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IamaNigerianGuy:


There are many reasons but the main reasons were
1. April 22 was not the original date for the coup. The date had to be moved back when the organizers feared they would be exposed. A (coup) reconnaissance party coming from a meeting of the conspirators encountered a night police patrol team days before (at Obalende if I recall correctly). The entire police patrol including the commanding inspector of police were arrested and detained but there were fears that their disappearance would cause discovery of the plot.
2.Bamaiyi and Abacha organized a counter coup with Hausa troops and young officers. Southern officers were timid and inactive.
3. The main assault force could not capture IBB mainly due to resistance offered by the Dodan barrack guards and IBB's ADC Col UK Bello.

The failure has nothing to do with the broadcast.

Look up accounts of the coup online especially that by Dr Nowa Omogui on dawodu.net.
I should not fail to acknowledge the bravery of Major Gideon Orkar, Salibar Umukoro, Sgt Ademokhai and other brave men executed by IBB. There is evidence that many officers who took part in the coup remained undiscovered because Major Umukoro and others steadfastly refused to give them up despite torture.

Lt col Nyiam said that the date for the coup was originally April 28 but they had to move it to April 22 because it was leaked by Lt Col Patrick Fortata, in another interview he gave the impression that it was Raji Rasaki Governor of Lagos state that reported the coup to IBB. So they had to act fast to avoid the Mamman Vatsa scenario.

Major Saliba Mukoro was not captured, was not tortured. He escaped with Lt col Nyiam. In fact his wife and children were arrested by Babangida and held hostage. They were helped and they escaped. He is now a Professor of criminology.
This is the link to the latest interview granted by Lt Col Nyiam. http://sunnewsonline.com/agitations-how-buharis-govt-can-save-nigeria-col-tony-nyiam-retd/

Orkar was truly a gallant soldier, a man with the heart of a warrior. He had the opportunity to escape but he deliberately chose not to do so. He kept on fighting until he was overpowered and captured. The names of the soldiers killed or sentenced to prison terms are online

Pazienza honor the memory of the sacrifices of these men. Let us not derail this thread with discussions that belong to another thread. If they are not your dead, they are the dead of other people. On page 0 of this thread somebody's(nickxtra) step father Sergeant Adamokhai was among those killed. I was a kid then but I remember that Orkar's elder brother was an acquaintance of my father. Ben Ekele the Wing Commander killed by Babangida in the Vatsa's coup was a close family friend and my father was present when he was arrested and also with his wife when the news of his killing was announced. His kids and I were in the same primary school. The memory of this men are precious to us just as your own slain are to you.
On May 30 Igbos killed in the Biafran War were honored. I honored them too by defending the right of Igbos to do so right here on nairaland when someone wanted to denigrate Kanu's sit at home order. https://www.nairaland.com/3871300/how-buhari-made-northern-youths/9#57698367.
Here again I opined that May 30 and June 12 should be a national holiday because these are all part of our history https://www.nairaland.com/3871300/how-buhari-made-northern-youths/9#5769998

So I urge you to put your pain aside, honor these men and if you cannot then please desist from invoking karma on them.

Mujtahida:

Lt col Nyiam said that the date for the coup was originally April 28 but they had to move it to April 22 because it was leaked by Lt Col Patrick Fortata, in another interview he gave the impression that it was Raji Rasaki Governor of Lagos state that reported the coup to IBB. So they had to act fast to avoid the Mamman Vatsa scenario.

Major Saliba Mukoro was not captured, was not tortured. He escaped with Lt col Nyiam. In fact his wife and children were arrested by Babangida and held hostage. They were helped and they escaped. He is now a Professor of criminology.
This is the link to the latest interview granted by Lt Col Nyiam. http://sunnewsonline.com/agitations-how-buharis-govt-can-save-nigeria-col-tony-nyiam-retd/

Orkar was truly a gallant soldier, a man with the heart of a warrior. He had the opportunity to escape but he deliberately chose not to do so. He kept on fighting until he was overpowered and captured. The names of the soldiers killed or sentenced to prison terms are online

Thanks for the correction.
You're absolutely right about Mukoro. I erred. The story of how his family was rescued from house arrest ordered by IBB, is like a tale from a James Bond movie.
Col Nyiams account keeps changing, perhaps to keep up with new information or maybe, being the intelligence officer that he is, he has other motives .
Kudos to him though and much respect. (He was our neighbor at Rukuba cantonment, Jos. A fine officer and gentleman.)

IamaNigerianGuy:


You're absolutely right about Mukoro. I erred. The story of how his family was rescued from house arrest ordered by IBB, is like a tale from a James Bond movie.
Col Nyiams account keeps changing, perhaps to keep up with new information or maybe, being the intelligence officer that he is, he has other motives .
Kudos to him though and much respect. (He was our neighbor at Rukuba cantonment, Jos. A fine man.)

I am telling you. How that feat was pulled off is really the stuff of a thriller. If only Nollywood can give us a cinematographic depiction. I am still searching online to read an in depth account of how it was done.

