Nikos Theofanous

He was born in Cairo¹, Egypt, on December 6, 1936.

He was killed on September 11, 1956 on the Nicosia² – Kyrenia³ road, near Agrida⁴, by British soldiers.

Nikos Theofanous learned his first letters in Cairo, where his parents were settled before returning to Cyprus. He was a graduate of the Samuel Commercial School and worked at the National Bank of Greece. He was a member of the GSP philharmonic (Pangypria Gymnasium).

He joined EOKA from the beginning of the struggle and was a member of the student groups of the Samuel Commercial School. His action included dropping leaflets, writing slogans, enlightening churches and erasing English inscriptions. Soon he was assigned to the strike groups and his action expanded to bomb attacks, executions and hiding weapons in Nicosia and the suburbs.

Information about his action was given to the British, who put him under surveillance. He was stopped a few times for questioning, but found nothing incriminating to arrest him. On September 10, 1956, while he was heading with his family to Kyrenia, he again became aware that he was being followed by British soldiers. He attracted the attention of the soldiers and hid the revolver he was carrying under carob trees.

The next day, September 11, he went and got it accompanied by a fellow competitor. On their return, however, they ran into a roadblock that had been set up by English soldiers in Agirda, waiting for them, after treachery, and they were arrested. In Nikos’s possession they found the revolver, the transfer of which entailed the death penalty. He tried to escape, whereupon he was shot and killed. His companion, for reasons not announced but apparently for his own safety, the English fled to England.