James Pam
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23 November 1933
British Empire (1957–1960)
Nigeria (1960–1966)
James Yakubu Gyang Pam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yakubu Gyang Pam 23 November 1933 |
| Died | 15 January 1966 (aged 32) |
| Buried | Lagos |
| Allegiance |
|
| Branch | Royal West African Frontier Force Nigerian Army |
| Service years | 1957–1966 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-Colonel |
| Conflicts | |
| Alma mater | Barewa College, Zaria Royal Military Academy Sandhurst Joint Services Staff College |
Lt. Col. James Yakubu Gyang Pam, MFR (23 November 1933 – 15 January 1966) was the Nigerian Army's Adjutant General who was assassinated during the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état. He was the first Nigerian artillery officer and the first military officer from the Middle Belt to be commissioned.
Pam was born to Pam Sagok and Chundung Tsok of Du district, Jos in the old Plateau Province, now Plateau State. Pam received his foundational education at Central School in Pankshin and St. Paul's Primary School in Jos. He attended Barewa College, Zaria, where he earned an "exemption from the London Matriculation," an honor for outstanding students at the time. He went to Sudan Interior Mission School (SUM) and later enlisted into the Nigerian Regiment of the Royal West African Frontier Force (RWAFF).[1]
Military career
Pam attended the Regular Officers' Special School in Teshie, Ghana. Later, he trained at Cadet School Eaton Hall in England. He also attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, where he completed his officers' training, receiving the Queen's Commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1955. Upon commissioning, he became the first Nigerian Artillery Officer and the first Military Officer from the Middle Belt to receive a commission and held various positions within the West African Frontier Force (WAFF), serving as aide-de-camp to the Governor-General of Northern Nigeria, Mr. Sharwood-Smith. He latter attended the Joint Services Staff College (JSSC) in Camberley, England. On return, he was appointed the first African to command the 3rd Battalion Nigerian Army in Kaduna, and eventually held position of Adjutant-General of the Nigerian Army until his assassination. He was engaged in various peacekeeping efforts in various regions including operations in the Southern Cameroons, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in the Congo, and interventions during the Tiv riots and the suppression of mutiny in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) which earned him recognition from President Julius Nyerere, who honored him with a lion skin and shield.[2]