Victor Malu

General Victor Samuel Leonard Malu, DSS, mni, fwc, psc, was a Nigerian Army officer who served as Chief of Army Staff (COAS) from 1999 to 2001 and as Force Commander of the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) peacekeeping force in Liberia from 1996 to 1998, during the First Liberian Civil War.

Malu was born on 15 January 1947 at Katsina-Ala, Benue State, of Tiv origin.

He enrolled in the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, in 1967 as part of the 3rd Regular Course, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant upon graduation in 1970. Fellow officers in the same NDA course included Senator and retired Brig-Gen. David Mark, Gen. Tunde Ogbeha, Gen. Raji Rasaki, Gen. Chris Garuba, Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa, Brig-Gen. Halilu Akilu, Adm. Mike Akhigbe, and Gen. Tunji Olurin. He later attended the Command and Staff College, Jaji, and the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos.

At the time of the February 1976 coup that brought General Olusegun Obasanjo to power, Malu was Chief Instructor of the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, and was interrogated for two weeks after the coup before being released. He went on to serve as General Officer Training at Army Headquarters and as Commander of the 7 Mechanised Brigade. In 1997, he chaired the tribunal that tried General Oladipo Diya and other officers for allegedly attempting to overthrow the government of General Sani Abacha.

Malu served as Force Commander of the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) peacekeeping force in Liberia from December 1996 to April 1998, during the First Liberian Civil War, impressing both Liberians and international observers with improvements under his command; by March 1997 he was able to report that Liberia had been completely cleared of land mines. He fell out with Liberian President Charles Taylor, who in April 1998 accused him of trying to run a parallel government, a rift that led to his replacement as commander. In a later book, cited at Taylor's trial in The Hague, Malu reportedly claimed that Taylor had secretly smuggled arms and ammunition from South Africa through Monrovia in 1997 without informing ECOMOG peacekeepers.

Malu was appointed Chief of Army Staff in May 1999, at the start of President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration, and was dismissed in April 2001. He later said he had warned Obasanjo to guard against American involvement in Nigeria's affairs, and claimed he was dismissed, in part, before the signing of the Nigeria-United States Military Cooperation Agreement because of his views.

Awarded the Force Service Star (FSS), Meritorious Service Star (MSS), and Distinguished Service Star (DSS). Credited with significant improvements to the ECOMOG peacekeeping operation in Liberia, including the clearance of landmines by March 1997.

As Force Commander of ECOMOG during a critical phase of the First Liberian Civil War, and later as Nigeria's Chief of Army Staff during the early Fourth Republic, Malu held two of the most senior commands in Nigerian and West African military history. His later public disagreements with President Obasanjo and his account of events in Liberia have made him a frequently cited figure in accounts of Nigerian civil-military relations.

In October 2001, protests by Tiv people in Zaki-Biam, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area, Benue State - Malu's home area - led to the killing of 19 soldiers sent to restore order; in reprisal, the Nigerian Army was later accused of massacring around 100 people in the area. Malu separately reported that armed men had burst into his own home during this period and killed four members of his household before burning down neighbouring houses. In January 2006, he publicly said he regretted not having overthrown the Obasanjo government during his tenure as Chief of Army Staff, a remark described as treasonable by the presidency's spokesperson. His career and public statements remain a significant reference point in discussions of civil-military relations in Nigeria's Fourth Republic.

• 15 January 1947 — Born at Katsina-Ala, Benue State
• 1967 — Enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna (3rd Regular Course)
• 1970 — Commissioned Second Lieutenant
• 1976 — Interrogated following the February 1976 coup, then released
• December 1996 - April 1998 — Force Commander, ECOMOG peacekeeping force, Liberia
• 1997 — Chaired the tribunal trying General Oladipo Diya over an alleged coup plot against General Sani Abacha
• May 1999 - April 2001 — Chief of Army Staff, Nigeria
• October 2001 — Zaki-Biam unrest and reprisal killings in his home area; his household attacked
• January 2006 — Made public remarks regretting not overthrowing the Obasanjo government
• September 2008 — Hospitalized in a coma; later treated in London
• 9 October 2017 — Died, aged 70

• Wikipedia contributors. "Victor Malu." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor_Malu
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• Siollun, Max. Soldiers of Fortune: Nigerian Politics from Buhari to Babangida 1983-1993. Cassava Republic Press, 2013.
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• Siollun, Max. Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976). Algora Publishing, 2009.
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• "ECOMOG Was Wild." Liberian Observer, 19 February 2010.
• Owete, Festus. "I Warned Obasanjo... But He Ignored My Advice and Retired Me - Malu." The Punch, 28 May 2005.
• "Army Apologises for Zaki Biam Killings." The Punch, 7 November 2007.
• Ige, Ise-Oluwa. "Keyamo, Dokubo Sues Obasanjo Over Odi Killings." Vanguard, 30 April 2008.
• "Nigeria Massacres Blamed on Soldiers." BBC News, 24 October 2001.
• Ior, Daniel. "Victor Malu Alleges Threat to Life." Online Nigeria Daily News, 18 July 2005.
• Mamah, Emeka; Ajayi, Rotimi. "I Regret Not Overthrowing Obasanjo - Victor Malu." Vanguard, 31 January 2006.
• Chikwe, Azoma. "Former Chief of Army Staff, General Victor Malu, on Life Support at LUTH." Daily Sun, 3 October 2008.
• Oyedoyin, Tunde. "General Victor Malu (rtd) Leaves London Hospital." The Guardian, 5 April 2009.
• Nwabueze, Chinenye. "BREAKING: Ex-COAS, Victor Malu Dies at 70." massmediang.com, 9 October 2017.