₦airaland Forum

Was the January 15, 1966 Coup An Awolowo Coup As Some Revisionists Now Claim?

Some revisionists claim that Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna plotted the coup to make Chief Awolowo the Prime Minister. That attempt to revise history does not hold water because when the coup appeared to be succeeding, Ifeajuna made no moves to free Chief Awolowo. He neither sent soldiers to Calabar prison nor made any calls.

Moreover, Major Ifeajuna was from the same village as Nnamdi Azikiwe, then a political archrival of Chief Awolowo and one of those who instigated the treasonable felony trial that sent him to prison. He was close to Nnamdi Azikiwe, a regular visitor to his house and a friend to his son.

It was considered strange that Azikiwe went on a Caribbean cruise for his leave and very conveniently refused to return to Nigeria after the leave. His ADC Orho Obada, who later rose to become a Major General, kept asking Chief Azikiwe when they would return to Nigeria as his leave was over. He eventually abandoned Chief Azikiwe in Haiti and returned to Nigeria.

The actions of Chief Azikiwe left some people feeling he was aware of the coup. But that is conjecture. Nobody really knows. But that suspicion became even more heightened when Haiti provided support for Biafra when war broke out.

Chief Awolowo remained in jail until Colonel Gowon freed him from Calabar prison on August 2, 1966. He was thereafter flown to Lagos, where he was picked up by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and driven to Dodan Barracks to meet with Colonel Gowon.

Lt Colonel Emeka Ojukwu did not release Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Colonel Ojukwu was Military Governor of the Eastern Region, and Chief Awolowo was convicted and later imprisoned by the Central Government in a federal prison in Calabar on September 11, 1963, for charges of conspiring with the Nkrumah administration in Ghana to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria.

He was ordered released by the Gowon-led Federal Military on August 2, 1966 (the release took effect the next day). Gowon had become Head of State on August 1, 1966.

How could Ojukwu have released Awolowo when he was still a military Governor under Nigeria? Common sense dictates that that would have been impossible.

Because I know that Radio Biafra has deceived so many Nigerians with this lie, I will later share a video of the day Chief Awolowo was released. You will see him being driven to Dodan Barracks by Lt Colonel Murtala Muhammed, to be received by Colonel Yakubu Gowon.

I hope the video evidence dispels any lingering doubt!

These guys are professional gaslighters. They have more experience in gaslighting than any group of people in Nigeria. If we allow them, they will revise history, whitewash themselves and demonise everyone else.

Reno Omokri

Gospeller. Deep Thinker. #TableShaker. Ruffler of the Feathers of Obidents. #1 Bestselling author of Facts Versus Fiction: The True Story of the Jonathan Years. Hodophile. Hollywood Magazine Humanitarian of the Year, 2019. Business Insider Influencer of the Year 2022. 21st Most Talked About Person in Africa, 2024.Ll

flokii:
Watch how they'll rain insults on Reno for speaking the gospel truth.

For Gowon to release Awolowo immediately he took power shows the North knew the injustice the likes of Azikiwe did before the Zik + Balewa romance went sour. Imagine levelling allegations of coup plot against an innocent man just to incarcerate him, only to come back with lies that the people who plotted against him planned coup to free him. C'mon even an infant still sucking the mother's breast won't buy such falsehood.

kettykings:
A key participant in the events of that period has come out to say what really happened from hid perspective and someone that was born after the war is countering it. Countering it on what grounds. 99% ofvthe problems of Nigeria are from ignorant people.




An igbo man John Obienu stopped the coup and yet ignorant people will still go about their ignorance that it was an Igbo coup

flokii:
Watch how they'll rain insults on Reno for speaking the gospel truth.

For Gowon to release Awolowo immediately he took power shows the North knew the injustice the likes of Azikiwe did before the Zik + Balewa romance went sour. Imagine levelling allegations of coup plot against an innocent man just to incarcerate him, only to come back with lies that the people who plotted against him planned coup to free him. C'mon even an infant still sucking the mother's breast won't buy such falsehood.

TemplarLandry:
Reno the nightmare of HoeBee's puppets.

flokii:
Watch how they'll rain insults on Reno for speaking the gospel truth.

For Gowon to release Awolowo immediately he took power shows the North knew the injustice the likes of Azikiwe did before the Zik + Balewa romance went sour. Imagine levelling allegations of coup plot against an innocent man just to incarcerate him, only to come back with lies that the people who plotted against him planned coup to free him. C'mon even an infant still sucking the mother's breast won't buy such falsehood.

XerXers:
So Reno knows better than IBB? Even Ademoyega? These are active participants and they are not Igbo

TemplarLandry:
Reno the nightmare of HoeBee's puppets.

XerXers:
So Reno knows better than IBB? Even Ademoyega? These are active participants and they are not Igbo

Contrary to a promise given after the coup was quashed that the coup plotters would be tried, none was ever brought to trial, although some were detained. On the contrary, a few of the coup plotters were promoted. These confirmed rumours that an Igbo domination of national affairs was in the works.

RZArecta:
Reno okoro the weyrey who was neither born and so definitely not an active participant in the events of 1966 wants to correct those who shot actual bullets on that day, Reno okoro is the best thing that happened to agbàdo bandits

COFFINSELLER:
https://x.com/renoomokri/status/1893698265146647037?s=19[/quote]To be fair, Awo and Ikemba met before the former went to Lagos to see Gowon after being released.

Ikemba vows that Gowon could not have released Awo as he, Ikemba, was in control of the Eastern region at that time.

Then again, Ikemba hated Gowon with a passion.

Strange stuff.

kettykings:
A key participant in the events of that period has come out to say what really happened from his perspective, and someone that was born after the war is countering it. Countering it on what grounds. 99% of the problems of Nigeria are from ignorant people.


An igbo man, John Obienu, stopped the coup, and yet ignorant people will still go about their ignorance that it was an Igbo coup

TemplarLandry:
Reno the nightmare of HoeBee's puppets.

BENGOODNESS:
Who should we believe in this matter, IBB or an Igbo hater like Reno?
IBB account has set the stage for national healing if only the government can leverage on this at a time like this in our national life.

Putindbutt:
But the same IBB told you the coup had ibos written all over it. But it seems ibos are running away from that part of his book

https://www.nairaland.com/8349423/babangida-northerner-soldiers-called-cowards

Shivisee1:
Ibos knows the truth but they keep on denying! Are you saying gowon did

YoruBads:
IBB the nightmare of YoruBanistan clowns.

It turned out that the wives of Igbo officers, quite insensitively, had been taunting the wives of northern officers about what had occurred to officers of northern extraction.

Putindbutt:
But IBB called ibos out here in his book.

YoruBads:
The coup was a. Yoruba coup and Yorubas know it.

Contrary to a promise given after the coup was quashed that the coup plotters would be tried, none was ever brought to trial, although some were detained. On the contrary, a few of the coup plotters were promoted. These confirmed rumours that an Igbo domination of national affairs was in the works.

XerXers:
Ànd you believed this one but want to rubbish the whole book because of the one that didn't favor you. What if not all suspected coupist were found guilty after investigation?

YoruBads:
The coup was a. Yoruba coup and Yorubas know it.

Putindbutt:
So, Why don't you want to believe this one?. You must believe everything whether una like it or not. No selective amnesia 🤣🤣🤣

https://www.nairaland.com/8349423/babangida-northerner-soldiers-called-cowards

XerXers:
We believe everything bro. Na you de select which one to believe