On May 15, 1976, the nation of Nigeria was shocked by the televised execution of Joseph Dechi Gomwalk, the first governor of Benue-Plateau State, by firing squad at Kirikiri Prison in Lagos. Gomwalk's tragic end came less than a year after he was a powerful state-builder, and he was condemned as a traitor. Educated at University College, Ibadan, Gomwalk was a zoologist turned police commissioner who took charge of a brand-new state in 1967, shaping its identity.
Gomwalk was appointed governor at just 32 by General Yakubu Gowon and inherited a vast, diverse, and underdeveloped territory. He moved with remarkable speed and vision, laying the institutional bedrock of what would become two separate states, Benue and Plateau. His administration provided financial and material assistance to the University of Ibadan to establish a satellite campus in Jos, which began operating in November 1971 and became the autonomous University of Jos in October 1975.
Gomwalk's administration was not without controversy, as the complex ethnic and political landscape of Benue-Plateau created intense rivalries. In August 1974, affidavits alleging corruption on the part of Gomwalk and Joseph Tarka, a federal commissioner from the Middle Belt, were published. Aper Aku, who would later become the first civilian Governor of Benue State, raised complaints concerning Gomwalk's administration, with a sworn affidavit becoming an important element of the controversy.
Despite the allegations, Gomwalk weathered the storm and denied the allegations with the backing of General Gowon. However, the affair stained his reputation and exposed the political fault lines running through his state. The political ground was already shaking, as Nigeria's military government was becoming unstable. On July 29, 1975, while Gowon was away, he was overthrown in a military coup, and Brigadier Murtala Mohammed became Nigeria's new Head of State.
Gomwalk's eight-year reign was over, and just ten days after his state was officially split into Benue and Plateau in February 1976, a bloody coup attempt shook Nigeria. On February 13, a group of officers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Buka Suka Dimka assassinated General Murtala Mohammed. Gomwalk was arrested and implicated in the investigation, tried by a military tribunal, and acquitted due to a lack of physical evidence.
However, in the highly charged atmosphere following Murtala's assassination, an acquittal was not enough, and a new military court was convened. Gomwalk was retried for the same crime, found guilty of treason, and sentenced to death. The proceedings raised profound questions about the fairness of military justice, underscoring the complexities of judicial independence in Nigeria. Gomwalk was executed alongside Dimka and five others on May 15, 1976.
Fifty years after his death, Joseph Dechi Gomwalk remains closely associated with the formative years of Benue-Plateau State. His governorship coincided with the development of new administrative institutions, the expansion of higher education, and the establishment of a state-owned newspaper. In November 2021, Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State announced that President Muhammadu Buhari had granted a state pardon for Joseph Dechi Gomwalk, a quiet acknowledgement that a grave injustice may have occurred.
Key points
- Joseph Gomwalk was a visionary leader who played a significant role in shaping the identity of Benue-Plateau State.
- Gomwalk's administration was marked by controversy, including allegations of corruption, which stained his reputation.
- Gomwalk's legacy has been reevaluated over time, with a state pardon granted in 2021, acknowledging a possible grave injustice.
