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Slap That Got Ojukwu, 100 King’s College Boys Arrested In March 1944

Published

4 years ago

March 27, 2022

Bianca’s husband and hero, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, the same time 78 years ago, slapped a British teacher for ‘behaving badly’.

The media is awash with a blend of serious and comic analyses of Bianca Ojukwu’s violent encounter with former Governor Willie Obiano’s wife, Ebelechukwu, and what led to it in Awka, Anambra State during the handover of power to Governor Chukwuma Soludo. The summary of the analyses in the past few days depicts the fact that, like her husband Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Bianca has very low tolerance threshold for insults and bad behaviour.

Prime Business Africa reports that the March 17, 2022 unfortunate episode involving Bianca Ojukwu, former beauty queen and daughter of another tough man and governor of the old Anambra State, Chief C.C Onoh, occurred (almost) exactly 78 years (March 15, 1944) after her husband had a similar encounter as student of the King’s College, Lagos.

A look at a historic event in the life of the late Biafran leader that led to his expulsion from Kings’ College at age 11 implies similitude of tolerance levels to certain forms of behaviour. Ojukwu’s father, Chief Louis Odumegwu Ojukwu, had to send him to Epsom College, England to finish his High School before proceeding to the Oxford University and subsequently joining the Nigerian Army.

Also trending in the social media space is Ojukwu’s alleged encounter with the late Umaru Dikko during the Constitutional Conference of 1995 after the latter made some disparaging remarks when Ojukwu was speaking at the plenary. Ojukwu was said to have waited for the unsuspecting Dikko to move towards the toilet before walking up to give him a slap.Bianca Ojukwu has always relived fond memories of her late husband and how he taught her to be strong in character.

Could having low-threshold tolerance for insults be one of those lessons? No doubt, accounts of Dim Ojukwu’s childhood experiences showed he had been a fighter, a revolutionist, with very little patience for bad conduct, no matter who got involved.

Slap that got Ojukwu arrested

In 1944, Emeka Ojukwu was reported to have slapped a British member of King’s College teaching staff during a students’ protest for crossing the barricade and taunting. He and a few others were expelled after 100 students were arrested and tried.

King’s College Strike of 1944 led by Ovie Whiskey

King’s College boarding house students had written a petition letter to Principal Allan Clift but he dismissed their concerns on grounds he would not tolerate student petitions. Led by Senior Boy Victor Ovie Wiskey, the boarding house students, therefore, consulted prominent and knowledgeable personalities within and outside the school and decided to launch a sit-in protest on Monday March 15, 1944.

The protesting students barricaded the boardinghouse gates and defended their strongholds with cutlasses.Although the students, who would not dare to attack their teachers with weapons, little Emeka Ojukwu (aged 11), who was a junior boy at the time, and who was tasked with delivering water to the senior boys, could not tolerate Mr. Slee’s violation of their stronghold.

Here’s Emeka Ojukwu’s recollection in a 2003 interview

“…I was the person carrying the water to the guards at the front of the boarding school. The man guarding the gate at the time everything took a different shape was the great (Victor) Ovie-Whiskey.

“There he was, formidably attired in his shorts and wrapper around his waist. His job was to frighten anybody that was coming.

“We the small ones had the job of carrying water to them whenever it was needed. It was then I noticed my Nature Studies master, Mr. Sleigh (sic), striding towards Bonanza Gate from the police station.

“Clearly, he was coming to disperse the whole notion of strike. I don’t know what got into my head. I dropped the bucket of water and ran as fast as I could towards Mr. Sleigh, got to him, leapt up in the air and gave him the biggest slap I could muster…and that sealed my fate”.

Mr. Slee was said to have reported the 11-year-old Emeka Ojukwu’s assault to Principal Allan Clift.

Considering Principal Clift’s earlier intolerant attitude to the student petition, it is no surprise that Clift escalated the situation: later that day, Clift and Slee arrived with the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) MacNamara, many policemen and a fire brigade officer from the Tinubu Fire Station who cut open the locks of the boarding house building.

Approximately 100 students were arrested and detained at Tinubu Police Station.Bailouts and Court TrialsSir Adeyemo Alakija and Samuel Akintola, then Daily Service newspaper Editor, had to bail out in the evening of their arrest.

75 senior students were then charged to court at the Santa Anna Court, Tinubu.Emeka Ojukwu was specifically charged to court for assault.The students were defended by Eusebius James Alexander Taylor and L.J. Dosunmu while the prosecution was headed by James Egbuson.

The trial, which was published in the dailies and closely observed by the public, fortunately, saw the boys acquitted and discharged.

World War II ArmyThe court’s acquittal of the King’s College boys, however, was not the end of the story: Within hours of the court judgment, the British Colonial Government and Principal Clift struck back with World War II conscription and expulsions.

