1966 Nigerian coup d'etat
Date15–16 January 1966
Location
Nigeria
Result

Coup failed

Belligerents
Government of Nigeria Rebel Army Officers
Commanders and leaders
Nnamdi Azikiwe[2]
Nwafor Orizu[3]
Abubakar Balewa †
Ahmadu Bello †
Samuel Akintola †
Festus Okotie-Eboh †
Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi		 Kaduna Nzeogwu
Adewale Ademoyega
Emmanuel Ifeajuna
[4]
Strength
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
22 dead 0

A coup d'état began in Nigeria on 15 January 1966, when rebellious soldiers led by Kaduna Nzeogwu and 4 others killed 22 people[5] including the prime minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, many senior Army officers and their wives, and sentinels on protective duty.[6][7] The coup plotters attacked the cities of Kaduna, Ibadan, and Lagos while also blockading the Niger and Benue River within a two-day timespan before being subdued. The General Officer Commanding the Nigerian Army, Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, was compelled to take control of the government of a country in upheaval, inadvertently putting Nigeria's nascent democracy on hold.[8] His ascendancy to power was deemed a conspiracy by the coup plotters, who were majorly Igbo Majors, to pave the way for General Aguiyi-Ironsi to be head of state of Nigeria. Consequently, the retaliatory events by Northern members of the Nigerian Army that led to deaths of many innocent Igbo soldiers and civilians caused the Nigerian Civil War.

Background

In August 1965, a group of Army majors (Emmanuel Ifeajuna, Timothy Onwuatuegwu, Chris Anuforo, Don Okafor, Humphrey Chukwuka, and Adewale Ademoyega) began plotting a coup d'état against incumbent Prime Minister Abubakar Balewa.[9] The coup was planned because according to the majors, the men at the helm of affairs were running Nigeria aground with their corrupt ways. Ministers under them were living flamboyant lifestyles and looting public funds at the expense of ordinary citizens.

Furthermore, Captain Ben Gbulie (Writer of Nigeria's Five Major) and Colonel Emmanuel Nwobosi who partake in the Coup, later revealed that another reason for the Jan 15 coup was to counter a "Jihad" that was planned to happen by Jan 17.

The president of Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe left the country in late 1965, first for Europe, then on a cruise to the Caribbean. Under the law, the Senate president, Nwafor Orizu, became acting president during his absence and assumed all the powers of the office.[10]

Coup

Sarduana's house after the attack

In the morning of 15 January 1966, at a meeting with some local journalists in Kaduna seeking to find out what was going on, it was brought to Major Nzeogwu's attention that the only information about the events then was what was being broadcast by the BBC.[9] Nzeogwu was surprised because he had expected a radio broadcast of the rebels from Lagos. He is said to have "gone wild" when he learnt that Emmanuel Ifeajuna in Lagos had not made any plans whatsoever to neutralize Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who was the Commander of the Army. Therefore, Nzeogwu hurriedly drafted a speech which was broadcast on Radio Kaduna sometime around 12 a.m. and in which he declared martial law over the Northern Provinces of Nigeria.[11][12]

Aftermath

Acting President Nwafor Orizu made a nationwide broadcast, after he had briefed President Nnamdi Azikiwe on the phone about the decision of the cabinet, announcing the cabinet's "voluntary" decision to transfer power to the armed forces. Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi then made his own broadcast, accepting the "invitation". On 17 January, Major General Ironsi established the Supreme Military Council in Lagos and effectively suspended the constitution.[3]

This unfortunate event was later tagged an "igbo coup" by other ethnic groups in the country based on some chains of coincidences fuelling the misinterpretation:

i. The Killing patterns - only one of the 22 casualties is of Igbo origin, while notable Igbo politicians like the Premier of Eastern region and military personnel like Ironsi were unharmed.[13]

ii. The handing over of the government to Ironsi by Orizu (the acting president and the senate president who could have called for the formation of another civilian government) made it look like it was planned out all along.[14]

iii. The unification decree of May 1966 promulgated by Ironsi, leading to the abolition of regional system of government[15] - Historically speaking, the West and North have always believed in the regional system of government as the best form of government for a multiethnic like Nigeria, however this was taken away by Ironsi, leading to a massive outrage and pogrom in the North.

iv. The coup plotters, though kept in jail but were not sentenced.

However, some other participants of the coup like Captain Ben Gbulie,[16] Colonel Nwobosi[17] and others later came out decades after to refute the idea that it was an "Igbo agenda"

Casualties

Regarding the casualties, the coup conspirators claimed their purge post-coup targeted members or supporters of the anterior regime and had been targeted for purely political reasons instead of being a racial purge focused on certain ethnic groups or clans; furthermore, they also claimed the list of people targeted was small and composed of only 8 people, half of them foreigners who were to be arrested not killed, and that the casualties had occurred as collateral damage of the coup. These claims were clarified by a member of the trio that formed the coup, Adewale Ademoyega, who published them in Nigeria in 1981 in a book titled Why We Struck outlining their reasons and motivations[18] in which he mentioned:

There was no decision at our meeting to single out any ethnic group for elimination. Our intentions were honourable, our views were national and our goals were idealistic. Even those earmarked for arrest, four were northerners, two were Westerners and two were Easterners.

