₦airaland Forum

StOla:
Killed for no reason?

For what reason was Brig. Ademulegun and Maimalari killed?

For what reason was Col. Ralph Sodeinde and Mohammed Kur killed?

For what reason was Lt Col. Yakubu Pam and Abogo Largema killed?

Olutoye was enlisted as the very 1st university graduate officer of the Nigerian Army in 1956. He was never commissioned with a junior like Nzeogwu or Obasanjo.

All those people were killed for nothing just like Okonweze. However, this thread is about Okonweze and not about Abogo Lagema or Maimalari.

Who told you that Olutoye was the first graduate to join the Nigerian Army? Some of you like to speak out of ignorance despite having access to the Internet. Olutoye joined the Nigerian Army after he heard the Ojukwu had had been accepted as a graduate. He said it in the interview below


http://africanspotlight.com/2013/05/17/though-i-begged-major-nzeogwu-not-to-stage-1966-coup-he-ignored-me-gen-olutoye/

StOla:
The 1st coup was known as the coup of the 5 Majors, but in reality, it was the coup of the 7 Majors and 1 Captain.

Of the above 8 principal Characters, only 1 was Yoruba (Major Ademoyega), while the rest were all Igbos.

That some foot soldiers were Yoruba and Northerners is irrelevant to who masterminded the coup, and who ensured top Eastern politicians and officers were left untouched except the Quartermaster General, Col. Unegbu.

Major Ademoyega, Captain Adeleke and Lt Oyewole were all major participants of the coup. There is even talk that Lt. Colonels Fajuyi and Banjo were aware of the coup at the planning stage and gave their blessing. So how can it be an Igbo coup? Because the Igbos were the majority? That's not good enough to term it an Igbo coup

attackgat:
All those people were killed for nothing just like Okonweze. However, this thread is about Okonweze and not about Abogo Lagema or Maimalari.

Who told you that Olutoye was the first graduate to join the Nigerian Army? Some of you like to speak out of ignorance despite having access to the Internet. Olutoye joined the Nigerian Army after he heard the Ojukwu had had been accepted as a graduate. He said it in the interview below


http://africanspotlight.com/2013/05/17/though-i-begged-major-nzeogwu-not-to-stage-1966-coup-he-ignored-me-gen-olutoye/

Can you share your background with us?

My name is Olufemi Olutoye. I was born in Ido Ani town, Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. I spent the early part of my childhood days in Benin City, Edo State, when my father was the headmaster at St. James’ Primary School, Benin City. From there, I went to Government College Ibadan in 1945. I completed my secondary school education in 1949. I then gained admission to the University of Ibadan in 1950 and I graduated in June 1954. I also went to Cambridge University and concluded my course there in 1955. When I returned to Nigeria, I started teaching at the Olu-Iwa College, Ijebu Ode, (now Adeola Odutola College) . Later, I left teaching to join the Nigerian Army in 1957 and I retired in 1977.

So there you have it, 1957. He was the very 1st graduate to enroll in the Nigerian Army. Ojukwu enrolled in 1958.

Nzeogwu and the others you mentioned were never mates of Olutoye.

So who is truly ignorant now?


[url]punchng.com/1966-coup-plotters-planned-make-awolowo-head-state-olutoye/[/url]

The Mythbusters slaying them as usual.

Nice one StOla.

As long as one of the principal characters, Lt. Fola Oyewole, retd, author of "Reluctant Rebel" said it was not an Igbo coup, other insinuations by those who were not even born then are assumptions.

The great "Lion of Biafra" Gen. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu (4 November 1933 – 26 November 2011) was there, but he and Ironsi were not among the coup plotters and in fact joined in aborting it.

CONFAMA:
You are an hypocrite, why was there no major Igbo casualty of the first coup.

The fact is you initialy planned the coup with yorubas but hijacked it and betrayed them and their kinsmen on the longrun.

Yoruba political heavy weights suffered as casualties but not one single igbo man.

Subsequently your people installed an igbo head of state, unified the three regions to centralize power cos of greed and refused to adequately deal with the coup plotters; and you are here saying its not an Igbo coup to further dominate other tribes.

You think others are mumu abi... till date you are still suffering from the consequences... whether you acknowledge your complicity or not, we know better...

