Colonel Joseph Achuzia (rtd) was one of those that spearheaded the Biafra War. When ADEWOLE MARTINS met him in Asaba, Delta State on the death of Benjamin Adekunle, popularly known as Black-Scorpion, while Achuzia refused to recount the facts and figures of the civil war, he said what became of Adekunle after the war was akin to the law of Karma. Excerpts:
His view about Benjamin Adekunle as a military officer:
He was a young dedicated military officer, even though he was overzealous in the discharge of his duty. It was this overzealousness that informed his confrontation with his superiors in the military. In the military parlance, if you go against the tradition of superior to subordinate, you are finished. So, it is a taboo to confront your superiors. Once you come on a confrontational basis all the time with your superiors, you will realise that most of your colleagues, whom you thought at the officers’ mess were your friends, will automatically desert you. That is why Adekunle was relieved of his command.
What led to Adekunle’s retirement:
I watch his attitude towards dealing with civilians. The way he handled the Port Authority assignment earned him a lot of jealousy amongst his colleagues, which eventually resulted in his retirement. But of a soldier, he acted in the best interest of the professional system of the military and held the profession in high esteem of efficiency and dedication, even though he fought against Biafra. It was only recently that I started hearing about his connection with beat-ups in the Biafra. All that is history today. I won’t delve into his activities during the Biafra.
His objective view on whether the country at large was fair to Adekunle:
As far as I am concerned, the limitary has been so much unfair to him. The government also was unfair to him in all ramifications. As they would say spiritually or religiously, what became of him was Karma (nemesis). You cannot wish that away from his lot because he was opposed to Biafra. I wouldn’t say I miss anything about him because we were opposed to each other. The only thing I missed is that the war did not end quickly as we had envisaged. It was a gruelling, tasking and difficult time. Too tough to talk about. People were seen dying at the both sides of the divide. For me personally, I don’t like recalling the time because it was a dying moment of misunderstanding from the opposing sides.
If he has any regret on Adekunle:
The only regret I have about him is that those that benefitted from his efforts were those that castigated him the most. Well, everything, as we usually resign to fate in Nigeria, is left to God to be the judge. But the truth remains that Nigeria that benefitted, not the present day Nigeria, I mean the old Nigeria, through the death of the cause of Biafra, abandoned him and badly engaged him in a lot of hatred. But for us, I believe that we acknowledge our heroes. Whether they are dead or alive, we will continue to acknowledge them. So, I raise my cap for the fallen hero.
Why Adekunle is referred to as Black-Scorpion
It is just like octopus, which is a marine big fish or monster. The young officers at that time could not relate him to an octopus because they have not seen it neither do they understand what it is all about. They can only relate a superior to what they have seen, felt and experienced. All they could think of is a scorpion. And you know what a scorpion can do. How it stings. Consequently, since soldiers like their officers, especially if they fear him or have respect for him, they give him one name or the other to depict his gallantry. Adekunle falls in that category. He can’t be called a white-scorpion because they have not seen that before. That was exactly what happened in Adekunle’s case.
Will that be why he (Achuzia) is referred to as ‘Air-Raid’ among his contemporaries?
That is almost the same thing. I don’t know how they came about that too. I only discovered why while I was on a trip with my troop. As we were approaching the battle front, all of a sudden, majority of my boys jumped out of the vehicle and ran into the bush. Some of the drivers also stopped and escaped into the nearby bush. I was surprised. I commanded those that ran into the bush to come out. I immediately upgraded the ranks of the gallant ones who stood their ground during the action (encounter). When we got into our vehicles, I asked my driver and my orderly what actually happened. They said they sighted an Air-Raid plane. I replied, ‘but I saw no plane in the sky’. They started laughing. They said what a joke. It was then they told me I am the Air-Raid they are talking about. I asked them: ‘Do I look like an Air-Force officer?’ They answered: ‘No sir. You are the one they call Air-Raid.’ That was how I got to know that people gave me the name. Adekunle also came about his own name in a similar way.