There's something romantic about coups - the danger, the goriness, the fear, the suspense. I vividly remember that Sunday morning on the Airforce Base in Makurdi. Our fathers clutched their transistor radios to their ears in church so as to keep abreast with events as they unfolded. There was something visceral, dark and mysterious in church that day. We could feel the excitement and suppressed sense of expectation that gripped our fathers. First news we heard was that Babangida had been killed. We could sense that our parents were happy.They muttered and spoke in whispers about things our itchy ears heard but our minds could not understand. Later we heard that it was not Babangida but his ADC Lt Col U. K Bello who was killed. The air in church became sombre. How Babangida escaped was a mystery that gave birth to the legend that he disappeared by rubbing a ring on his finger. The rumours then on the Base was that he got that ring from India.(trust barrack children imagination na) Yesterday I was surprised to read someone repeat this legend online. But I read Lt Echendu's interview where he said that he saw Babangida escape in a 504 car and that he had clear opportunities to take Babangida out. https://www.naij.com/311343-why-i-spared-babangida-former-officer-echendu-explains.html

As kids then we had a book depicting in pictures the coups from 1966 to 1985. I wish I can lay my hands on it again. Did you guys play ten ten singing 1960, 1960, Murtala, na who kill am? na Dimka! A friend of mine told me long after our parents retired that B. S Dimka's younger brother was their neighbour on the Base. Till date I have an abiding interest in coups.

White007:
Same here. I was a kid then, but I could remember vividly all that happened then, and i was fortunate or should i say unfortunate to be in a military barrack then. We saw first hand all the intrigues, counter coup and power play that took place after Orkar's announcement. After the coup failed or look like it was gonna fail, we started seeing so many J5 buses abadoned inside and outside the barracks. A lot of military guys that partook in the coup were abandoning their military gears for civilian clothing. I happen to know a military family friend that partook in the coup ( Major Mukoro), he was later killed along with so many junior officers. It was a sad day for those brilliant young officers, and also a sad day for Nigeria.

I think the coup failed, cuz of those 5 northern state that Orkar mentioned in his broadcast. We remembered in the initial stage, it had popular support even within military, but all of sudden everything started collapsing. We heard Abacha has retaking the Bonny camp barracks, Doddan barracks and there was one Major Biu who took the ikeja cantonments and 242 recci battalion from the coup plotters.

Had it been successful, maybe Nigeria would have been a better Nation today. Look at 23 yrs after the failed coup, Nigeria is still deep in corruption, nepotism, lots of dishonesty, get-rich-quick syndrome, space age kleptomania, parochial tribalism/sectionalism, 'me first' syndrome, indiscipline everywhere.

What a pity !

mukoro didn't die with them he and nyiam went on exile

GoldCircle:
But why did the coup fail? so many theories that do not address the question... I wish I could get an insider's perspective on why this coup failed.

was it in execution or in planning? I quite agree also that the opening line of Orkar's speech was insensitive. He would have left that out for subsequent speech.

your opinions though..

the plan leaked and they just had to take up arms to fight like that

I prefer Igbos to dominate instead of Hausa or the North

jonnieoneng:



UNLEASHED ON IGBOLAND U SAID.IF NZEOGWU AND CO HADN'T PLANNED A ONE-SIDED COUP,THE STAGE 4 D WAR WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN SET.ALSO, UR ANCESTORS TOT IT WISE TO INVADE THE NIGER DELTA AND MID WEST WHICH IS PART OF YORUBA LAND.U GUYS GOT WHAT U DESERVED.BY THOSE ACTIONS IT WAS CLEAR TO ALL DAT UR REAL MOTIVE WASN'T BIAFRA,BUT A TOTAL IGBO DOMINATION OF NIJA.IF OJUKWU HAD STOP AT PURELY IGBO LAND,HE MIGHT HAVE SUCCEEDED.BUT TYPICAL OF IGBOS U ALWAY THINK U ARE BETA THAN OTHERS.AND U AINT

That coup would have been a success if not for the ADC to Babangida who made him leave the Villa against the plan and wait to take the fall but let go his boss. Who he had agree to gibe up for the success of the coup. They took him and kill him for his betrayal.

pazienza:
Orka( corn) and his middle belt people were the agents of death unleashed on Igboland by the Northern-South west gang up. The bulk of the Nigerian Army that brought death to Biafra,were of middle belt origin, likewise their leader,Gowon.


I have no pity whatsoever for him,and those that got caught up in his coup. It was Karma that caught up with them all.


One Nigeria was built on the blood of Ndiigbo, and have since been sustained by the blood of those that helped create her.

I don't know why some Igbo guys are so senseless and dumb, every thing about their thinking is always TRIBAL AND ETHNIC, can these guys just for once think intelligently and knock off this their old primitive thoughts,do constructive criticism to issues and build a one nation and let NIGERIA move forward

Mujtahida:

Oh you are asking me about which karma? Go and talk about karma to the wives of Sardauna, to Elizabeth Pam, the children of Okotie Eboh and Ademulegun, Maimalari's wife etc. They are in a good position to tell you more about karma.

But you see, unlike you whose heart has become the citadel of bitterness and tribal vengefulness, I am sure this people will show love rather than gloat. Why am I sure? In 2001, at the age of 65 years, Elizabeth Pam, a Northerner and the widow of Lt. Col James Pam went to see Humphrey Chukwuka in Enugu the former capital of Eastern Region. She was 30 years old in 1966 when Chukwuka took James away and never returned him to her as promised. Elizabeth did not call for justice as an alternative to the loss of her beloved husband neither was she avid for tribal accusations that was common to Chukwuka’s people. She just uttered those difficult words: “I forgive you.” She died soft on 10 of May 2011 surrounded by her children and her illustrious moral superiority. Amazing Grace.
http://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2016/06/nigerias-first-coup-biafra-british-secret-files-part-two/11/

Everybody read the post and commented as people whose humanity is intact. Only you, only you decided to gloat, to rubbish the sacrifices of this men because of 1966. You who have murdered sleep, you shall sleep no more since you cannot show grace.

May God bless you for this and continue to enrich your knowledge.

Thank you.

I love Nairaland. Fact-check from Twitter brought me to this thread and everyone on this thread (including Mr Karma, AKA Awolowo Masterminded the coup) are a national asset.
RESPECT!