Did they kill Awo?
Did they kill Fani- Kayode?
Did they kill Adeniran Ogunsanya?
Did they kill Lateef Jakande?

Ladoke Akintola they killed was the reason Awo was jailed for treason.

Orikinla:
Did they kill Awo?
Did they kill Fani- Kayode?
Did they kill Adeniran Ogunsanya?
Did they kill Lateef Jakande?

Ladoke Akintola they killed was the reason Awo was jailed for treason.

You didn't answer my simple question. Why was there no Igbo casualty?

Why did Igbos seize power after the coup? Why were the coup plotters not adequately dealt with despite having ample time to do such and confessions from the perpetrators? Was there any need for one yeye panel to do that? Why was the regional zones centralized immediately the greedy Igbo man got a whif of power?

Spare me all the trash you wrote up there?

attackgat:
Major Ademoyega, Captain Adeleke and Lt Oyewole were all major participants of the coup. There is even talk that Lt. Colonels Fajuyi and Banjo were aware of the coup at the planning stage and gave their blessing. So how can it be an Igbo coup? Because the Igbos were the majority? That's not good enough to term it an Igbo coup

Shut up. Victor Banjo a yoruba fought for biafra. Is that to say it was a Yoruba War?

StOla:
So there you have it, 1957. He was the very 1st graduate to enroll in the Nigerian Army. Ojukwu enrolled in 1958.

Nzeogwu and the others you mentioned were never mates of Olutoye.

So who is truly ignorant now?


[url]punchng.com/1966-coup-plotters-planned-make-awolowo-head-state-olutoye/[/url]

Your problem is that you don't know the difference between 'commission' and 'join'. Olutoye may have joined the Army in 1957, but he did not become a commissioned Military officer until 1960. Ojukwu had already completed his training and was already a commissioned officer in 1957. Olutoye hadn't even started his training then. Ojukwu was far senior to Olutoye. Even Olutoye said in the interview:

But when I asked what my job would be, I was told that I would be a clerk carrying files and I didn’t want a life of boredom. Not too long after, I went to the army headquarters in Apapa and said I wanted to join the army. There, I learnt that Emeka (Chukwuemeka Odumegwu) Ojukwu had just been employed as a graduate


Stop making blind aguement and read Olutoyes interview below


http://africanspotlight.com/2013/05/17/though-i-begged-major-nzeogwu-not-to-stage-1966-coup-he-ignored-me-gen-olutoye/

CONFAMA:
Shut up. Victor Banjo a yoruba fought for biafra. Is that to say it was a Yoruba War?

We talking about the first coup of January 1966. Biafra was in 1967

attackgat:
We talking about the first coup of January 1966. Biafra was in 1967

Stop playing dumb. According to your logic, since a Yoruba man was actively involved in the execution of the biafran war, we could as well tag it a Yoruba war?

Deleted

Orikinla:
Lt. Col. Okonweze, therefore, called a meeting in the mess of all available officers (Igbo and non-Igbo) at the Abeokuta Garrison where he made the following announcement:

"Gentlemen, I have just been informed that there is going to be a coup tonight. Anyone of you who knows anything about the coup should please tell us. You may know the beginning but you never know the end. I am not ambitious. My only ambition is to become a full Colonel. If you know anything, please let me know; I am not going to report anyone. What we are going to do is to avoid what happened in January where officers were taken unawares. We are going to wake up all soldiers, ask them to go to the armoury to get issued with arms and ammunition. "

~ From Operation Aure (2): Planning to Overthrow General Ironsi By Nowa Omoigui.
http://www.gamji.com/nowa/nowa26.htm

Photo: Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi (3 March 1924 – 29 July 1966)

Op. What do u mean by that? U wan kill person ni? Take time oh.

CONFAMA:
You didn't answer my simple question. Why was there no Igbo casualty?

Why did Igbos seize power after the coup? Why were the coup plotters not adequately dealt with despite having ample time to do such and confessions from the perpetrators? Was there any need for one yeye panel to do that? Why was the regional zones centralized immediately the greedy Igbo man got a whif of power?

Spare me all the trash you wrote up there?

Your knowledge of history is poor.
The principal characters in the event have already addressed your elementary conclusions by an ignorant person.
[size=14pt]
Please, read and don't just glance and comment.

