₦airaland Forum

Am willing to place a bet with anybody on nairaland. APGA will comfortably win in the November 16 election. Who has the guts to make a bet?

The man has got a good blueprint for my state and not that empty tout called Ifeanyi Ubah going about sharing money and castigating Peter Obi.

This is the kind of intellectual we need in Anambra. A man as clean as a whistle. Vote Dr Willy Obiano maka Odimma Anambra.

software man: I have read it and I have also read madiebo and njoku's accounts of that coup. My conclusion is that despite the noble intentions of nzeogwu and ademoyega, what was planned was an igbo coup. It was from the account of njoku that I confirmed that nronsi had foreknowledge of the coup but was assured they won't kill anybody.

Do more research on that. Most accounts reported that it was Colonel Sam Pam who telephoned Ironsi and informed him. Ironsi truly had no prior knowledge because he was marked to die too but Ifeajuna and Okafor had other plans. Calling it an igbo power grab islike spiting no the graves of true revolutionaries like Nzeogwu,Anuforo and Ademoyega.

Katsumoto: So how did they get the guns which they used to kill Unegbe?

Could Ironsi not stand in their way? Was Ironsi not senior to Maimalari?

Don't you know what an armoury is? Maimalari standing in their way is not about his rank but the respect he commands among officers. He was highly loved by most officers then because of his charisma,courage and efficiency.

kingoflag: Dude hes agreeing with you!

However you want to see it, the truth remains:

1. Nzeogwu an Igbo man went into the coup with noble intentions.

2. Ifeajuna, an Igbo man went into the coup with ulterior motives.

3. Almost all the participants of the coup were Igbo.

4. All the Igbo leaders survived the coup, as opposed to leaders of other tribes who were murdered in cold blood.

5. An Igbo man benefitted from all this shenanigans and became Head of State.

How else do you expect the rest of the country to see the coup? Igbo and Yoruba coup? If even the North refuses to buy your cries that the Yorubas should be blamed too, dont you think normalcy dictates that you should have some introspection and see where others are coming from instead of trying convince them otherwise? The facts are the facts, deal with them "As Is".

Of course, am always the first to accept that the coup was flawed but terming it a power grab by igbos is unacceptable.

Katsumoto: Their hearts pushed them to execute non-igbos while sparing Igbos. At the end of the coup, Igbos benefitted from the actions of their 'hearts'. So how is that not a power grab? Why were Pam and Maimalari killed? Should they not have targeted Ironsi first?

According to Ademoyega, they didn't want to kill Maimalari but decided to go for it because: 1. He was loved and respected by many officers and could stand in their way. 2. Becasuse of his relationship with sarduana. Note: colonel Unegbe too was shot point blank range after he refused to hand over keys to the armory. Oh, I forgot Unegbe is not igbo.

Katsumoto: Start debating by articulating your point cogently and stop resorting to diversionary tactics. Everything up there supports my position.

It was a power grab. The execution of the coup exposed their real intentions.

Igbo actions also confirmed this

1. After the Police completed its interrogation, the January coup suspects were transported to different prisons in the South but mainly in the East

2. A court-martial panel was nominated, headed by Lt. Colonel Conrad Nwawo (Nzeogwu’s friend and the man responsible for negotiating Nzeogwu’s surrender). Yet every time this panel was to sit, directives came from Supreme headquarters to postpone

3. Ironsi’s advisory team comprised Francis Nwokedi, Pius Okigbo, and Lt. Colonel Patrick Anwunah

4. Ironsi made Nwokedi the sole commissioner forthe establishment of an administrative machinery for a unified Nigeria

5. Ironsi abolished the compulsory Hausa test for civil service positions in the North, meaning that non-Hausa speaking people could take positions in the North.

6. Ironsi promulgated decree 34 which divided Nigeria into 35 provinces and made all civil servants part of a unified civil service despite being advised not to do so by Katsina, Gowon, Bassey, and Kam Salem. The day after the promulgation of decree 34, Lt. Col.Ojukwu publicly announced in Enugu that on the basis of seniority, Igbo civil servants would be transferred to other regions and Lagos.

7. Eleven (11) Majors were promoted substantive Lt. Cols while fourteen (14) Majors were made temporary Lt. Cols.Of these, 19 were Igbo or Igbo speaking easterners and midwesterners, 5 northerners (Katsina, Akahan, Shuwa, Muhammed, Haruna) and one Yoruba (Olutoye). These promotions happened even though there was a moratorium on promotions in the military.

