Lt. Col Galla Moses Yangu, who forced Amin to rule at gunpoint passed on last night, after a quiet out of public life. He broke free from detention after an ethnic purge ordered by Milton Obote against West Nile soliders (Lugabara, Kakwa, Nubian, Aringa) mobilised detainees, broke into armory on Jan. 25 1971 &overran the capital.
A day to the coup, an order to place Iddi Amin Dada was issued by Commander-in-chief Dr. Milton Obote who had left for Commonwealth Heads of States conference in Singapore. Lt Col Akwangu Augustino, Internal affairs Minister Basil and IGP Erinayo Oryema were tasked to lead the operation.
In anticipation of a possible threat and protest against arrest of Amin, Akwangu carefully mooted a plan to dismarm West Nile officers and withdrew keys of Tanks.
It was, allegedly, an instantaneous fight for survival that prompted Galla Moses to break free and take arms in what turned out to be the first ever unsolicited handover of power. It's a historical opinion that had Akwangu succeeded in apprehending Amin and with many West Nile officers under arrest, it would be military trial of them after Dr. Obote's return and possible execution wasn't ruled out for others.
By half past 4 that afternoon, the Army and Police had fallen in the hands of Iddi Amin despite earlier resistance from soldiers loyal to Milton Obote (General Service Unit) in Kampala Police College and Jinja where intense battle was reported. With Entebbe Airport sealed to prevent Obote's return, tanks patrolling Kampala streets, curfew imposed and parliament dissolved, Chapter Four suspended, Radio 📻 Uganda carried the big news! Iddi Amin was the new President.
Whether it was a fight for survival or a premeditated plot for power with British support remains a contentious issue in scholarship. In my class of Uganda's Constitutional and Political history, I was exposed to quite impressing theories of the Putsh and eventual overthrow.
The brave man behind the big day is Galla Moses Yangu, who will be buried in under an hour (around 2pm) today in Koboko, Abuku.
Source Lemeriga Fadhil🤝