rev. Emmanuel Adedapo Kayode was an Anglican Priest who had got his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
) degree from Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
which at that time was part of Durham University
Durham University
The University of Durham, commonly known as Durham University, is a university in Durham, England. It was founded by Act of Parliament in 1832 and granted a Royal Charter in 1837...
in 1885 and his father Victor Adedapo Kayode studied law and graduated from Cambridge University in 1921, was called to the British Bar (Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
) in 1922 and went on to become a prominent lawyer and then a judge in Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. His mother was Mrs. Aurora Kayode (née Fanimokun) who was the daughter of the respected Rev. Joseph Fanimokun who had also been an Anglican priest, who had also got his Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
(Durham
Durham
Durham is a city in north east England. It is within the County Durham local government district, and is the county town of the larger ceremonial county...
) degree from Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College
Fourah Bay College is the oldest university college in West Africa. It is located atop Mount Aureol in Freetown, Sierra Leone...
and who later became the Principal of the famous CMS Grammer School in Lagos from 1896 to 1914. This was a missionary school that was founded by Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther
Samuel Ajayi Crowther
Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther was a linguist and the first African Anglican bishop in Nigeria. Born in Osogun , Rev. Dr...
.
In July 1958 he successfully moved the motion for Nigeria's independence in the Federal House of Assembly. He argued that independence should take place on April 2, 1960 (the minutes of Hansard
Hansard
Hansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.-Origins:...
, 1958; Richard Sklar's "Nigeria's political parties:Power in an Emergent African Nation",World Press,p6.269; pg269;Professor Onabamiro's "Glimpses in Nigeria's History" pg140). In 1959 there was a further motion that was moved in the Nigerian Parliament asking for a slight amendment to the Fani-Kayode motion of July 1958. This new motion, which was moved by Sir Tafawa Balewa, asked that the April 2, 1960 date for independence which had already been accepted and approved by Parliament and which had been acquiesed to by the British colonial authorities, should be shifted from April 2 of the same year to October 1 instead. This motion of amendment was passed and approved by Parliament and it was acquiesed to by the British and that is how the date for Nigeria's independence, October 1, 1960, was finally arrived at.
Early life
After finishing at King's College, LagosKing's College, Lagos
King's College, Lagos is a secondary school in Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria. It was founded on 20 September 1909 with 10 students on its original site at Lagos Island, adjacent to Tafawa Balewa Square. The school admits male students only, although there were some female HSC students before the...
, Remilekun Fani-Kayode went to Cambridge University (Downing College) in 1941 after which he did the British Bar examinations where he came top in his year for the whole of the British Commonwealth. He was called to The British Bar at Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1945 and he went on to be appointed Queens Counsel (Q.C.) in 1960 (he was the third and youngest Nigerian ever to be made Q.C) and later Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Senior Advocate of Nigeria
Senior Advocate of Nigeria is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeria of not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished themselves in the legal profession...
(SAN) in 1977 (he was the third Nigerian to be made a SAN). He set up the first indigenous Nigerian law firm in 1948 with Chief Frederick Rotimi Williams
Frederick Rotimi Williams
Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams, QC, SAN was a prominent Nigerian lawyer who was the first Nigerian to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. In the 1950s, he was a member of the Action Group and subsequently became the minister for local government and Justice...
and Chief Bode Thomas
Bode Thomas
Bode Thomas was a Nigerian politician, statesman and traditional aristocrat. A Yoruba tribesman, Thomas served with distinction as both a colonial minister of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria and a nobleman and privy counsellor of the historic Oyo clan of Yorubaland at a time when his native...
who were also both lawyers who had been trained at Cambridge and London University respectively. The law firm was called "Thomas, Williams and Kayode". In 1970 he established another law firm called "Fani-Kayode and Sowemimo" with his old friend and partner Chief Sobo Sowemimo, S.A.N.
Political career
Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode played a major role in the struggle for Nigeria's Independence. In 1952 he, together with Rotimi Williams, Bode ThomasBode Thomas
Bode Thomas was a Nigerian politician, statesman and traditional aristocrat. A Yoruba tribesman, Thomas served with distinction as both a colonial minister of the Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria and a nobleman and privy counsellor of the historic Oyo clan of Yorubaland at a time when his native...
and a number of others, were all detained by the British colonial authorities for the very active and passionate role that they played in the struggle against the British. He was elected the leader of the Action Group
Action group
In sociology and anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized collective action....
youth wing in 1954. He set up a youth wing for the party who wore "black shirts" and used the "mosquito" as their emblem in order to reflect their disdain for British colonial rule. Again, in 1954, the Oloye Fani-Kayode was elected into the Federal House of Assembly on the platform of Chief Obafemi Awolowo
Obafemi Awolowo
Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowo was a Nigerian politician, trade unionist, author and statesman. A Yoruba and native of Ikenne in Ogun State of Nigeria, he started his career as a regional political leader like most of his pre-independence contemporaries and was responsible for much of the progressive...