8. In an interview back in the early eighties with Radio Kaduna, then Brigadier (later Major General) Mamman Vatsa, now deceased, is quoted by Elaigwu as saying:
“The July coup was motivated by the actions in January 1966 whereby an illegal action was legitimized.If you do that, you expect a counter reaction. July 29, 1966 was a reaction to an inaction against an illegal action….Right from the beginning, the GOC, Nigerian Army regarded these people as ‘rebels’.If that was accepted, the immediate thing was to take the necessary action to get them disciplined legally. If this was not done, then the GOC was condoning indiscipline or treason.Rather than punish men from his army who were on mutiny, he was now asking the civilian government to hand over to him before he could maintain discipline in an organization of which he was in charge….In the first instance, he shouldn’t even have taken over the power……”

You are obviously not so intelligent! This thrash you posted above happened post coup after Ironsi had taken power, right? Initialy, you called it a coup planned by Zik and now you are asserting that Ironsi was involved too?. You are really confused sir.

software man: Except you read a diffrent book from the why we struck I read. My conclusion was that ifeajuna and okafor etc used nzeogwu and ademoyega to surreptitiously carry out a igbo coup.

And Chris Anuforo was not igbo? Ifeajuna and don Okafor obviously wanted something else but that doesn't make it an Igbo coup! Unless Anuforo and Nzeogwu are/were no longer igbos. I advice you to further read ben Gbulie's "the five Majors".

software man: Furthermore, why did they refuse to give the assignment of arresting nronsi to ademoyega even when he pleaded for it? Why was ironsi informed about the coup before hand?
Why was shodeinde and the other yoruba brigadier slaughter ed even when they were not resisting arrest?
The answer is simple. The igbo officers wanted to establish an igbo domination of the army and the country.
It is very obzvious fact that only IGBOS will argue.

Ignorance at its peak sir! According to all reports I have read, Ironsi was never informed about the copu before hand. According to Ademoyega's account, it was Colonel Sam Pam who telephoned and informed Ironsi minutes before he (Pam) was killed. Please let's deal with facts here if we are to achieve anything.

Katsumoto: Is this not supporting my position? If Ifeajuna executed as agreed during the planning stages, why did they have to fight when they met up?

was that not my own point? That Ifeajuna and some other igbo soldiers started using their hearts instead of their head. You were very wrong to term the coup "a power grab by Igbos". That 's twisting facts!

Katsumoto: See below

'The majority of those murdered were northerners, accompanied by some westerners and two Midwesterners.No easterner lost his or her life.On January 16, rather than approve the appointment of Zanna Bukar Dipcharima, a politician of northern origin, as acting Prime Minister, the acting President, Nwafor Orizu, himself of eastern origin, handed over power to Major-General JTU Aguiyi-Ironsi, the GOC of the Nigerian Army, also of eastern origin. This was allegedly at the behest of the rump cabinet, allegedly to enable Ironsi put down the revolt which, as of then, had already failed in southern Nigeria.Until it became apparent recently in separate testimony by Alhaji Shehu Shagari and Chief Richard Akinjide, it had always been publicly assumed in the lay Press that the hand-over was voluntary although unconstitutional - since no such provision existed in the Nigerian constitution.However, it does seem that as far back as 1969, Martin Dent pointed out the involuntary nature of the so-called hand-over in an academic paper, based on an interview with Alhaji Shettima Ali Monguno.

In July 2000, at a public book launching ceremony in Nigeria, Chief Richard Akinjide stated: “Talking on the first coup, when Balewa got missing, we knew Okotie-Eboh had been held, we knew Akintola had been killed. We, the members of the Balewa cabinet started meeting. But how can you have a cabinet meeting without the Prime Minister acting or Prime Minister presiding. So, unanimously, we nominated acting Prime Minister amongst us. Then we continued holding our meetings. Then we got a message that we should all assemble at the Cabinet office. All the Ministers were requested by the G.O.C. of the Nigerian Army, General Ironsi to assemble. What was amazing at that time was that Ironsi was going all over Lagos unarmed. We assembled there. Having nominated ZANA Diphcharima as our acting Prime Minister in the absence of the Prime Minister, whose whereabout we didn't know, we approached the acting President, Nwafor Orizu to swear him in because he cannot legitimately act as the Prime Minister except he is sworn-in. Nwafor Orizu refused. He said he needed to contact Zik who was then in West Indies.