Eight students were conscripted into the World War II-bound Army with very little information on what was the rationale behind the conscription.

Principal Clift expelled 11-year-old Emeka Ojukwu.Sir Louis Ojukwu (Emeka’s father) then sent him to Epsom College in England to continue his education.The boys conscripted into the Second World War were: Ayoola Gladstone, Yon Dakolo, Adedapo Aderemi (eldest son of former Ooni of Ife), Adesoji Aderemi, Victor Ologundudu, Valentine Osula, Akanni Pratt, Yinka Akpata and Okparaocha (who reportedly died in service at Burma).Principal Allan Clift, according to Femi Okunnu, sent away some boys from King’s College to other schools within Lagos such as CMS Grammar School, Methodist Boys High School, Baptist Academy and St Gregory’s.

Those sent away from King’s College were:

1. Charles O. Idowu
2. E.E. Idehen
3. R.S. Kokori
4. C. K.Ikemefuna
5. Adenekan Ademola
6. Tira Bello-Osagie
7.Victor Ovie-Whiskey (Chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body FEDECO, 1979- 1983)
8. C.H.Oyewo
9. S.A. Fakoya
10. O. Awani
11. S.S. Young-Harry
12. Thaddeus Eziashi
13. M.Agidee.

Of course, the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Lagos intelligentsia at the time were displeased by the World War II conscription and expulsions and lobbied to reverse them.

Their efforts were, however, unsuccessful.

The NUS reportedly reached out to leaders like Herbert Macaulay, who, at 80-year-old at the time had become the ‘grand old man of Lagos politics’; Comet Newspaper owner and publisher, Duse Mohammed Ali, and rising politician, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, for support.

The NUS, on June 10, 1944, convened a gathering at the Glover Memorial Hall in Lagos to discuss nationalism and the King’s College strike.

Herbert Macaulay presided over the meeting (with Ali and Azikiwe in attendance) where a Resolution to form the NCNC, comprising representatives from political parties, trade unions, literary associations, professional associations, religious groups, social clubs, and women’s organisations, was passed.

Source: Prime Business Africa

Related Topics:Bianca Ojukwu Odumegwu Ojukwu

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Aircraft Crashes In Owerri With Four Persons Onboard

Published

4 days ago

December 17, 2025

Editor

Photo: File copy

A Cessna 172 aircraft with registration number 5N-ASR, operated by Skypower Express, has crashed at the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport, Owerri, Imo State.

The aircraft had departed Kaduna International Airport en route to Port Harcourt International Airport before diverting to Owerri after the crew declared an emergency.

The crash occurred at about 8:00 pm on the airport premises, with four passengers and crew members onboard.

Confirming the incident, the Director, Public Affairs and Family Assistance of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB), Mrs. Bimbo Oladeji, said the agency had been notified of the crash.

According to the NSIB, the aircraft crashed on the approach area of Runway 17, but no fatalities have been recorded so far.

The statement said: “Following the occurrence, airport emergency services were successfully activated and arrived on site promptly. Reports indicate that there was no post-crash fire, and the runway remains active for flight operations, with other aircraft taking off safely after the incident.

“Efforts are currently underway to coordinate the recovery and evacuation of the distressed aircraft from the crash site to allow for a detailed wreckage examination.”

The NSIB said it has officially activated its investigation protocols in line with its statutory mandate

The Director-General of NSIB, Capt. Alex Badeh Jr., sympathised with the management of Skypower Express over the incident and expressed relief that no lives were lost.

Badeh Jr. added that the Bureau’s investigation team is already coordinating with relevant authorities to secure the crash site and commence a detailed investigation into the cause of the accident.

Two days ago, 11 persons narrowly escaped death as a private jet crash-landed at Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, on Sunday morning.

The occupants, including passengers and cabin crew, were safely evacuated amid an intense atmosphere, eyewitnesses told The Guardian.

The private jet, owned by Flybird Aviation, crash-landed at about 9:30 a.m. while approaching Kano Airport en route to Abuja.

The incident attracted urgent attention, with emergency staff and other stakeholders converging at the runway to render rescue operations.

The management of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) is yet to release an official statement on the incident. Unofficial sources disclosed that the passengers have been taken to an unknown destination.

Several aircraft incidents have occurred at Kano Airport, with several lives lost.

The last incident occurred in May 2002, when an EAS Airline aircraft departed the runway at Aminu Kano International Airport at 1:29 p.m. local time en route to Lagos.

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Musk Breaks Record As First Person Worth Over $600 Billion

Published

4 days ago

December 16, 2025

Editor

Elon Musk, Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX, Tesla, and xAI, has reached a new personal wealth milestone, surpassing a net worth of $600 billion, driven primarily by a recent valuation increase of SpaceX.

