A Fighter’s Oath

Nikolaos Yiagou was born in 1934 in the village of Kato Zodeia, Nicosia district. After finishing primary school in Zodia, he worked as a farmer. He swore his oath to EOKA shortly before April 1, 1955 and immediately began recruiting members in his village. He participated in direct actions, including the attack on the Koutrafas police station.

A Leader and Protector

Yiagou served as a group leader for Pano Zodeia, maintaining a busy and effective schedule. He operated a secret hideout within his own home, where he sheltered guerrilla fighters. He took full responsibility for their protection, their supplies, and their movements, always knowing their location.

Capture and Interrogation

On October 5, 1958, an EOKA ambush succeeded in Kato Zodeia. Nikolaos Yiagou knew the hiding place of the guerrilla group responsible. The British authorities arrested him two days later. They subjected him to brutal torture, demanding he reveal the sector commander’s location.

A Choice for Death Over Betrayal

Although Yiagou knew the group was in Nikitari, he refused to betray his comrades. He endured the torture, choosing death over disclosure. Fifteen-year-old student Antonis Papaevripides, who was arrested and tortured alongside him, witnessed his final moments. Antonis reported that their torturers, two police officers and several English soldiers, beat them severely and threw them into a water-filled ditch when they lost consciousness. In the early hours, they forced the broken men into a car. During the journey, a limp and exhausted Yiagou fell against the door, which opened, and his body hung crumpled from the vehicle.

A Secret Burial

A police officer later testified that Nikolaos Yiagou died at the Lefka police station. The two officers who had tortured him then buried his body near the station, a final attempt to conceal their crime.

14 of the 108 EOKA died during torture:

Georgios Nikolaou – 12-13/11/1956
Andreas Panagiotou – 19/11/1956
Nikos Georgiou – 25/01/1957
Theodosis Chadjitheodosiou – 18/12/1957
Stelios Tritaios – 17/06/1958
Platon Stylianou – 04/08/1958
Loukas Louka – 03/10/1958
Panagiotis Chrysostomou – 03/10/1958
Nikolaos Yiagou – 09/10/1958
Charalampos Filippidis – 11/10/1958
Spyros Chajigiakoumis – 16/10/1958
Prodromos Xenophontos – 12/11/1958
Georgios Christoforou – 20/11/1958
Vasilis Alexandrou – 21/11/1958