THE ROLE OF NORTHERN SOLDIERS

Not many realize that several officers of northern origin took part in Nigeria’s first military coup. The “Igbo coup” tag attached to the Majors’ assault ignores the fact that scores of northern officers took part in the Lagos operations, and even assisted Nzeogwu when he stormed the residence of the Northern Region’s premier: Ahmadu Bello. Nzeogwu later described the detachment of troops accompanying him to Bello’s house as “a truly Nigerian gathering” (New Nigerian – 18th January 1966). Nzeogwu pointed out that the northern soldiers accompanying him “had the chance to drop out. More than that, they had bullets. They had been issued with bullets but I was unarmed. If they disagreed they could have shot me….most of the Other Ranks were Northerners but they followed”. Among the prominent northern soldiers that helped Nzeogwu to overthrow the Northern Region’s government was John Atom Kpera. Kpera later became the military governor of Benue State. Many of the soldiers that accompanied Major Ifeajuna when he abducted the Prime Minister: Tafewa Balewa, were also northerners.

THE ONLY IGBO TO DIE

Many claim that the January 15th 1966 coup was a gigantic Igbo plot to transfer control of the Federal Government from northerners to Igbos. However, one stumbling block in this argument was that the Majors’ killed an Igbo officer during the coup. The proponents of the “Igbo coup” argument have tried to rationalize the murder of Lt-Col Arthur Unegbe by arguing that he was not initially a target of the Majors, but was only killed because he refused to surrender the keys of the armoury. This argument displays an ignorance of military postings and procedure. At the time of the January coup, Unegbe was the Quartermaster-General of the Nigerian Army at Army Headquarters in Lagos. Not being in command of a combat unit, he had no access to any armoury keys. As soldiers, the Majors would have known this. Also, the fact that Unegbe was SHOT proves that the Majors were already armed when they got to him. Why kill him to get access to weapons they already had? Additionally, the mutineers in other units outside Lagos managed to get their hands on weapons without resorting to killing the respective Quartermasters of their various units. What is more probable is that Unegbe was killed because he was known to be close to Brigadier Maimalari. Thus the Majors probably figured that Unegbe had to be silenced in order to prevent him from raising the alarm.
http://www.gamji.com/article6000/news6574.htm

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josab122:
Op. What do u mean by that? U wan kill person ni? Take time oh.

The dramatic purpose of my post has been messed up by tribal bigots.
They have turned it into a Yoruba versus Igbo tribal debate.
[size=14pt]
The purpose of the post is Lt. Col. Okonweze's bravery.[/size]

Orikinla:
Your knowledge of history is poor.
The principal characters in the event have already addressed your elementary conclusions by an ignorant person.

stop lying, the initial motives of the principal characters might be noble but fact remains that you igbos hijacked the coup because of greed.

CONFAMA:
stop lying, the initial motives of the principal characters might be noble but fact remains that you igbos hijacked the coup because of greed.

.
Please, read before commenting.
Many Hausa officers supported Major Nzeogwu throughout the plot.

The most ruthless leaders of the coup d'etat were from Delta State and even though they bear Igbo names, they often say that they are not Igbo.

January 15 1966 coup: Why they called it an Igbo coup — Mbazulike Amechi

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/january-15-1966-coup-why-they-called-it-an-igbo-coup-mbazulike-amechi/

Orikinla:
.
Please, read before commenting.
Many Hausa officers supported Major Nzeogwu throughout the plot.

The most ruthless leaders of the coup d'etat were from Delta State and even though they bear Igbo names, they often say that they are not Igbo.

lmao... why una like to deceive yourself like this. Well, its not surprising. You people and fakery are synonymous. You even fake history and deny the ancestry of the participants. So if nzeogo denies being igbo, which tribe is he from?

Immediately after the coup Igbos all over Nigeria celebrated the deaths of the Yoruba and Hausa leaders killed in the coup. They even went to the extent of creating songs with it to taunt them and also produced lots of souvenirs about the incident. Bread label's were used to glorify the coup all across igboland.

After the coup, igbo officers replaced the executed officers from other tribes and made sure they fill up all the ranks with their kinsmen. An igboman became head of states and the first major decree he made was to centralize power cos of greed and the federal level thereby putting and end to the more successful regional government till date.