The development makes Musk the first individual in history to exceed the US$600 billion threshold.

According to Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, Musk’s net worth stood at approximately $638 billion as of 15 December 2025, with the increase largely attributed to SpaceX, which was recently valued at around $800 billion following an insider share sale.

The privately held aerospace company, based in Starbase, Texas, is now considered the most valuable private firm globally, significantly boosting Musk’s personal holdings.

Musk’s stake in Tesla, estimated at roughly 12 per cent, is valued at nearly $200 billion, while his majority ownership of xAI Holdings is estimated at $60 billion.

Collectively, these assets place him on track to potentially approach US$700 billion, widening the gap between him and the world’s second-richest individual, former Google CEO Larry Page, valued at $265 billion.

The SpaceX valuation comes ahead of a projected public listing in 2026, which could see the company valued at approximately $1.5 trillion.

“Other shareholder meetings are snooze-fests but ours are bangers. Look at this. This is sick,” Musk said in November during Tesla’s shareholder meeting, referring to a performance-linked pay package approved by investors.

He added, “I super appreciate it.” The package, potentially worth up to US$1 trillion in stock, is tied to market-capitalisation and operational milestones over the next decade.

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network has also contributed to investor confidence. The company continues to expand high-speed internet access to underserved regions worldwide.

Chad Gibbs, Vice President of Starlink Operations, stated that the satellite technology “bypasses the need to build massive amounts of infrastructure,” allowing broader and faster connectivity.

Musk’s ascent in personal wealth follows years of strategic risk-taking and long-term planning, with Tesla’s focus on electric vehicles, battery technology, and autonomous systems laying the foundation for his financial growth.

Analysts note that the combination of SpaceX’s soaring valuation, Tesla’s long-term incentives, and Musk’s diverse portfolio underpins his current status as the world’s wealthiest individual.

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South Korea, Japan Protest China, Russia Aircraft Incursions

Published

1 week ago

December 10, 2025

Editor

South Korea and Japan reacted furiously on Wednesday after Chinese and Russian military aircraft conducted joint patrols around the two countries, with both Seoul and Tokyo scrambling jets.

South Korea said it had protested with representatives of China and Russia, while Japan said it had conveyed its “serious concerns” over national security.

According to Tokyo, two Russian Tu-95 nuclear-capable bombers on Tuesday flew from the Sea of Japan to rendezvous with two Chinese H-6 bombers in the East China Sea, then conducted a joint flight around the country.

The incident comes as Japan is locked in a dispute with China over comments Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made about Taiwan.

The bombers’ joint flights were “clearly intended as a show of force against our nation, Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi wrote on X Wednesday.

Top government spokesman Minoru Kihara said that Tokyo had “conveyed to both China and Russia our serious concerns over our national security through diplomatic channels”.

Seoul said Tuesday the Russian and Chinese warplanes entered its air defence zone and that a complaint had been lodged with the defence attaches of both countries in the South Korean capital.

“Our military will continue to respond actively to the activities of neighbouring countries’ aircraft within the KADIZ in compliance with international law,” said Lee Kwang-suk, director general of the International Policy Bureau at Seoul’s defence ministry, referring to the Korea Air Defence Identification Zone.

South Korea also said it deployed “fighter jets to take tactical measures in preparation for any contingencies” in response to the Chinese and Russian incursion into the KADIZ.

The planes were spotted before they entered the air defence identification zone, defined as a broader area in which countries police aircraft for security reasons but which does not constitute their airspace.

Japan’s defence ministry also scrambled fighter jets to intercept the warplanes.

Beijing later Tuesday confirmed it had organised drills with Russia’s military according to “annual cooperation plans”.

Moscow also described it as a routine exercise, saying it lasted eight hours and that some foreign fighter jets followed the Russian and Chinese aircraft.

Since 2019, China and Russia have regularly flown military aircraft into South Korea’s air defence zone without prior notice, citing joint exercises.

In November last year, Seoul scrambled jets as five Chinese and six Russian military planes flew through its air defence zone.

Similar incidents occurred in June and December 2023, and in May and November 2022.

Meanwhile, Tokyo said Monday it had scrambled jets in response to repeated takeoff and landing exercises involving fighter jets and military helicopters from China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier as it cruised in international waters near Japan.

It also summoned Beijing’s ambassador after military aircraft from the Liaoning locked radar onto Japanese jets, the latest incident in the row ignited by Takaichi’s comments backing Taiwan.

Takaichi suggested last month that Japan would intervene militarily in any Chinese attack on the self-ruled island, which Beijing claims as its own and has not ruled out seizing by force.

AFP