Under the law, that is, the Interpretation Act, as acting President, Nwazor Orizu had all the powers of the President. The GOC said he wanted to see all the cabinet ministers. And so we assembled at the cabinet office. [b]Well, I have read in many books saying that we handed over to the military. We did not hand-over. Ironsi told us that "you either hand over as gentlemen or you hand-over by force". Those were his words. [/b]Is that voluntary hand-over? So we did not hand-over. We wanted an Acting Prime Minister to be in place but Ironsi forced us, and I use the word force advisedly, to handover to him. He was controlling the soldiers. The acting President, Nwafor Orizu, who did not cooperate with us, cooperated with the GOC. [/b]Dr. Orizu and the GOC prepared speeches which Nwafor Orizu broadcast handing over the government of the country to the army. I here state again categorically as a member of that cabinet that we did not hand-over voluntarily. It was a coup. “ Corroborating Akinjide’s account, according to Shehu Shagari, in his Book “Beckoned to
Serve”, “…, ….At about 7.00 am, I returned to Dipcharima’s residence to meet with some NPC ministers who had gathered there. Dipcharima was then the most senior NPC minister available. We received the latest reports on the situation, first from Alhaji Maitama Sule, Minister of Mines and Power, who had visited the PM’s residence by bicycle! We then heard from Alhaji Ibrahim Tako Galadima, the acting Minister of Defence, who had brought along with him Chief Fani-Kayode.

[b]However, we decided to recognize Dipcharima, a Kanuri from Bornu, as our interim leader; and to ask the acting President, Dr. Orizu (President Azikiwe was away on leave), to appoint Dipcharima acting Prime Minister. [/b]We also summoned Major General Ironsi and gave him full authority to use every force at his disposal to suppress the rebellion. He moved his headquarters temporarily to the police headquarters at moloney street to facilitate easy communication with army units in the regions. While at Dipcharima’s residence, we contacted the British High Commission and requested for military assistance in the event that our loyal troops should require any. [b]The response was positive, but the British insisted that the request must be written by the PM; or, in his absence, by a properly appointed deputy. We, therefore, drove to the residence of Dr. Orizu, and requested him to appoint Dipcharima acting prime minister. Dr. Orizu requested to see our NCNC colleagues to confirm whether they supported our proposition, and they joined us soon afterwards. They had apparently been caucusing at Dr. Mbadiwe’s residence. He (Mbadiwe) was their choice of acting Prime Minister. This was naturally unacceptable to us since the NPC was the major governing party.

While we were at Orizu’s residence, Major-General Ironsi, who had seemingly secured Lagos, came in with some armed escorts. He requested for a tete-a-tete with Orizu. The two had a 40 minutes discussion in another room, while we waited anxiously in the sitting room, with the armed soldiers standing and staring at us. When Major-General Ironsi finally emerged, he talked to Dipcharima sotto voce; and then drove off with his troops. Dr. Orizu then joined us, regretted his inability in the circumstances to oblige our request. He suggested we all return to our homes and wait until we were required. All efforts to get any clarification failed, and we left in utter desperation.

In fact President Azikiwe’s personal physician, Dr. Humphrey Idemudia Idehen, abandoned him abroad when he got tired of the “health trip”, having run out of his personal estacode allowance, unaware that there may have been a good reason why Azikiwe did not want to return to Nigeria, after their original planned return date in December 1965 passed.Not even the Commonwealth Leaders’ Conference hosted for the first time by the country in early January was incentive enough for the President to return, for obvious reasons of protocol.[/b]However, after the coup, in a statement to the Press in England on January 16, among other things, Azikiwe did not condemn the coup per se, but said: “Violence has never been an instrument used by us, as founding fathers of the Nigerian Republic, to solve political problems. ….I consider it most unfortunate that our 'Young Turks' decided to introduce the element of violent revolution into Nigerian politics. No matter how they and our general public might have been provoked by obstinate and perhaps grasping politicians, it is an unwise policy……, As far as I am concerned, I regard the killings of our political and military leaders as a national calamity….”

Major Ifeajuna was later to be accused by Major Patrick Nzeogwu, leader of northern operations, of bungling or ignoring an apparent understanding to assassinate General Ironsi in Lagos - an oversight, or “misguided consideration” (to use Nzeogwu’s words)that caused the failure of the coup.Indeed, Nzeogwu bluntly declared publicly that the execution of the coup in the South was tribalistic. Captain Emmanuel Nwobosi (rtd), leader of operations in the Western region, has since corroborated the view that operations in Lagos were compromised by nepotism. For this and other reasons, over the years, some analysts have come to view Nzeogwu, who was recruited two full months after the plot was already in progress, as a tool in a plot he never fully understood.[/b]Indeed, in offering condolences for the death of the Sardauna of Sokoto, ex-Senate President Nwafor Orizu told Alhaji Shehu Shagari that Major Nzeogwu was “an unknown entity among the Ibos (sic) in the Eastern region.”

