₦airaland Forum

princeade86:
They made igbo look bad.

Slytiger:
There was a reason court martial did not happen.

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

i. The Killing patterns – only one of the 22 casualties is of Ibo origin, while notable Ibo politicians like the Premier of Eastern region and military personnel like Ironsi were unharmed.

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.

iii. The unification decree of May 1966 promulgated by Ironsi, leading to the abolition of regional system of government. 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.

Catualities.
Civilians
- Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa
- Premier Ahmadu Bello
- Premier Samuel Ladoke Akintola
- Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh
- Ahmed Ben Musa (Bello's Senior Assistant " secretary for Security)
- Hafsatu Bello
- Mrs Latifat Ademulegun (pregnant)
- Zarumi Sardauna
- Ahmed Pategi (Bello's driver)

Military and police
- Brig. Samuel Ademulegun
- Brig. Zakariya Maimalari
- Col. Ralph Shodeinde
- Col. Kur Mohammed
- Lt. Col. Abogo Largema
- Lt. Col. James Pam
- Lt. Col. Arthur Unegbe
- Sergeant Daramola Oyegoke (Refused Nzeogwu's order in the attack on the Sardauna's lodge and according to the police report was murdered by Nzeogwu)
- Police Constable (PC) Yohana Garkawa
- Lance Corporal Musa Nimzo
- PC Akpan Anduka
- PC Hagai Lai
- Philip Lewande

What’s Aguiyi-Ironsi’s place in history?
The composition of the administration’s advisory team was also another source of discontent. Chief among them was Francis Nwokedi, an Igbo man and former permanent secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, who had become close to him during his days in the Congo. Others were Pius Okigbo (economic adviser) and Lt. Col Patrick Anwunah who was later Chairman of the National Orientation Committee. The most common complaint against the appointments was that, although highly qualified and distinguished, they were either all Igbos or Igbo speaking.

On February 12, Ironsi took his most sensitive decision when he put Nwokedi in-charge of the establishment he set to work out the details of his unified Nigeria. He had also replaced the Attorney-General, Dr. Teslim Elias, with Gabriel Onyiuke, also of Igbo extraction. Similarly, Dr. Pius Okigbo became the Economic Adviser. Then, contrary to Katsina’s advice, he attempted to appoint Prof. J. C. Edozien from the University of Ibadan as the Vice Chancellor of the Ahmadu Bello University, instead of Prof. Ishaya Audu. When he effected promotions in the Army, of the 21 officers promoted from Majors to Lieutenant-Colonels, 18 were Igbo-speaking.

Christlike01:
Jan 15,1966 coup was an Igbo coup;there is no doubt about it! The events before the bloody coup,the events during the bloody coup and the events after the bloody coup all pointed to the fact that it was a coup driven solely by ethnic agenda. It's one coup that brought Nigeria to where it is today - no amount of soap can wash the bloody odour from the body of the Igbo people!

Empresa:
From my perspective, I don't see a reason why an old man without an ambition should lie.

Some things may not be accurate, they may be from what he heard or believed to be true. this book is a confession and I don't believe a deliberate lie will be included.

I'm not making excuses for anybody, we are all entitled to our opinion

Softmirror:
Nzeogwu is 'HAUSA' 😂.

GetSenseNow:
Where's the lie?
Abi he lied because it doesn't suit the narratives you and your people have been pushing?

igbosarejews:
Shebi South south are not Igbo's, The Igbo's wants to take south south by force and steal their oil. The only Igbo state are the five dot states, like your tribe will always say. If you have any issue with the coup, you can go to Okpanam in present day Delta state and vent your anger, leave Ndi five dot states alone.
Your father's conspired to kill the Igbo's for not just reason

Sheuns:
Between a 25 year old new army officer and one Baba Kamoli that is no where near government then, whose talk will hold more water?

femi4:
IBB lied, what did you expect him to say? The book is full of lies

The coup eliminated all northern leaders and gave birth to the genesis of Nigeria problem just few years after independence

richie240:
1. I've already stated in my penultimate post that Arthur Unegbe was killws bcus he stood in the way of the coup plotters by refusing to hand over the keys to the armoury.