The first coup has igbo boldy written all over it and the igbos were proud to taunt others with it before they reaped the repercussions... had they known.

Are you telling me all these are just coincidences?

If so its either you're really dumb or purposely being deceitful with the hope that I and other Yorubas are as dumb as you're to agree with you and swallow up your useless false assertions.

CONFAMA:
You are an hypocrite, why was there no major Igbo casualty of the first coup.

The fact is you initialy planned the coup with yorubas but hijacked it and betrayed them and their kinsmen on the longrun.

Yoruba political heavy weights suffered as casualties but not one single igbo man.

Subsequently your people installed an igbo head of state, unified the three regions to centralize power cos of greed and refused to adequately deal with the coup plotters; and you are here saying its not an Igbo coup to further dominate other tribes.

You think others are mumu abi... till date you are still suffering from the consequences... whether you acknowledge your complicity or not, we know better...

Pls what one consequenc do you think a full fledged Igbo son like me is suffering?

I have everything I need, 2 sweetest children in this whole wide world, two powerful rides, a sweet house and a strong business ..

Pls what business of mine is it if a politician couldn't get a political job from the monster called Buhari to go feed 'only' his family. .

Stop your stupid non-sense, Igbos are not suffering anything...

On aggregate majority of Igbos have fared better than any part of the contraption..

BeClever:
Pls what one consequenc do you think a full fledged Igbo son like me is suffering?

I have everything I need, 2 sweetest children in this whole wide world, two powerful rides, a sweet house and a strong business ..

Pls what business of mine is it if a politician couldn't get a political job from the monster called Buhari to go feed 'only' his family. .

Stop your stupid non-sense, Igbos are not suffering anything...

On aggregate majority of Igbos have fared better than any part of the contraption..

Why are your people now begging to be freed from slavery. Ipod members want's biafra or death.

The military are using your people regularly for target practice anytime you make a public protest. Many Ipob members have been detained or killed for nothing.

Tell me, isn't that suffering and persecution of your people...

The reason I don't pity them is like I said earlier from the thread you quoted, you people brought it upon yourselves.

geez18:
since you're oblivious to the fact that there were elements from other tribes who partook in the coup,i'm asking,who should he have handed over to?
l

Without being sentimental , u could answer this question by urself since u know 99% of the plotters were igbos

[s]

CONFAMA:
Why are your people now begging to be freed from slavery. Ipod members want's biafra or death.
The military are using your people regularly for target practice anytime you make a public protest. Many Ipob members have been detained or killed for nothing.
Tell me, isn't that suffering and persecution of your people...
The reason I don't pity them is like I said earlier from the thread you quoted, you people brought it upon yourselves.

[/s]

1. no one, I repeat no one asked for your pity, reason; you ate inconsequential.

2. Yorubas as well as every tribes in this hell hole has suffered brutality and Murders in the hands of your idiots security agents, your example being Zaria Genocide by Buhari..

3. IPOBs understands fully well the price of freedom and are ready to pay it, come rain come shine...the amount of devotion you have seen from Igbos towards achieving their dreams are strange to your cowardly nature..

4. I don't know you but I could certainly predict your present predicament, just like most Nigerians right now your god and master Buhari the gworo munching monster has unleashed his demons to drown NIGERIANS blood..

T8ksy:
lol....................!

Am sure, na gowon told Ironsi to move most of the Jan coupists to the eastern region, too.

Ibo logic 101.

lol...

Nobody can do a coup Nigeria belongs to us,we have the largest land mass and population in Nigeria you yeebos,yorubas and all you southern region people cannot do anything

Orikinla:
[size=18pt]
They put a coup plotter Murtala Muhammed on the 20 Naira, but refuse to do so for Ironsi who was not a coup plotter.
The CBN lies that late Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed (1938-1976) who was the torch bearer of the Nigerian Revolution July, 1975.
Which yeye Nigerian revolution?
He was a coup plotter. PERIOD.
Who toppled Gen. Yakubu Gowon for his selfish ambition to become Head of State.
[/size]

I concur wt u. I just want 2 correct u. He was an actv coup plotter in nt 1 bt 2 coups in Nigeria. He was actv in d July 1966 coup (operation aure). He & his men took over & shut down d airport in Lagos (dt was ironically named afta him). He wntd 2 b head of state bt gowon was picked because he was xtian & 4rm d northern minority besides he out ranked him. During d civil war, troops under his command engaged in war crimes & attempted genocide by carrying out d asaba massacre (where numerous harmless civilians of Igbo xtract were summarily executed 4 being igbo). D fact dt we reward pple lyk ds as heroes in Nigeria shows hw obtuse our sense of morality is. No wonder our country is in such a quasi comatose state. Little wonder our history is nt compulsorily taught in skuls. Men lyk these built d foundation of quagmire dt d Nigerian state currently stands on.