's Action Group
Action group
In sociology and anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized collective action....
and he continued his fight for Nigeria's Independence from there. He was the Assistant Federal Secretary of the Action Group and in that respect played a pivotal role, with the Federal Secretary, the late Chief Ayo Rosiji
Ayo Rosiji
Ayotunde Rosiji was a Nigerian politician, statesman and former Minister for Health and Minister of Information. He was born in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on the 24th of February 1917, to the family of an Egba policeman. He attended the Christ Church Primary School, Abeokuta, for primary education and...
, in the organisation and administration of the Action Group
Action group
In sociology and anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized collective action....
. He, alongside Chief Awolowo, S. O. Ighodaro, E. O. Eyo, Adeyemi Lawson and S. G. Ikoku, represented the Action Group at the 1957 London Constitutional Conference. In 1957 he led the team of Action Group lawyers who represented and fought for the people of the Northern minorities at the Willinks minorities Commission in their quest for the creation of a middle belt region which would have been carved out of the old Northern Region of Nigeria
Northern Region, Nigeria
The Northern Region was one of Nigeria's federal divisions. It was created before independence in 1960, with its capital at Kaduna. In 1962 it acquired the territory of the British Northern Cameroons, who had voted to become part of Nigeria....
. In July 1958 he successfully moved the motion for Nigeria's independence in the Federal House of Assembly (the minutes of Hansard, 1958; pg269; Professor Onabamiro's "Perspectives on Nigeria's History" pg140).
In 1959 Remilekun Fani-Kayode resigned from the Action Group
Action group
In sociology and anthropology, an action group or task group is a group of people joined temporarily to accomplish some task or take part in some organized collective action....
and joined the (N. C. N. C
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons , was a Nigerian political party from 1944 to 1966. The name included 'Cameroons' because Cameroon had become an administrative part of Nigeria in 1945. Cameroon had been a colonial territory of Germany...
) National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons , was a Nigerian political party from 1944 to 1966. The name included 'Cameroons' because Cameroon had become an administrative part of Nigeria in 1945. Cameroon had been a colonial territory of Germany...
, an opposition party. In 1960 he was elected the leader of the N. C. N. C
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons
National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons , was a Nigerian political party from 1944 to 1966. The name included 'Cameroons' because Cameroon had become an administrative part of Nigeria in 1945. Cameroon had been a colonial territory of Germany...
party in the Western House of Assembly. In 1963 he was elected Deputy Premier of the old Western Region of Nigeria
Western Region, Nigeria
The Western Region was a subdivision of the federation of Nigeria until 1967. Its capital was at Ibadan.It was established in the 1930s under British rule as a subdivision of the Southern Nigeria colony...
under Chief Samuel Akintola
Samuel Akintola
Samuel Ládòkè Akíntọ́lá or "S.L.A." was a Nigerian politician, lawyer, aristocrat and orator who was born in Ogbomosho, south west Nigeria...
on the platform of the Nigerian National Democratic Party
Nigerian National Democratic Party
The Nigerian National Democratic Party , was Nigeria's first political party.Formed in 1923 by Herbert Macaulay to take advantage of the new Clifford Constitution, the NNDP successfully organized various Yoruba interest groups into a single group that was able to compete politically...
. He was also appointed Minister of Local Government Affairs for the Western Region in that same year. In the early hours of the morning of January 15, 1966 Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, a Nigerian Army officer of Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
extraction, attempted to effect the first military coup d'état in the history of Nigeria. The attempt, though ultimately unsuccessful, resulted in a lot of bloodshed and many senior members of the ruling party, the military and the government of the day were brutally killed. Early that morning the coupists, under the command of Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi, attacked and stormed the home of Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, the Deputy Premier of the Western Region. Fani-Kayode was brutalised by the mutineers in front of his whole family and in the presence of his son Femi Fani-Kayode
Femi Fani-Kayode
David Oluwafemi Adewunmi Abdulateef Fani-Kayode is a Nigerian politician, essayist, poet and lawyer. He is a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party . He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 16 October 1960 to Chief Victor Babaremilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode and to Chief Adia Adunni...
