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A Nigerian civil war veteran, Godwin Alabi-Isama, a retired Brigadier General, on Thursday, called for the exhumation of Benjamin Adekunle’s corpse from the Ikoyi cemetery for a befitting hero’s burial in Ogbomoso.
He made the call at a public lecture in honour of the late Mr. Adekunle by Ogbomoso Community Foundation held at Ladoke Akintola University of Technology in Ogbomoso.
The late civil war hero, Mr. Adekunle, popularly known as Black Scorpion died on September 13, 2014 in Lagos at the age of 77.
He was buried at Ikoyi Cemetery in Lagos on October 3.
Mr. Alabi-Isama said that heroes like Mr. Adekunle deserved to be given a heroic burial at a newly created hero’s park.
“I am asking for immediate exhumatin of Adekunle’s corpse from the Ikoyi cemetery back to Ogbomoso, his hometown, for a befitting burial,” he said.
He implored the Yoruba to always endeavour to recognise and honour their own heroes and not wait until others do such for them.
The civil war veteran described the late Adekunle as a renowned patriot who did all within his power to ensure one Nigeria during his military career.
He held that Nigeria never deemed it fit to immortalise or award such a citizen a post-humous national honour.
“General Benjamin Adekunle was a nation builder who deserved to be immortalised and awarded a post-humous national honour, on account of his civil war exploits,” he said. “Adekunle personified honour, integrity, courage, and loyalty. The greatness of Adekunle is inseparable from the 3rd Marine Commando (3MCDO) that he formed, built, trained, and led in battle to defeat Biafra in order to keep Nigeria one.”
Mr. Alabi-Isama urged the Yoruba to recognise their heroes.
“Go and get your son, the hero of our time, Adekunle out of Ikoyi cemetery back to Ogbomoso for a befitting hero’s burial in a newly created Hero’s Park,” he said.
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