MusaLawal84:
Nobody can do a coup Nigeria belongs to us,we have the largest land mass and population in Nigeria you yeebos,yorubas and all you southern region people cannot do anything

Oga speak sense. Nigeria is 4 evrybdy nt 1 person's or tribe's property. It's ds kind of dangerous tnkn dt makes me support d biafran agenda. If Nigeria was a sane country, D North wldnt rule because dey d most backward, ignorant & least progressive region of D country. Nigeria wld neva advance until d North either dev or relinquish their grip on national affairs. A word dey say...

Orikinla:
Did they kill Awo?
Did they kill Fani- Kayode?
Did they kill Adeniran Ogunsanya?
Did they kill Lateef Jakande?

Ladoke Akintola they killed was the reason Awo was jailed for treason.

So its until they kill all Yorubas before it becomes an Ibo coup

In the same vein I can ask In the counter coup

Did they kill Azikwe
Did they kill Okpara
Did they kill Ojukwu
Did they kill Ekwueme
Did they kill Chinua Achebe


You are seriously broaching the realm of foolishness with this thread

The July 1966 is fully justified given the actions of the coup plotters of January 1966 and the action after

If there was no Jan 66 coup where Ifeajuna and co murdered people, there would be no July counter coup

Orikinla:
[size=14pt]He crushed a coup and was not a coup plotter.
It is gross injustice to celebrate and honour a coup plotter and ignore the first Nigerian military Head of State who was never a coup plotter. It is simple to comprehend that.[/size]

Fantastic submission from an egbon in the house but the question is, "could this be the Orikinla I used to know here or another" once again you just hit it right there. Murtala was deified by his boy, Obasanjo, shortly after his death just to placate the Northern officers that he is still loyal.

raumdeuter:
So its until they kill all Yorubas before it becomes an Ibo coup

In the same vein I can ask In the counter coup

Did they kill Azikwe
Did they kill Okpara
Did they kill Ojukwu
Did they kill Ekwueme
Did they kill Chinua Achebe


You are seriously broaching the realm of foolishness with this thread

The July 1966 is fully justified given the actions of the coup plotters of January 1966 and the action after

If there was no Jan 66 coup where Ifeajuna and co murdered people, there would be no July counter coup

I absolutely love this response...

CONFAMA:
lmao... why una like to deceive yourself like this. Well, its not surprising. You people and fakery are synonymous. You even fake history and deny the ancestry of the participants. So if nzeogo denies being igbo, which tribe is he from?

Immediately after the coup Igbos all over Nigeria celebrated the deaths of the Yoruba and Hausa leaders killed in the coup. They even went to the extent of creating songs with it to taunt them and also produced lots of souvenirs about the incident. Bread label's were used to glorify the coup all across igboland.

After the coup, igbo officers replaced the executed officers from other tribes and made sure they fill up all the ranks with their kinsmen. An igboman became head of states and the first major decree he made was to centralize power cos of greed and the federal level thereby putting and end to the more successful regional government till date.

The first coup has igbo boldy written all over it and the igbos were proud to taunt others with it before they reaped the repercussions... had they known.

Are you telling me all these are just coincidences?

If so its either you're really dumb or purposely being deceitful with the hope that I and other Yorubas are as dumb as you're to agree with you and swallow up your useless false assertions.