who was to become Nigeria's Minister of Aviation
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
40 years later
. He was then whisked away by them to an unknown destination. After leaving Fani-Kayode's home the mutineers, with Fani-Kayode in their custody, went to the Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
home of Chief S.L. Akintola, who was Premier of the Western Region, stormed his house as well and murdered him in front of his whole family. They also wounded his grandson and daughter-in-law. Chief Fani-Kayode personally witnessed the killing of his friend S.L. Akintola by the mutineers and from there he was taken to the military cantonment in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
where he was also scheduled to be executed by them. However, luckily for him, on arrival at the Ikeja
Ikeja
Ikeja is an outer-ring suburb of the city of Lagos and capital of Lagos State. It is also one of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Areas . The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located there...
military cantonment in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
the mutineers were overpowered, overwhelmed and killed by loyalist troops under the command of Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
(who later became Nigeria's Head of State). Fani-Kayode was freed by the loyalists and kept by them in a safe house until law and order was restored in the country. The coup attempt was effectively quelled by the loyalist forces and all it's ringleaders were either killed or captured and detained. Out of all the key government officials and senior military figures that were attacked in their homes and that were apprehended by the mutineers and coup plotters that night, including Sir Ahmadu Bello
Ahmadu Bello
Sir Ahmadu Bello was a Nigerian politician, and was the first premier of the Northern Nigeria region from 1954-1966. He was one of the prominent leaders in Northern Nigeria alongside Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, both of whom were prominent in negotiations about the region's place in an independent...
(the Premier of the Northern Region), Sir Tafawa Balewa (the Prime Minister), Chief Okotie-Eboh
Festus Okotie-Eboh
Festus Okotie-Eboh was a prominent and flamboyant Nigerian politician and former minister for finance during the administration of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Born to an Itsekiri Chief, in a town along the Benin River, he attended the Baptist School, Sapele for secondary education. He later joined the...
(the Minister of Finance), General Maimalari (the Chief of Army Staff), Brigadier Ademulegun(Commander of the Northern Garrison) and so many others, Chief Remi Fani- Kayode, together with Sir Kashim Ibrahim
Kashim Ibrahim
Shettima Kashim Ibrahim was a Kanuri politician who was head of the Native Administration in Borno and was a minister for Social Services in the 1950s...
(the Governor of the Northern Region) were the only ones that were not killed. General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
himself took over power from the remnants of the Tafawa Balewa government on January 16 the day after successfully foiling Major Nzeogwu's mutiny and violent coup attempt. He then assumed the position of the Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces. However a few months later he himself was toppled in a successful northern coup d'état which was effected on July 29, 1966 and which was led by Lt. Col. Murtala Mohammed
Murtala Mohammed
General Murtala Ramat Mohammed born was a military ruler of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.-Role during 1960s coups:...
and Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
(as they then were). During the coup General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
was arrested in Ibadan
Ibadan
Ibadan is the capital city of Oyo State and the third largest metropolitan area in Nigeria, after Lagos and Kano, with a population of 1,338,659 according to the 2006 census. Ibadan is also the largest metropolitan geographical area...
, together with his host General Adekunle Fajuyi
Adekunle Fajuyi
Francis Adekunle Fajuyi, BEM was the first military governor of the former Western Region, Nigeria. Originally a clerk, the late Lt. Colonel Francis Adekunle Fajuyi of Ado Ekiti joined the Army in 1943 as a Non Commissioned Officer, and he was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1951 for helping...
, by northern soldiers under the command of Major Theophilus Danjuma
Theophilus Danjuma
General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc is a Nigerian Jukun soldier, politician and billionaire businessman. He was Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1979. He was formerly Minister of Defence under Olusegun Obasanjo...
(as he then was). Both men were then whisked away and taken to a road side bush where they were both stripped naked and shot. Such was the brutality of the northern "revenge" coup of July 29, 1966 that no less than 300 Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
army officers and non-commissioned officers were killed. This was due to the fact that, amongst a number of other grievances, the northern officers were of the view that General Aguiyi-Ironsi
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
had been far too lenient with Major Nzeogwu and his fellow mutineers after the January 15 Igbo coup attempt in which many northern (Hausa
Hausa people
The Hausa are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa. They are a Sahelian people chiefly located in northern Nigeria and southeastern Niger, but having significant numbers living in regions of Cameroon, Ghana, Cote d'Ivoire, Chad and Sudan...
- Fulani) and western (Yoruba) political leaders and senior military officers had been brutally murdered. The suspicion by the northern officers that there was some kind of collusion and understanding between the Nzeogwu group and General Aguiyi-Ironsi was further fuelled by the fact that Aguiyi-Ironsi himself was of Igbo ethnic stock. Interestingly 40 years after his murder Aguiyi-Ironsi's son, Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi
Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi
Thomas "Tom" Aguiyi-Ironsi is a former Minister of Defence of Nigeria. He is the son of former military leader Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and was the ambassador to Togo before former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed him to succeed Roland Oritsejafor as Defence Minister...
