Biography of Zakariya Maimalari

Zakariya Maimalari, a Nigerian Army brigadier, met his demise during the 1966 Nigerian coup d’état. Born in present-day Yobe State, Maimalari received his education at Barewa College, Zaria. Alongside his childhood friend, Lawan Umar, he enlisted in the Royal West Africa Frontier Force in 1950.

As part of a Nigerianization initiative to integrate more Nigerians into senior army ranks, Maimalari underwent preparatory training at the Regular Officers Training School in Teshie, Ghana, and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. While both Maimalari and Lawan attended Sandhurst, only Maimalari remained in the army, becoming the first Nigerian regular combatant commissioned into the officer corps of the Nigerian army. He served as an instructor at the Nigerian Military Training College and later commanded the second battalion of the Nigerian army.

However, Maimalari’s swift ascent through the officer ranks from a regular combatant sometimes sparked resentment, especially among some Southern officers who viewed him as a symbol of Northern domination.

On the eve of the 15th of January 1966 coup, Maimalari was celebrating his recent marriage, unaware that among the attendees were rebel leaders who would later turn against him. When rebel soldiers stormed his compound during the coup, he managed to escape through the rear of his house, initially seeking refuge in a small quarters within his compound before fleeing onto the main road. There, he attempted to flag down a car to reach Ikeja, but tragically, the vehicle belonged to rebels who captured and subsequently killed him.