Oga u r ignorant 2 a fault. I wanted 2 say nothing initially bt ur baseless rants & ur lack of in depth knowledge of Nigerian history is so appalling dt I hv decided 2 educate u. D 1st coup AKA d coup of D 5 majors was nt an Igbo coup as u r claiming. Yes It was plotted by 4 Igbo majors & 1 Yoruba major bt its motive was bereft of an Igbo domination agenda. It was carried out 2 eliminate wt it perceived 2 b d corrupt politicians of d 1st Republic. Ds fact has bn asserted by numerous historians & political scientists of note. It was a matter of coincidence dt majority of D ruling class weren't of Igbo extract. If it was as u claim an Igbo coup, y was it planned by majors (junior officers) when d chief of army staff (aguiyi ironsi) was an Igbo man? Ds same man was d same person who put down d coup. If d coup had an Igbo agenda, y didn't ironsi allow his Igbo 'brodas' continue & complete their plans or just remain under d radar until dey succeeded? Nzeogwu during interrogation revealed dt ironsi was on their hit list bt was alerted by an officer Paul unegbe I tnk,(an Igbo man killed by d plotters who b4 being killed was able 2 communicate wt ironsi & X pose d coup. As 2 y mostly northerners were killed & no killings in d East, it's obvious. All of dem were pple in power. Most Igbos @ dt tym were either technocrats, in d civil service, commissioned army officers or in2 business. D eastern region was nt a political hub. Azikiwe (ceremonial head & president) was on leave in d West indies. I'm sure even if Igbos were d majority in power, D coup still hv occurred. Also d chief plotters of D coups were all based in either kaduna or Lagos (where dere were killings). Btw, d coup wasn't allowed 2 run its full course as ironsi was able muster sufficient troop support 2 force d plotters 2 quit & admit their failure. As 2 ironsi takn over, as soon as he realized dt major point men of governance had bn assassinated (eg d prime minister tafawa balewa, D sardauna of sokoto ahmadu bello) , he feared dt handing over 2 parliament wld throw d country in further chaos & turmoil as dere wld b a power chasm. Afta talks wt certain key pple in d military, he was advised 2 take over as military head of state & end d 1st Republic. Even if he had decided 2 hand over 2 parliament, D person next in line 2 b prime minister was an Igbo man (I tnk his name was orizu). As 2 u accusing Igbos of promoting their kinsmen 2 key positions in d army, majority of D commissioned officer Cadre (2nd lieutenant upwards) were populated by Igbos. It was d non commissioned cadre (4rm Sergeant downwards) dt had many northerners & westerners. So it is only logical dt most of D major military promotions wld go 2 mostly Igbos. D 1st University graduate 2 join d army was an Igbo (Ojukwu). A lot of Igbos followed Ojukwu's example. Even ifeajuna (1 of D coup plotters) was a university graduate. Meanwhile d best most military officers 4rm oda ethnic grp had was military training 4rm places lyk Sandhurst. So y wldnt beta qualified candidates get picked 4 promotion? It's called meritocracy, which is wt we lack in Nigeria 2day (no wonder a northern child wld score woefully in an exam & b gvn admission in2 a federal skul ahead som1 4rm d South who scored more dan him). Meanwhile when som1 lyk murtala Mohammed was gvn double promotion 4rm captain 2 Lt. Colonel because of his qualifications in d signals Corp, nobody complained. If u had truly studied Nigerian history, u wld hv found out dt d govt of d 1st Republic had lost its popularity wt majority of Nigerians so d initial reaction of most pple 2 D coup was relief & hero worship of D plotters. It was only later dt anti-igbo feelings came 2 play. As 4 d bread advertising Nzeogwu, if u kno Igbos well, u wld know dt anytn 2 move his hustle, an Igbo guy is ready to do. If it were possible 4rm an average Igbo person 2 make money 4rm d funeral of a loved one, he/she wld do it. Yes, it was insensitive of dem bt it wasn't deserving of D genocide dt was meted out 2 dem during d periods leading 2 D counter coup & civil war. Dey were innocent of planning or carrying out d 1st coup & even d plotters of dt coup didn't go around killing innocent civilians.

