Operation Wetie
Operation Wetie (English: soak him with petrol and set him ablaze) was a violent protest that took place in Western Nigeria between political thugs, the Hausa-Fulani natives and some members of the Nigerian National Democratic Party during the First Republic which eventually led to the first military coup in Nigeria on 15 January 1966.[1]
The term "Operation Wetie" was coined from the setting ablaze of politicians and their properties with petrol. During the early 1960s, violence was on a rapid rise in the political system of Nigeria which led to the introduction of Operation Wetie whereby political thugs were used to disrupt elections.[2]
Operation Wetie was significantly used in 1962 when Chief Ladoke Akintola and Chief Obafemi Awolowo were embroiled in a protracted crisis thus leading to a high rate of violence and acts of lawlessness with law makers engaging themselves in vicious physical combats in the Western regional parliament.[3]
Further reading
- Akanmu G., Adebayo. Managing Conflicts in Africa's Democratic Transitions. p. 76. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
References
- ^ Jide Ojo (17 April 2013). "The Metamorphosis of Ibadan". The Punch. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Lawrence Chinedu Nwobu (17 August 2013). "Remi Fani-Kayode, Akintola, Awo, The Western Region And The Crisis That Truncated The First Republic". Nigeria Villagesquare. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Viviane, Saleh-Hanna (2008). Colonial Systems of Control: Criminal Justice in Nigeria. University of Otowa Press. p. 94. Retrieved 2 August 2015.