2. The fact that we had some specks of Yorubas and hausas amongst the coup plotters wasn't the reason why it was an igbo coup but by virtue of the casualties.
The coupists targeted mainly ONLY the military and political leaders of the north, west and midwest while NONE from the south east was killed.

Nwokem, rest!

chopnaira:
It was an igbo coup.

femi4:
You don't need ambition to tell lies.

OkCornel:
How is it an Igbo coup when Arthur Unegbe was a casualty in the coup?

How is it an Igbo coup when the likes of Ironsi and John Obienu crushed the coup? Please explain.

Iceberg3:
Very convenient for you living your lives based on assumptions that suits your narrative and I am very sure that you've even assumed in your mind that I am Igbo.

Whenever circumstances makes us bring up 2014 and GEJ up,you are always quick to tag us Igbos and that the Niger Deltans have moved on but we can't help but why you people cannot just do same!!!
How on earth can you say let bygones be bygones and you are still adding petrol to fire!!!!!!

And again Nigerians had issues other than this to tackle in the 1980s and 1990s and early 2000 but all of a sudden power went to the SS and from then till now,you people suddenly remembered that the Igbos are your problems in life!!!!!!


I really smh

Image123:
really? A 25 year old new army officer's views? He clearly mentioned that he was speculating and that events that unfolded afterwards tended to support that the rumours may be true afterall. Anyway, let bygones be bygones.

Image123:
i really don't understand these lamentations and tribal diatribe. i showed that IBB DID NOT debunk any Igbo coup narrative. It is a LIE to say that IBB debunked it and i attached the proof from his book. You refused to read it but claimed you have far more important and better things to do with life. It's more important for you to believe a lie? Or what are you doing on NL and opening the thread reading through people's government since your life is so important to care? i did not say anything about Igbos in the post, i simply said the truth that Rufai(a non-Igbo i think) is lying about IBB(a non-Igbo).

professorPABX:
Who was Arthur Unegbe in the Nigerian Army as at that time? Which Brigade was he commanding? Or which Battalion was he commanding?

All these are later day imaginary inputs.

princeade86:
They made igbo look bad.

OkCornel:
I love how you glossed over the first hand accounts of Wale Ademoyega on how they faced difficulties recruiting coupists responsible for the mid western and Eastern regions of Nigeria. How the coupists had different leanings (moderates and extremists), and how the moderate one (Lt. Oguchi) happened to spearhead the coup in the Eastern region where the premier was placed under house arrest.

I also love how you’ve conveniently ignored how Ladoke Akintola, Ahmadu Bello and Tafawa Balewa were warned of the coup multiple times before it happened.

I also love how you’ve been suspiciously quiet on how and who crushed the January 1966 “Igbo coup”

Please entertain us some more

tunjilana:
In the same book where he said he was in Katsina "unaware" that the June 12 election has been annulled and he listened on radio same way that myself, you and the farmer in the village listened on radio....

Logic flew out and you believe Emmanuel Ifeajuna from Onitsha will plan a coup that is meant to "remove" Zik from onitsha from power so that Awolowo (Zik's political rival)
will be handed power? ....Tell me one military coup in the world that led to the installment of a civilian... ...same Awolowo that was in jail at the time.

And to top it all, four of the five coup plotters were Igbo but only one of the casualty was Igbo and even that one was a mid level officer who wasn't part of the murder plan but got himself killed by delaying the murderers who asked for the armoury...All the notable military and civilian leaders of Igbo extraction at that time "miraculously" escaped but this list of non-igbo heavy weights and some of their staff didn't...