gemale:
Oga u r ignorant 2 a fault. I wanted 2 say nothing initially bt ur baseless rants & ur lack of in depth knowledge of Nigerian history is so appalling dt I hv decided 2 educate u. D 1st coup AKA d coup of D 5 majors was nt an Igbo coup as u r claiming. Yes It was plotted by 4 Igbo majors & 1 Yoruba major bt its motive was bereft of an Igbo domination agenda. It was carried out 2 eliminate wt it perceived 2 b d corrupt politicians of d 1st Republic. Ds fact has bn asserted by numerous historians & political scientists of note. It was a matter of coincidence dt majority of D ruling class weren't of Igbo extract. If it was as u claim an Igbo coup, y was it planned by majors (junior officers) when d chief of army staff (aguiyi ironsi) was an Igbo man? Ds same man was d same person who put down d coup. If d coup had an Igbo agenda, y didn't ironsi allow his Igbo 'brodas' continue & complete their plans or just remain under d radar until dey succeeded? Nzeogwu during interrogation revealed dt ironsi was on their hit list bt was alerted by an officer Paul unegbe I tnk,(an Igbo man killed by d plotters who b4 being killed was able 2 communicate wt ironsi & X pose d coup. As 2 y mostly northerners were killed & no killings in d East, it's obvious. All of dem were pple in power. Most Igbos @ dt tym were either technocrats, in d civil service, commissioned army officers or in2 business. D eastern region was nt a political hub. Azikiwe (ceremonial head & president) was on leave in d West indies. I'm sure even if Igbos were d majority in power, D coup still hv occurred. Also d chief plotters of D coups were all based in either kaduna or Lagos (where dere were killings). Btw, d coup wasn't allowed 2 run its full course as ironsi was able muster sufficient troop support 2 force d plotters 2 quit & admit their failure. As 2 ironsi takn over, as soon as he realized dt major point men of governance had bn assassinated (eg d prime minister tafawa balewa, D sardauna of sokoto ahmadu bello) , he feared dt handing over 2 parliament wld throw d country in further chaos & turmoil as dere wld b a power chasm. Afta talks wt certain key pple in d military, he was advised 2 take over as military head of state & end d 1st Republic. Even if he had decided 2 hand over 2 parliament, D person next in line 2 b prime minister was an Igbo man (I tnk his name was orizu). As 2 u accusing Igbos of promoting their kinsmen 2 key positions in d army, majority of D commissioned officer Cadre (2nd lieutenant upwards) were populated by Igbos. It was d non commissioned cadre (4rm Sergeant downwards) dt had many northerners & westerners. So it is only logical dt most of D major military promotions wld go 2 mostly Igbos. D 1st University graduate 2 join d army was an Igbo (Ojukwu). A lot of Igbos followed Ojukwu's example. Even ifeajuna (1 of D coup plotters) was a university graduate. Meanwhile d best most military officers 4rm oda ethnic grp had was military training 4rm places lyk Sandhurst. So y wldnt beta qualified candidates get picked 4 promotion? It's called meritocracy, which is wt we lack in Nigeria 2day (no wonder a northern child wld score woefully in an exam & b gvn admission in2 a federal skul ahead som1 4rm d South who scored more dan him). Meanwhile when som1 lyk murtala Mohammed was gvn double promotion 4rm captain 2 Lt. Colonel because of his qualifications in d signals Corp, nobody complained. If u had truly studied Nigerian history, u wld hv found out dt d govt of d 1st Republic had lost its popularity wt majority of Nigerians so d initial reaction of most pple 2 D coup was relief & hero worship of D plotters. It was only later dt anti-igbo feelings came 2 play. As 4 d bread advertising Nzeogwu, if u kno Igbos well, u wld know dt anytn 2 move his hustle, an Igbo guy is ready to do. If it were possible 4rm an average Igbo person 2 make money 4rm d funeral of a loved one, he/she wld do it. Yes, it was insensitive of dem bt it wasn't deserving of D genocide dt was meted out 2 dem during d periods leading 2 D counter coup & civil war. Dey were innocent of planning or carrying out d 1st coup & even d plotters of dt coup didn't go around killing innocent civilians.

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Thank you.
They are just too lazy to read.

Ironsi even warned Sir Ahmadu Bello that he had signals of a coup plot. Chief Ladoke Akintola also had prior knowledge and warned Ahmadu Bello. But he ignored them, because he thought it would be impossible for junior officers to to topple their government.

Personally, I believe it was just what we call "Akole" in Yoruba, meaning it was destined to happen. Like the World War 2 that claimed about 50 million lives which I am still doubting that how was it possible for the rest of the nations to watch one mad man named Hitler and his Nazis plunge the world into such a catastrophic war and both America and Russia could not assassinate him before the worst happened.