A daren 13 ga Janairu, 1966, a birnin Kaduna. Ba a jin motsin sojoji, ba a jin karar motoci — sai iska mai sanyi da ke kadawa cikin duhun dare.
Amma a cikin harabar Nigerian Military Training College, wani babban abu yana shirin faruwa.
Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, babban malamin soja a makarantar, ya ƙaddamar da abin da ya kira Exercise Damisa — atisaye na yaudara wanda zai rikide ya zama abin da ya girgiza tarihin Najeriya har abada.
Sojojin da ke ƙarƙashinsa sun yi imani cewa horo ne kawai na kai farmaki da daddare. Kowa ya ɗauki kayan atisaye, ya sa rigar soja, yana tsammanin zai dawo lafiya kamar yadda aka saba.
A matsayin shugaban atisayen, Nzeogwu ya jagoranci rundunarsa cikin dare ba tare da wani ya yi shakku ba. Babu wanda ya san cewa wannan ba horo ba ne — shirin juyin mulki ne.
Daga Atisaye Zuwa Jini
Washegari, 14 ga Janairu, Exercise Damisa ta ci gaba. Amma wannan karon, an ba kowane soja harsasai na gaske. Ba tare da sun sani ba, an riga an canza umarni a asirce:
ba atisaye za su yi ba — hari na gaskiya ne.
Tsakiyar dare zuwa asuba ta 15 ga Janairu, Exercise Damisa ta rikide ta zama juyin mulki mai zubar da jini.
An raba rundunar zuwa rukuni uku, kowanne da takamaiman manufa a Kaduna.
Hare-haren Kaduna
- Rukuni na farko, ƙarƙashin jagorancin Nzeogwu tare da sergeants uku, ya nufi gidan Sardaunan Sakkwato, Sir Ahmadu Bello — fitaccen jagoran Arewa kuma ɗaya daga cikin manyan ‘yan siyasar Najeriya.
- Rukuni na biyu, ƙarƙashin Captain Ben Gbulie, an ba shi umarni ya mamaye hedikwatar 1st Brigade, da kuma gidajen rediyo da sadarwa.
-Rukuni na uku, ƙarƙashin Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu, ya nufi gidajen Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun da Colonel Ralph Shodeinde — manyan jami’an soja da ke cikin jerin mutanen da aka shirya kawarwa.
Kisan Sardauna
Da misalin ƙarfe 2:00 na dare, an harba anti-tank shells cikin gidan Sardauna. Karar ta girgiza unguwa baki ɗaya.
A cikin gidan, Sir Ahmadu Bello yana tare da iyalansa. Ya gane nan take cewa wannan ba abu ne na yau da kullum ba.
Lokacin da sojojin suka tilasta shiga, Zarumi, amintaccen mai gadin Sardauna, ya yi tsalle da wuƙa kawai a hannunsa don kare maigidan nasa.
Amma an yi masa ruwan harsashi har sai da ya mutu.
Nan take aka harbi Sardauna — ya fadi ƙasa. Cikin wannan hargitsi, Hajiya Hafsatu Ahmadu Bello, ɗaya daga cikin matansa, ta ƙi tserewa.
Cikin ƙauna da sadaukarwa, ta fadi kan mijinta don kare shi. Harsashi ya same ta — ta mutu a gefensa.
A waje, Ahmed Ben Musa, babban sakataren tsaron Sardauna, ya ji karar harbi. Ya fito da motarsa domin bincike — amma aka yi masa kwanton bauna, aka harbe shi har lahira.
A lokaci guda, Major Onwuatuegwu da mutanensa sun isa gidan Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun. Sun fatattaki masu gadi, suka shiga gidan. Brigadier ɗin yana kwance tare da matarsa Latifat, wacce ke dauke da tsohon ciki.
Ba tare da jinkiri ko tausayawa ba, aka bude musu wuta — dukkansu suka mutu nan take.
Wasu rahotanni ma sun ce hakan ya faru ne a gaban ‘ya’yansu biyu.
Daga baya, ɗansa Tokunbo Ademulegun ya tabbatar cewa ya shaida wasu sassan abin da ya faru — yana tuna karar bindiga da kuma kururuwar mahaifiyarsa.
.Kisan Kwamandan Makarantar Soja
Daga nan sojojin suka nufi gidan Colonel Ralph Shodeinde, kwamandan makarantar soja.
Rahotanni sun bambanta:
Wasu sun ce grenade aka jefa masa;
Wasu kuma sun ce an harbe shi da bindiga da hannun Nzeogwu da Onwuatuegwu tare. Matarsa daga baya ta tabbatar da wannan na biyu.
Duk yadda lamarin ya kasance, abin takaici ne — an kashe kwamandan makarantar soja da hannun dalibansa na baya.
A sauran sassan Kaduna, Captain Ben Gbulie da tawagarsa sun yi aiki da sauri.
A cikin sa’o’i kaɗan, sun mamaye hedikwatar runduna, rediyon NBC, da cibiyar sadarwa ta tarho. Hanyoyin sadarwa sun katse. Umarnin soja ya rushe.
Kaduna — cibiyar karfin sojojin Arewa — ta fadi hannun masu juyin mulki. A wannan safiya mai cike da tashin hankali, alamu sun nuna kamar an gama da Arewa.
Amma yayin da Kaduna ke cikin jini da ruɗani, a nan ne juyin mulkin ya fara gaske. A lokaci guda, Lagos da Kudancin Najeriya ma suka kama da wuta.
Abin da ya fara a Kaduna da sunan Exercise Damisa ya zama abin da ya girgiza ƙasa baki ɗaya. Cin amana ya bayyana a cikin runduna ɗaya, kuma Najeriya ta farka cikin sabon zamani da aka rubuta da jini.