Civilians

Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa(Hausa)
Northern Nigeria Premier Ahmadu Bello(Hausa)
Western Nigeria Premier Samuel Ladoke Akintola(Yoruba)
Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh (Itsekiri seen as part of western Nigeria at the time)
Ahmed Ben Musa (Bello's Senior Assistant secretary for Security)(Hausa)
Hafsatu Bello(wife of Ahmadu Bello)(Hausa)
Latifat Ademulegun, wife of General Ademulegun. (Yoruba)
Zarumi Sardauna (Hausa)
Ahmed Pategi (Bello's driver)(Nupe/North)
Military and police

Brigadier Samuel Ademulegun (Yoruba)
Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari (Borno/Hausa)
Colonel Ralph Shodeinde(Yoruba)
Colonel Kur Mohammed(Borno/Hausa)
Lt. Colonel Abogo Largema(Borno/Hausa)
Lt. Colonel James Pam(Plateau/Hausa)
Lt. Colonel Arthur Unegbe(Igbo killed unplanned)
Sergeant Daramola Oyegoke (Refused Nzeogwu's order in the attack on the Sardauna's lodge and according to the police report was murdered by Nzeogwu.)(Yoruba)
PC Yohana Garkawa(middle belt/Hausa)
Lance-corporal Musa Nimzo(Hausa)
PC Akpan Anduka (Efik/Ibibio)
PC Hagai Lai (Northerner)
Philip Lewande(Northerner)

Yet we had Micheal okpara(Premier of eastern region), Nnamdi Azikwe(President), Nwafor Orizu (senate leader), Ironsi (General in the army), Ojukwu(influential colonel) ....all of them survived "miraculously" in a supposed National coup that isnt an Igbo coup... OK kwantinue...

Data always trumps word of mouth for those willing to learn from it...

Tranquillity360:
A problem Yorubas and Northerners could not fix for over 60 years?




Instead destroyed Nigeria the more.

Lovelies1:
History needs to be modified and sets well for future progress .


And for some people who said no leaders was killed in the south west..

The record said ahmadu bello was pushing for Islamic law implementation in Nigeria that push the more quest to kill him.

As for Tafawa Bello though a quiet man they felt he strongly align with Ahmadu Bello ideology and also since the picture was to put in Awolowo there was no second consideration..


As for Akintola, the record said they had no intention to kill him but to put him in prison.. however he opened fire on them and this created exchange of bullets.

As for okpara and Azikiwe. The news quickly escalated. Ifeajuna who was to kill both men was quickly subdue and most igbo officers was killed on the spot.


Obiechuna stopped the coup. Which led to aguiyi ironsi first control as the head of state. Though triggered annoyance from the northern sphere on why aguiyi is yet to prosecute them


But on a serious note why will it be an igbo coup when nnamdi Azikiwe is already the then head of state

dennisvandi:
the truth is Igbos are isolated because they are purely Christians, take it or leave it.

richie240:
Does the 'glossing' dispute the fact that the 1966 coup targeted ONLY the military and political leaders of the west, north and midwest to the exclusion of igbós??

Does it nullify the fact that while Sadauna of sokoto - d northern premier, akintola - the western premier, the minister of finance - okotie ebor from the midwest were all executed, their igbo/ibo counterparts the azikwe (from east) and Mike okpara - eastern premier - both miraculously escaped the bullets??

femi4:
For over 60yrs, has your governors fixed SE?

babat89:
Balewa was head of state.
Azikiwe was only a figurehead.
Don't twist history.

Azikiwe was conveniently away from the Country during the coup.
He obviously knew about it.

....also NOTHING happened in the east, nothing!

babat89:
Balewa was head of state.
Azikiwe was only a figurehead.
Don't twist history.

Azikiwe was conveniently away from the Country during the coup.
He obviously knew about it.

....also NOTHING happened in the east, nothing!

OkCornel:
Oh really… Arthur Unegbe was in charge of the armoury in Lagos.

His refusal to release the keys to the armoury alongside John Obienu’s refusal to provide armoured vehicles to the Lagos coupists made the Lagos coup flop.

Read the history archives and prove me wrong.

princeade86:
They made igbo look bad.