http://www.citizensfornigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=45

You are arguing pointlessly! If you read my very first post on this thread, you would see where I laid the whole blame on Ifeajuna! My issues started with you when you mischieviously stated that the coup was a power grab by the igbos.

kingoflag: Catastrophe?! Nigeria has been been at war with herself for a few years now; its just not fully blown all over yet. This is the result of allowing rampant corruption to fester on this long--- eventually it leads to total breakdown of law and order because everybody has neglected or become derelict in the performance of their duty if they are not getting paid "on the side". SNC is ultimately important, but I fear that it will only lead to quicker beginning of what I think-- at this point-- is an unavoidable Civil War. The greed for that Oil money has reached dizzying heights and the gladiators are willing to go to any lengths to win. Did you ever imagine that thered be a time when Nigerians would be willing to blow themselves up for any reason? Or that a terrorist like Henry Okah would accuse a sitting President of being his accomplice in the bombing and killing of Nigerian citizens on Nigerian soil? Whether full truth or half truth, the bottom-line is elements in the North, and elements in the South, have waged war against each other and the Nigerian people have been turned into pawns. All it takes is for one side to call the other's bluff, strike the match, and set the whole place on fire. The funny thing is, none of the actors are fighting for the people but for themselves and their pockets. Until corruption is aggressively fought in Nigeria, no meaningful long term development will be achieved, the whole polity will always be on the edge, suspicious of each other and Individuals will try to make off with as much as possible from the Government coffers if they are ever in charge of it because---simply--- there is no loyalty to country. So, really, all this you guys are arguing is--- my apologies--- RUBBISH! Those guys youre fighting over are dead, and they created all this mess in the first place that now nobody knows how to clean it up. What you guys should be doing is thinking how to eradicate corruption in Nigeria and not if anyone deserved to kill the other person.

Bros, I agree with everything you posted here! But we still need to know our history! Nice write up though. Kudos!

Tolexander: boy! That isn't the reasonable way of arguing. If you know you have nothing or lost the fact to support your arguement, the best thing is to shut up and wait till the time you are able to retrieve it. How are we going to redeem you from the fallacy of argumentum ad ignorantium since you are unable to copy and paste your fact here?

I have schooled and exposed Katsumoto's arse on this particular thread, with facts from the horses mouth. If you must copy and paste,paste the whole damn article and not twist it to suit your bigoted agenda. I won't join issues with you because you are way below my line of reasoning.

Katsumoto: This i agree with. I have stated this position several times. Nzeogwu didnt know whose bidding he was doing.

So it was no longer a power grab coup by igbos?. Hahahahahahaha. Who even listens to this guy? Smh

Katsumoto: Refer us to why aifeajuna couldnt kill okpara in ademoyega's coup. You are jumping all over the place. You started with insults, i will soon retaliate.

From where you lifted your copy and paste thrash, you intentionally forgot this?
Shehu Shagari in quote: "When we reminded Major-General Ironsi if he needed to avail himself of the British pledge of assistance, he replied it was too late as the army was pressing him to assume power. Indeed, he confessed his personal reluctance to take over because of his ignorance of government; but insisted the boys were adamant and anxiously waiting outside. He advised it would be in our interest, and that of the country, to temporarily cede power to him to avert disaster. Accordingly, we acceded to his request since we had no better alternative. Ironsi then insisted that the understanding be written".
Katsumoto, you are obviously confused.

Katsumoto: The execution of d coup had nothing to do with the reasons for planning the coup.

You believed otherwise. Have you seen why I called you a bigot?

Katsumoto: And why would anyone with a brain believe the excuses Ifeajuna gave for not killing Okpara?

If Ifeajuna had no qualms killing Largema in a hotel or shooting his boss and mentor, Maimalari, dead in the middle of the night and on the street, why should he care about the presence of an ArchBishop?

I ask again, why was a Lieutenant sent to arrest Okpara and not a unit of similar force as those sent to Akintola and Bello? Why the need for Ifeajuna to go and complete a task that was assigned already?

Questioning the discipline and the loyalty to the course of the igbo soldiers sent to enugu is understandable but calling the coup a power grab by igbos is outright silly!

erniok: @kats, you said the majors never communicated after the coup but Ademoyega said they did at uyo prison.

