Ibrahim Bata Malgwi Haruna (born 24 July 1940) is a retired officer of the

Nigerian Army The Nigerian Army (NA) is the land force of the Nigerian Armed Forces. It is the largest component of the Nigerian Armed Forces. The President of Nigeria is the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Army, and its professional head is the Chie ...

. He was a Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture between 1975 and 1977. He was also the Chairman, Executive Council, of Arewa Consultative Forum from 2009 to 2012. He holds the traditional title of ''Walin Garkida''. He has notably been accused for ordering the

Asaba Massacre The Asaba Massacre occurred in October 1967 in Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria during the Nigerian Civil War. Background In August 1967, three months into the Biafran War, Biafran troops invaded the Mid-Western Region, to the west of the River ...

, an atrocity committed during the

Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), also known as the Biafran War, Nigeria-Biafra War, or Biafra War, was fought between Nigeria and the Republic of Biafra, a Secession, secessionist state which had declared its independen ...

, but this is actually untrue; the massacre was ordered by

Ibrahim Taiwo Ibrahim Taiwo (died 13 February 1976) was a military governor of Kwara State from July 1975 to February 1976 during the military regime of General Murtala Mohammed. He assisted in the establishment of the University of Ilorin, which was founded by ...

, as Haruna was not in command at that area. Haruna only arrived at that area in summer 1968, eight months after the massacre. See Elizabeth Bird and Fraser Ottanell's "The Asaba Massacre: Trauma, memory, and the Nigerian civil war" (Cambridge University Press, 2017), pp. 77.

Early life

Ibrahim Bata Malgwi Haruna was born on 24 July 1940 in

Maiduguri Maiduguri ( ) is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria, on the continent of Africa. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the ''Firki'' swamps in the areas around Lake Chad. Maid ...

Borno State Borno is a States of Nigeria, state in the North East (Nigeria), North-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It is bordered by Yobe State, Yobe to the west, Gombe State, Gombe to the southwest, and Adamawa State, Adamawa to the south while its ea ...

. He was among the first 30 recruits enrolled into the Boys Company (later known as the

Nigerian Military School The Nigerian Military School, Zaria, popularly known as (NMS), is a military boarding school in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, affiliated with the Armed Forces of Nigeria. History Boys Company It was founded as the Boys Company of Nigeria i ...

) in 1954. They were known as the “First Platoon”. In 1958, IBM Haruna went to Regular Officers' Special Training School, Teshi,

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

and later to Mons Officers' Cadet School,

Aldershot Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...

, England (1959). He was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1961 upon his graduation as a member of RMA 27 of the

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...

, United Kingdom.

Military career

As an army officer, IBM Haruna attended various courses. These include Joint-Services Staff College (JSSC)

Latimer Latimer may refer to: Places England * Latimer, Buckinghamshire, a village ** Latimer and Ley Hill, a civil parish that until 2013 was just called "Latimer" * Latimer, Leicester, an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leices ...

, United Kingdom (1972-1973). Prior to this he had qualified as an Ordnance Officer at the

Royal Army Ordnance Corps The Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) was a corps of the British Army. At its renaming as a Royal Corps in 1918 it was both a supply and repair corps. In the supply area it had responsibility for weapons, armoured vehicles and other military equi ...

, Blackdown, United Kingdom in 1963. He was appointed the Principal Provision Control and Accounts Officer, Army Base Ordnance Depot,

Yaba, Lagos Yaba is a suburb located on Lagos Mainland, Lagos in Lagos State, Nigeria. With its educational institutions and technological start-ups, Yaba is considered the technological hub of Lagos. Inaugurated in 2021, the ultra-modern Mobolaji Johnson C ...

(1964); Commanding Officer, Base Ordnance Depot, Yaba-Lagos (1965); Chief Ordnance Officer Nigerian Army and Ordnance Corps Commander (1966-1967); Leader, Army Delegation to U.S.A. Orientation Visit (1966). At the onset of the Nigerian Civil War he was appointed Rear Commander, 1 Division Nigerian Army,

Kaduna Kaduna is the capital city of Kaduna State, and the former political capital of Northern Nigeria. It is located in north-western Nigeria, on the Kaduna River. It is a trade center and a major transportation hub as the gateway to northern state ...

(1967). He was once Commandant, Lagos Garrison Organisation and 3 Marine Commandant. He was also the Quarter Master General, Nigerian Army (1968); General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division (Main), Nigerian Army, Onitsha (1968-1969); Principal Staff Officer (PSO), Supreme Headquarters, Dodan Barracks Lagos (1969); Quartermaster General, Nigerian Army Headquarters (AHQ) (1970); Member of the General Adebayo Committee for the Re-Absorption of Biafran former Nigerian Army Officers (1970); Chairman Ceremonial Committee, 2nd All African Games (1970); and the Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture (1975-1977). On 14 December 1973 he was appointed General Officer Commanding of the First Infantry Division. As the Federal Commissioner for Information and Culture, he established the National Television Authority (NTA) in 1975 and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), he also advocated for the Press Council of Nigeria. He attended

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Conference on Culture Accra-

(1975) and Non-Aligned Nations Conference,

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

, India (1976). He left the Nigerian Army as a Major General in 1977. He was also the Chairman at Nigeria’s Participation in Africa’s Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC 1977); Chairman of Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos (1978-1985); Chairman, National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos (1985-1992) Board of Governors; Member, Constitutional Conference (1988–89); Short term Chairman of Nigerian Railway Reform Committee (1992); a Member of the 19-Member Committee for the National Constitutional Conference Commission, under the Chairmanship of Justice Kawu, (1994); Advocate of Arewa consultative Forum (ACF) at the Oputa Panel (2005); Chairman, Executive Council, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) (2009-2012). He is a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He is also a Notary Public of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as well as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management. IBM Haruna is an avid golfer and he is the Life President of the Nigerian Professional Golfers Association (NPGA), the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the IBB Golf and Country Club Abuja; a member of the Board of Trustees, Ladies Golfers Association of Nigeria (LGAN), and a member of the Advisory Board of the West African Golf Tour, Abuja. He was also given the National Honour as an Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 1980 by the then President

Shehu Shagari Shehu Usman Aliyu Shagari (; 25 February 1925 – 28 December 2018) was a Nigerian politician who was the first democratically elected president of Nigeria, after the transfer of power by Military Head of State of Nigeria, military head of sta ...

GCON. In 2014, he was given the Integrity Magazine Merit Award, Accra, Ghana He is a public analyst and commentator. He is married with children and grand-children. In September 2017, he was made the Life Patron of the Nigerian Military School (NMS) Zaria Ex-Boys Association (FCT Chapter). Four other eminent alumni - Lt. Gen. Isaac Chikadibia Obiakor (rtd), Col. John Okoli (rtd), Col. Musa Shehu (rtd) and Gp. Capt. Yakubu Suleiman - were decorated as Patrons of the Chapter for the year 2017/2018.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haruna, IBM Living people 1940 births People from Borno State Nigerian generals