On May 15, 1976, Nigerian television broadcast footage that shocked the nation: Joseph Dechi Gomwalk, the first governor of Benue-Plateau State, was being executed by firing squad at Kirikiri Prison in Lagos. Less than a year earlier, he was a powerful state-builder; now, he was dead, condemned as a traitor. This Joseph Gomwalk visionary leader met a tragic end.
For eight years, Gomwalk had represented progress in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. The University College, Ibadan-educated zoologist turned police commissioner had taken charge of a brand-new state in 1967, shaping its identity. His story was meant to be a triumph of post-independence leadership, but his brutal end exposed the harsh realities of power under military rule in Nigeria.
Joseph Gomwalk visionary, celebrated builder
Most remember Joseph Gomwalk for what he built. Appointed governor at just 32 by General Yakubu Gowon, he inherited a vast, diverse, and underdeveloped territory. He moved with a speed and vision that was remarkable. His administration is credited with laying the institutional bedrock of what would become two separate states, Benue and Plateau.
His most enduring legacy is the University of Jos. In a 1970 letter, Gomwalk outlined the state’s pressing need for highly trained personnel to drive its development. His administration provided financial and material assistance to the University of Ibadan to establish a satellite campus in Jos.
The institution began operating in November 1971, with its doors opening to students on 20 January 1972, and by October 1975, it became the autonomous University of Jos known today.
But he didn’t stop there. Frustrated by the limited attention his state received in the media, he founded a state-owned newspaper, The Nigerian Standard, in 1972. He also launched the Benue-Plateau Broadcasting Corporation’s television station in February 1975, a project costing 2.5 million Naira.
Gomwalk wasn’t just an administrator; he was an institution builder, a moderniser with a clear vision for his people. His appointment as military governor, despite his background as a police commissioner rather than an army officer, was unusual for the time.
The Affidavit and the Unravelling
Despite his successes, Gomwalk’s administration was not without controversy. The complex ethnic and political landscape of Benue-Plateau created intense rivalries. In August 1974, affidavits alleging corruption on the part of Gomwalk and Joseph Tarka, a federal commissioner from the Middle Belt, were published in the public sphere.
Additionally, Aper Aku, who would later become the first civilian Governor of Benue State, raised complaints concerning Gomwalk’s administration, with a sworn affidavit becoming an important element of the controversy.
The allegations followed a similar scandal that had just forced the resignation of Joseph Tarka. While Tarka fell, Gomwalk, with the backing of the then Head of State, General Gowon, weathered the storm and denied the allegations.
He remained in office, but the affair stained his reputation and exposed the political fault lines running through his state. The political ground was already shaking. Nigeria’s military government, born from the turmoil that marked the First Republic crises, was itself becoming unstable.
On July 29, 1975, while Gowon was away at an international meeting in Uganda, he was overthrown in a military coup. Brigadier Murtala Mohammed became Nigeria’s new Head of State, immediately sweeping the twelve state governors from power. Joseph Gomwalk’s eight-year reign was over.
From Governor to Condemned Man
Just ten days after Gomwalk’s state was officially split into Benue and Plateau in February 1976, a bloody coup attempt shook Nigeria. On February 13, a group of officers led by Lieutenant-Colonel Buka Suka Dimka assassinated General Murtala Mohammed in a Lagos traffic jam. The coup ultimately failed, and the new leader, Lieutenant-General Olusegun Obasanjo, unleashed a furious investigation to find everyone involved.
Gomwalk was arrested and implicated in the investigation. He was first tried by a military tribunal and acquitted, with charges dismissed due to a lack of physical evidence. But in the highly charged atmosphere following Murtala’s assassination, an acquittal was not enough.
A new military court was convened, and Gomwalk was retried for the same crime—a clear violation of the legal principle against double jeopardy. This time, he was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. The proceedings raised profound questions about the fairness of military justice, underscoring the complexities of judicial independence in Nigeria.
Execution and a Complicated Legacy
On May 15, 1976, Gomwalk was executed alongside Dimka and five others, including Colonel Isa Bukar and Mr. H. Shaiyen, a police officer. The public broadcast of his death was a brutal message from the military government. It cemented a narrative of guilt that would hang over his name for decades.
His family and supporters have long maintained his innocence, arguing he was a victim of political machinations.
For years, his legacy remained deeply divided. Was he the visionary founder of modern Plateau State or a traitor who conspired to overthrow the government? The institutions he built, like the University of Jos and The Nigeria Standard, thrived and continue to shape life in the region. Yet the official record branded him a conspirator.
It wasn’t until 45 years later, in November 2021, that a new chapter was written. Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State announced that President Muhammadu Buhari had granted a state pardon for Joseph Dechi Gomwalk. This pardon was a quiet acknowledgement that a grave injustice may have occurred in the tumultuous days of 1976.
The Enduring Legacy of Joseph Dechi Gomwalk
Fifty years after his death, Joseph Dechi Gomwalk remains closely associated with the formative years of Benue-Plateau State. His governorship coincided with the development of new administrative institutions, the expansion of higher education, and the establishment of a state-owned newspaper.
The University of Jos stands as the most prominent institution connected to his administration’s developmental initiatives, its origins traceable to the University of Ibadan’s Jos campus, established with support from his government.
In January 2026, the University of Jos publicly acknowledged the Gomwalk family’s historical relationship with the institution during a condolence visit following the deaths of two of his wives in late 2025. The university’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tanko Ishaya, recognised the family’s contribution to the institution’s history. The Nigeria Standard also continues to maintain a presence in the state’s media landscape.
Gomwalk’s history, however, extends beyond the institutions associated with his administration. The political controversies of 1974, his removal from office in 1975, and his execution following the failed coup of 1976 connect his personal story to broader developments in Nigeria’s military era.
His life reflects both the opportunities created by the establishment of new states and the turbulent political landscape experienced by public officials during successive changes of military government.
The story of Joseph Gomwalk is a stark reminder of a fundamental truth about Nigeria’s journey. In the volatile world of military rule, the line between visionary builder and condemned traitor could be drawn and redrawn with terrifying speed.
His life illustrates how quickly a legacy built over years can be dismantled in a moment of political crisis, and how long it can take for history to reconsider its verdict.
