When a story is stranger than the strangest fiction, it lasts from one lifetime to the end of time.
There was this musician whose life and death shook up Nigeria before the country’s arrival at independence.
Let’s introduce the musician by name: Israel Nwoba Njemanze.
He was a compelling composer and vocalist in 1950s Lagos, the city by the lagoon, but he was born in Owerri in present-day Imo State.
I think I first got wind of the name of the man via the Onitsha market literature title The Strange Death of Israel Njemanze by Okenwa Olisah.
The name struck me further when my teacher Prof Wole Soyinka made his music “Unlimited Liability Company” in 1983 and paid tribute to the musician whose name he spelt as “Ijemanze”.
Njemanze was a much sought-after singer in colonial Lagos who formed the band called “Three Night Wizards”. Being the star vocalist, he was backed up by the guitarists Michael Adeyemo and Amos Kayode. The band became the darling of the city, and the gigs were highly patronized by all classes of Lagosians.
The band made cool money, and along came one Samuel Jegede, a Lagos petty trader, who deigned to serve as the band’s patron and treasurer. A quarrel erupted amongst the team and Israel Njemanze walked off, threatening to leave the band for good.
Of course, without the popular Njemanze, there would be no band to crow about.
The band’s patron, Samuel Jegede, reportedly threatened on many occasions to kill Njemanze.
Many lovers of the band tried to intercede and settle the quarrel to no avail.
At the root of the troubles was corruption and the misappropriation of funds.
Israel Njemanze could not accept the reality that he was labouring in vain, and not earning the reward of his labour.
Israel Njemanze eventually had a change of mind but it was as he became convinced to make peace and was visiting the homes of his band members that tragedy struck.
In the wee hours of April 7, 1955 the dismembered body of ace songwriter and vocalist Israel Nwoba Njemanze was discovered on the railway line adjoining Yaba and Mushin.
The musician’s body was chopped up into 18 pieces, and some of the vital organs were missing. The police had to step in to solve the murder puzzle that convulsed all of Lagos.
The investigating police squad was led by the no-nonsense Detective Sergeant Aboderin.
It did not take much time for 16 persons to be arrested over the murder of the music maestro Israel Njemanze. The 16 arrested blokes included: the band’s patron Samuel Jegede, and guitarists Amos Kayode and Michael Adeyemo.
The other arrested fellows were: Shittu Bada, Ramonu Akanbi, Robinson Oriota, Kwasi Gerald, Ajayi Omunoran, Lasisi Ishola, Cyril Anikwe, Lawal Dada, Lamidi Ayinde, Peter Nwangwu, Dada Owolabi, Yesufu Balogun, and Laye Adewole.
They were charged with the murder of Israel Njemanze upon arraignment at the Yaba magistrate court.
The prosecutor, Mr G.K Amachere, did not mince words in stressing that the dodgy patron and treasurer of the band, Samuel Jedege, was “the brain behind the ghastly murder.”
The preliminary investigations led to setting free of eight of the accused persons as it could not be established that they really had any case to answer. The remaining eight suspects had to be held back for further investigation and trial at the Lagos High Court.
Eventually, the accused persons were arraigned before a 12-member jury, and the list included the ring-leader Samuel Jegede, the guitarist Michael Adeyemo, the fitter Peter Nwangwu, the palm-wine tapper Dada Lawal, the soldier Cyril Anikwe, the nursing attendant Dada Owolabi, Laye Adewole, and Lamidi Ayinde.
The trial was thorough, and it was proved beyond reasonable doubt that Israel Njemanze was last seen alive during the night of April 7, 1955 at the house on 8 Adegbite Street, Mushin. There was clear evidence that Israel Njemanze was killed at the selfsame 8 Adegbite Street, Mushin. After the dastardly killing, Njemanze’s body was dragged to the railway line where his body was cut into 18 pieces.
The plan of the killers was that with the dismemberment it would look as if Njemanze was hit by a moving train.
The blood-stained knife found with Peter Nwangwu was examined by a pathologist who confirmed that it was human blood. The icing on the cake was that the band’s patron Samuel Jegede who paraded himself as a businessman was exposed as a drug peddler and dealer.
The jury found six of the eight accused persons guilty of the murder of the celebrated musician Israel Nwoba Njemanze and the guilty six were subsequently hanged at Broad Street Prisons, Lagos.
Let’s end with the song of Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka – crooned by Tunji Oyelana & the Benders – that has the airs of Israel Njemanze (Ijemanze):
I love my country, I no go lie
Na inside am I go live and die
I know my country I no lie
Na him and me go yap till I die…
When e turn me so, I twist am so
E push me I push am, I no go go…
***Uzoatu is a Nigerian poet, journalist, and author
