Editor/
Brigadier Dauda Musa Komo, a former Military Administrator of Rivers State (1993–1996), passed away suddenly on May 30, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, while attending a public event.
His death marks the end of a life that left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s history, marked by both notable service and profound controversies.
Born in 1959, Komo rose through the ranks of the Nigerian military to assume the position of Military Administrator, as Lieutenant Colonel, during one of the most turbulent periods in the Niger Delta’s history.
Appointed by General Sani Abacha, he was tasked with maintaining order amid escalating unrest fuelled by the environmental degradation caused by oil companies and the protests of the Ogoni people. However, his administration’s approach to governance and conflict resolution would later be remembered as one of the most repressive in Nigeria’s history.
Komo’s tenure saw the establishment of the Rivers State Internal Security Task Force, led by the infamous Major Paul Okutimo.
This task force became synonymous with brutal crackdowns, arbitrary detentions, torture, and the razing of Ogoni villages. Under Komo’s watch, human rights abuses were rampant, and dissent was met with iron-fisted suppression.
The darkest chapter of Komo’s administration came with the arrest, trial, and execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa and the Ogoni Nine in 1995. Saro-Wiwa, a prominent environmental activist, led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP) in their resistance against environmental devastation and exploitation.
The military-backed crackdown on MOSOP, sanctioned under Komo’s regime, culminated in what many have termed judicial murder—a moment that shocked the world and forever stained Komo’s legacy.
While Komo’s administration succeeded in enforcing control over the region, it came at a devastating human cost. Over 2,000 lives were lost, countless people were displaced, and the scars of this period remain visible in the communities affected.
Komo himself was summoned before the Oputa Rights Panel in the early 2000s, but the quest for justice and accountability yielded little resolution.
After his military service, Komo retreated into a quieter life. He remained active in community development as President of the Zuru Emirate Development Society and made an unsuccessful attempt at politics in Kebbi State.
Despite these later endeavours, he never fully escaped the shadow of his role in the Rivers State crisis.
While his military career and service to his community are acknowledged, the lives lost and the communities destroyed under his administration serve as a somber counterweight.
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