Zamani Lekwot (born 19 July 1944) is a retired

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 ...

major general who served as the military governor of

Rivers State Rivers is a states of Nigeria, state in the Niger Delta region of southern Nigeria (Old Eastern Region). Formed on 27 May 1967, when it was split from the former Eastern Region, Nigeria, Eastern Region, Rivers State borders include Imo State, Im ...

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 Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

from July 1975 until July 1978 during the military administrations of Generals Murtala Muhammed and

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

Early life

Lekwot was born in 1944 to Atyap parents in Ashong Ashyui, Northern Region (now in southern

Kaduna State Kaduna (, جىِهَر كَدُنا; مدينة كدونا; , ; ) is a States of Nigeria, state in the northwest geopolitical zone of Nigeria. The state capital is its namesake, the city of Kaduna (city), Kaduna, which was the List of Nigerian ...

), Nigeria.

Military career

Lekwot attended the prestigious

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 ...

for his secondary education before he entered the army on 11 July 1962, and attended the Nigerian Military Training College, Kaduna and the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

, gaining his commission on 14 July 1966. He was a company commander in the 6th Battalion when it took part in the battle that caused the fall of Bonny on 26/27 July 1967 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 ...

. He was the Commander, 33 Infantry Brigade, Maiduguri in 1975 before he assumed the Military Governorship of Rivers State. During his military career, Lekwot also served as Commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy, General Officer Commanding 82 Composite Division, Nigerian Army and Ambassador/High Commissioner to the Republics of

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

and

the Gambia The Gambia, officially the Republic of The Gambia, is a country in West Africa. Geographically, The Gambia is the List of African countries by area, smallest country in continental Africa; it is surrounded by Senegal on all sides except for ...

. The 2 Brigade Nigerian Army Barracks in

Port Harcourt Port Harcourt (Pidgin: ''Po-ta-kot or Pi-ta-kwa)'' is the capital and largest city of Rivers State in Nigeria. It is the fifth most populous city in Nigeria after Lagos, Kano, Ibadan and Benin. It lies along the Bonny River and is locate ...

was named the Zamani Lekwot cantonment in his honor. In August 2003 it was renamed the Port Harcourt Barracks. Lekwot fell out with General

Ibrahim Babangida Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (born 17 August 1941) is a Nigerian statesman and military dictator who ruled as military president of Nigeria from 1985 when he orchestrated a coup d'état against his military and political arch-rival Muhammadu ...

, and was forced to retire on 31 December 1985 after Babangida became Chief of Staff following the military coup of 31 December 1983 that brought General

Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician who served as the president of Nigeria from 2015 to 2023. A retired Nigerian army major general, he was the military head of state of Nigeria from 31 December 1983 to 27 Augu ...

to power.

Later career

On 15 May 1992 violence erupted between the mainly Moslem Hausa and mainly Christian Atyap communities of the Zangon-Kataf Local Government Area in

over trading and land ownership rights, with many deaths. A tribunal set up by the Babangida government sentenced Lekwot and 16 others to death for alleged complicity in the killings, sentences eventually reduced to a short gaol sentence. It was said that his sentence was due to his feud with Babangida. He was assisted in his prolonged battle to avoid execution by Barr. (Col.) Yohanna A. Madaki. By December 1995, Lekwot had received a state pardon. In June 2003 he was Chairman of Giza Ventures Nigeria and a Director of Prudent bank.

Chieftaincy

Lekwot was in January 2014 honoured by the Agwatyap, the traditional ruler of Atyap Chiefdom, Engr. Dr. Harrison Y. Bungwon, with the title, "Agwabyin" meaning "Guardian of the land".

References

1944 births Living people Nigerian prisoners and detainees Nigerian military governors of Rivers State Recipients of Nigerian presidential pardons Prisoners and detainees of Nigeria Nigerian Defence Academy Commandants Indian Military Academy alumni Nigerian Military School alumni Atyap people People from Kaduna State People from Southern Kaduna {{Nigeria-mil-bio-stub