Civil war hero Benjamin Black Scorpion Adekunle passes away at 78 in Lago NIGERIAN civil war commander Brigadier Benjamin Adekunle popularly known as Black Scorpion has passed away in Lagos at the age of 78 after a protracted illness according to his wife Folake. Born in June 1936 in Kaduna, Brigadier Adekunle gained notoriety during the Nigerian Civil War when he was the commander of the Third Marine Commandoes. He enlisted in the Nigerian Army in 1958 and rise up the ranks to become a brigadier before retirement in 1974. A UK-trained soldier who attended Sandhurst, Brigadier Adekunle was the aide-camp to the former governor of the Easter Region Sir Francis Ibiam and served in Congo during the Patrice Lumumba. When the Nigerian Civil War started in July 1967, Brigadier Adekunle was asked to conduct Nigerias first ever amphibious assault on the breakaway Republic of Biafra. His Third Marine commandoes captured more territory during the civil war than the two other divisions of the Nigerian Army during the civil war. In 1968, Brigadier was reassigned to army headquarters as the director of supplies with the then Col Olusegun Obasanjo taking over from him as the commander of the Third Marine Brigade. A native of Ogbomosho in modern day Oyo State, Brigadier Adekunle was born in Kaduna to a Bachana mother from modern day Adamawa State. During the war, he was reputed to be a fearless commander who personally led his troops into battle.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 07:05:54 +0000
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