Below is a comprehensive list of casualties from the coup.[5]

Civilians

Military and police

  • Brig. Samuel Ademulegun
  • Brig. Zakariya Maimalari
  • Col. Ralph Shodeinde[20]
  • Col. Kur Mohammed [21]
  • Lt. Col. Abogo Largema[21]
  • Lt. Col. James Pam[21]
  • Lt. Col. Arthur Unegbe
  • Sergeant Daramola Oyegoke (assisted Nzeogwu in the attack on the Sardauna's lodge and according to the police report was murdered by Nzeogwu)[6][7]
  • PC Yohana Garkawa
  • Lance Corporal Musa Nimzo
  • PC Akpan Anduka
  • PC Hagai Lai
  • Philip Lewande

References

  1. ↑ Baxter, Peter (2015). Biafra : the Nigerian Civil War, 1967–1970. Solihull, West Midlands, England: Helion. p. 13. ISBN 9781909982369.
  2. ↑ Bolashodun, Oluwatobi (15 January 2016). "8 Facts To Know About The January 15, 1966 Coup D'état". Legit. Legit. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 Abubakar Ibrahim (29 July 2008). Rose, Esther; Aziken, Emmanuel; Ba, Amadou Mahtar (eds.). "Nigeria: The Forgotten Interim President". AllAfrica. Lagos, Nigeria: AllAfrica Global Media. Retrieved 28 February 2010 – via Daily Trust.
  4. ↑ https://groups.google.com/g/soc.history.african.biafra/c/_05MqEwVw8A
  5. 1 2 Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966–1976). Algora Publishing. p. 237. ISBN 9780875867106.
  6. 1 2 Omoigui, Nowamagbe. "SPECIAL BRANCH REPORT: "Military Rebellion of 15th January 1966". Gamji.com. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
  7. 1 2 Kirk-Greene, Anthony Hamilton Millard (1971). Crisis and Conflict in Nigeria: A Documentary Sourcebook, 1966–1969. Crisis and Conflict in Nigeria: A Documentary Sourcebook, 1966–1969. Vol. 1 (1st ed.). New York City, New York, United States of America: Oxford University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0192156419.
  8. ↑ Teniola, Eric (28 December 2015). Mojeed, Musikilu; Akinbajo, Idris; Abdullahi, Nasiru Abubakar; Olorunyomi, Dapo (eds.). "Was Power Initially Handed Over To or Taken Over By the Military?, By Eric Teniola – Premium Times Opinion". Premium Times. Abuja, Nigeria: Premium Times Services Limited. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  9. 1 2 Bolashodun, Oluwatobi (15 January 2016). Akinrujomu, Akinyemi; Ebhomele, Eromosele; Ishaq, Mudathir (eds.). "50 Years After: 8 Facts To Know About The January 15, 1966, Coup D'état". Legit.ng. Lagos, Nigeria: Naij.com Media Limited Read. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  10. ↑ Obasi, Emeka (18 August 2018). Anaba, Aze (ed.). "Why Zik escaped death in 1966". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria: Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  11. ↑ Nzeogwu, Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna; et al. (Compiled and annotated by Nowa Omoigui). Dawodu, Segun Toyin (ed.). "Nzeogwu's Declaration of Martial Law – January 15, 1966". Dawodu.com. Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America. Archived from the original on 21 April 2002. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  12. ↑ Nzeogwu, Chukwuma Kaduna. Anaba, Aze (ed.). "Radio broadcast by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu – announcing Nigeria's first Military coup on Radio Nigeria, Kaduna on January 15, 1966". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria: Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  13. ↑ Fani-Kayode, Femi (15 January 2023). "15 January 1966 and the martyrdom of our heroes past, By Femi Fani-Kayode". Premium Times Nigeria. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  14. ↑ Nigeria, Guardian (12 January 2016). "Was 1966 handover, or takeover?". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  15. ↑ AdminTO (9 July 2016). "It's time to correct Aguiyi Ironsi's faux pas". Tribune Online. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  16. ↑ We planned And Executed The 1966 January Coup - Ben Gbulie, retrieved 19 September 2023
  17. ↑ Igwe, Ignatius. "Oldest Surviving War Veteran, Nwobosi Dies At 81". ChannelsTv. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  18. ↑ Ademoyega, Adewale (1 January 1981). Why We Struck: The Story of the First Nigerian Coup. Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria: Evans Brothers. ISBN 9789781671678.
  19. 1 2 Teniola, Eric (11 January 2016). Anaba, Aze (ed.). "Hand over or took over power". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria: Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  20. ↑ Olubode, Sesan (16 July 2016). Osinubi, Ademola; Aboderin, Wale (eds.). "The first 1966 coup: Though painful, I'm happy I witnessed the killing of my parents-– Ademulegun-Agbi". The Punch. PUNCH (Nigeria) Limited. Archived from the original on 17 July 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  21. 1 2 3 Iloegbunam, Chuks (29 July 2016). Anaba, Aze (ed.). "July 29,1966 counter-coup: Africa's bloodiest coup d'état". Vanguard. Lagos, Nigeria: Vanguard Media Limited. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
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