, was to become Nigeria's Minister of Defence
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and ironically he took over that position from General Theophilus Danjuma
Theophilus Danjuma
General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc is a Nigerian Jukun soldier, politician and billionaire businessman. He was Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1979. He was formerly Minister of Defence under Olusegun Obasanjo...
, the man that had killed his father 40 years earlier. Many have said that the seeds of the northern officer's counter-coup of July 1966, which witnessed the killings of General Aguiyi-Ironsi
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
and many other officers of mainly Igbo extraction and which eventually led to the Nigerian civil war itself were planted on that fateful night of January 15 by the bloodletting of Major Nzeogwu and his men, most of whom were of Igbo
Igbo people
Igbo people, also referred to as the Ibo, Ebo, Eboans or Heebo are an ethnic group living chiefly in southeastern Nigeria. They speak Igbo, which includes various Igboid languages and dialects; today, a majority of them speak English alongside Igbo as a result of British colonialism...
extraction. After the first ever attempted military coup in Nigeria on January 15, 1966 Remilekun Fani-Kayode together with a number of other notable figures were all detained by the military government of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi
Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi was a Nigerian soldier. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from January 16, 1966 until he was overthrown and killed on July 29, 1966 by a group of northern army officers who revolted against the government.- Early life :Thomas Umunnakwe...
. They were later released. In July 1966, after the northern counter-coup,led by Lt. Col. Murtala Muhammed, Major Theophilus Danjuma
Theophilus Danjuma
General Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma GCON FSS psc is a Nigerian Jukun soldier, politician and billionaire businessman. He was Nigerian Army Chief of Army Staff from July 1975 to October 1979. He was formerly Minister of Defence under Olusegun Obasanjo...
and after Lt. Col. Yakubu Gowon
Yakubu Gowon
General Yakubu "Jack" Dan-Yumma Gowon was the head of state of Nigeria from 1966 to 1975. He took power after one military coup d'etat and was overthrown in another...
became Nigeria's Head of State, Remilekun Fani-Kayode left Nigeria with his whole family and moved to the seaside resort town of Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
in south eastern England. They set up home and lived there in exile, for many years. In 1978 he was one of those that founded and pioneered the National Party of Nigeria
National Party of Nigeria
The National Party of Nigeria was the dominant political party in Nigeria during the Second Republic .-Formation:The party's beginning could be traced to private and sometimes secret meetings among key Northern Nigerian leaders after the proscription of political parties in 1966 by the military...
(N. P. N). In 1979 he was elected to the position of the National Vice Chairman of that party and in recognition of his contribution to national development he was conferred with the honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (C. O. N) by President Shehu Shagari
Shehu Shagari
Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari, Turakin Sakkwato served as the President of Nigeria's Second Republic , after the handover of power by General Olusegun Obasanjo's military government....
. From 1990 until 1994 he was a member of the elders caucus of the National Republican Convention
National Republican Convention
The National Republican Convention was a Nigerian political party established by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida and ultimately disbanded by the incoming military regime of General Sani Abacha in 1993.-Alignment:...
(N.R.C), one of the two political parties set up by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida
Ibrahim Babangida
General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida CFR DSS mni , popularly known as IBB, was a Nigerian Army officer and military ruler of Nigeria...
during Nigeria's third republic. After the annulment of Chief Moshood Abiola
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola , often referred to as M. K. O. Abiola, was a popular Nigerian Yoruba businessman, publisher, politician and aristocrat of the Egba clan...
's presidential election on June 12, 1993, Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode was one of those who openly wrote about and spoke out strongly against the annulment. He even went to court over the issue. In 1994 the government of General Sanni Abacha appointed him into the Justice Kayode Eso panel of inquiry which effectively probed and helped to sanitise the Nigerian judiciary and rid it of corrupt judges.
Family
Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode was married to Chief Mrs Adia Adunni Fani-Kayode. The two of them had five children: Akinola Adedapo Fani-Kayode, Rotimi Fani-KayodeRotimi Fani-Kayode
Oluwarotimi Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode was a Nigerian photographer working principally in Britain. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and compositions...
, Femi Fani-Kayode
Femi Fani-Kayode
David Oluwafemi Adewunmi Abdulateef Fani-Kayode is a Nigerian politician, essayist, poet and lawyer. He is a member of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party . He was born in Lagos, Nigeria, on 16 October 1960 to Chief Victor Babaremilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode and to Chief Adia Adunni...
, Mrs. Toyin Bajela and Mrs. Tolu Fanning. Chief Remilekun Fani-Kayode also had four other children: Mrs. Aina Ogunbe, Mrs. Remi Nana Akuffo-Addo (they were later divorced),Tokunbo Fani-Kayode and Ladipo Fani-Kayode.