Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro (12 September 1940 – 14 May 2021) was a

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 ...

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

and a

military administrator A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

Early life and education

Dogonyaro was born in Vom,

Plateau State Plateau is a northern states of Nigeria, Nigerian state. It is located in the north-central geopolitical zone of Nigeria and includes a range of hills surrounding the Jos Plateau. Plateau State is described as "The Home of Peace and Tourism". Th ...

, though a native of Tarok in

Langtang Langtang Valley () also known as Lamtang Valley is a Himalayan valley in the mountains of north-central Nepal, known for its trekking routes and natural environment. Administrative The Langtang Valley lies in Rasuwa District, Rasuwa dist ...

North Local Government Area. He had his early education at Boys’ Secondary School,

Gindiri Gindiri is a town in Mangu Local Government Area, Plateau State, Middle Belt, Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guine ...

, and thereafter, was enlisted in 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 ...

in 1964. He also attended the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos and obtained National Institute.

Military career

He was commissioned Second-Lieutenant in the Nigerian Army Armoured Corps, 1967; Officer Commanding, 1 Recce Squadron, NA, 1967–69; Quartermaster General, I Infantry Division (Main), NA, 1969–70. He became Chief Instructor and Adjutant, Rece Training School, NA, 1970 to 1972; Commanding Officer, I Recce Regiment, N.A., 1972 to 1976. He was appointed Principal Staff Officer, Headquarters, Nigerian Army Armoured Corp, 1976 to 1977; Commanding Officer, 24 Armoured Brigade, N.A., 1977–79. Between 1984 and 1985, he was made the Task Force

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

, 203 Armoured Battalion on the Peace-keeping Force in Chad; Director of Manning (Army), Army Headquarters, ‘A’ Branch, N.A. and Director of Armoury, 1985. He was also the

General Officer Commanding General officer commanding (GOC) is the usual title given in the armies of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth (and some other nations, such as Ireland) to a general officer who holds a command appointment. Thus, a general might be the GOC ...

3 Armoured Division,

, Jos, 1985 to 1987; mm: Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), 1985; General Officer Commanding 2nd Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army,

Ibadan Ibadan (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of Oyo State, in Nigeria. It is the List of Nigerian cities by population, third-largest city by population in Nigeria after Lagos and Kano (city), Kano, with a total populatio ...

, 1987; promoted to Major-General, 1988; promoted to Lt. General; he was

ECOMOG The Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) was a West African multilateral armed force established by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). ECOMOG was a formal arrangement for separate armies to work ...

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

from September 1990 to February 1991; he retired from the army in 1993.

Controversy and 1985 Coup

He was said to be a member of the dreaded Langtang Mafia in Nigeria's military circle, a rumoured clique of military men from Langtang in

who were in powerful positions in government. During the 1985 coup, which deposed Major-General Muhammadu Buhari's regime, Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, then a Colonel, announced the deposing of the regime saying:

'A small group of individuals in the Supreme Military Council had abused their power and failed to listen to the advice of their colleagues or the public, about tackling the country's economic problems.'

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

Joshua Dogonyaro was reported to be among the top military high-ranking officers who were Anti-June 12, who supported the annulment of the 12 June 1993 election which denied the acclaimed winner, Chief MKO Abiola after overwhelming support to win the presidential election.

Death

He died on Thursday, 14 May 2021 at the age of 80 at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos.{{Cite web, date=2021-05-13, title=Former ECOMOG Commander, Gen Joshua Dogonyaro, Dies at 80, url=https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2021/05/13/former-defence-chief-gen-joshua-dogoyaro-dies-at-80/, access-date=2021-05-24, website=THISDAYLIVE, language=en-US

References

1940 births 2021 deaths Nigerian generals People from Plateau State