Never you believe any copy and paste thrash posted by that guy! He knows little and half knowledge is dangerous.

kingoflag: Well, I dont think its fair to call him a bigot, afterall you would agree that hes asking reasonable questions.

well, I will ask you to get Ademoyaga's book yourself and read. Only then would you see the lies and deceitts in katsumoto's copy and paste thrash. Thank God Ademoyega is not an igboman. He clearly stated their reasons for the coup and why it failed. He laid the bulk of the blames on Ifeajuna and Major Don Okafor, the same thing I wrote earlier on.

Katsumoto: Only amongst Nigerians will you find someone who has no proof to support his position calling the person who has provided proof to support his own position, a liar.

You keep referring us to Ademoyega's book - refer us to the page or find it on google.

You shamelessly opined that Ademoyega was sold a dummy by Ifeajuna. Please provide us with a quote or keep quiet! Did he tell you that in your living room? Because I have read the book twice and never saw such nonsense. God willing, I will get the book again tomorrow.

kingoflag: Bro, should it be about spiting a tribe or just picking who you know will do the right things for the country and most especially shuns corruption?! Corruption of anything---in whatever form or practice--- is bad!!!

Most Nigerians are corrupt my brother and not just our leaders. I believe a SNC is urgent because I sense catastrophe in 2015!

A touching excerpt from, Why We Struck: The Story Of The First Nigerian Coup ~ by Major Adewale Ademoyega. Page.142-3
"The next most important cause of our failure was the behaviour of Ifeajuna himself. Having seen that Ironsi had got loose and was already raising troops against us, Ifeajuna took Okafor with him and both of them suddenly disappeared from our midst. This raises the serious question of whether or not there was a common collusion between the two of them, and whether Okafor's failure to arrest the GOC was not a case of deliberate or willful omission. To my mind and to be quite honest, Ifeajuna should have been angry with Okafor the same way that I was angry with him. Then, if Ifeajuna had been faithful to me like I was to him, he should have stuck to me and both of us together would have planned the next line of action. This ought to be the natural course of things because Ifeajuna and I had worked together alone on this Lagos sector project for the previous three months, and more or less to the exclusion of the other majors who were brought in individually as the need for them arose. Why the sudden change of front? This matter later brought a serious argument between myself and Ifeajuna when we were both detained together at the Uyo Prison. That was in early April 1966, a few weeks after he had been repatriated to Nigeria. This argument became so serious that both of us exchanged blows and it was Dr Mbanugo, then a political detainee in the same prison, who separated us. After the fight, we became friends again."

Katsumoto: Are you missing brain cells. What did Ademoyega say precisely? Refer us to the particular page where he stated that Ifeajuna didn't go to Okpara immediately after killing Balewa.

Second, Ademoyega wasn't with Ifeajuna so how did he know where Okpara went to? After all, Ademoyega and Ifeajuna never had the chance to speak after the coup was executed.

Third, I ask again what happened to Lieutenant Oguchi who was tasked with arresting Okpara? If all the actors had tasked someone to arrest Okpara, why did Ifeajuna need to go to Enugu to complete the task? Afterall, Ifeajuna didn't go to Ibadan to ascertain whether Nwobosi had killed Akintola.

Fourth, why was a lowly Lieutenant tasked with arresting a premier on his own when there were several majors working as tag teams to kill indiscriminately in Lagos? Afterall, Nwobosi went to Akintola with a team of soldiers. Nzeogwu went with a unit to take down down Bello. Why were the premiers of the North and West targeted by heavily armed units while a small boy was sent to Okpara? Also, who was sent to Osadebey, the Igbo premier of the mid-west?

You obviously reason from your anus! Kindly quote where Ademoyega said that he was sold a dummy you shameless liar.if you bother to read the book, you will see the page where he categorically stated the reasons for Okpala's escape being the presence of Arcbishop Makariot. I have lost mine though but I will get another soon enough. You are nothing but a hate filled bigot disinforming people here.

Katsumoto: Where are these details from the principal actors? When are you going to refer us to the actual books and relevant pages? You are the one who is being lazy and disingenuous. Supply the data or step aside. I don't have time for tomfoolery today.

Provide the details which indicate that Ifeajuna did not have a meeting with Okpara right after driving from Lagos to Enugu.

You lack integrity and I won't reply you again. You shamelessly opined that Ademoyega was sold a dummy that a squad was sent to Enugu to kill Okpara. Please go and read his account titled "why we struck" and stop embarrassing yourself here. Little knowledge is bad.

Major A Ademoyega was one of the 5 majors that spearheaded the 1966 coup. He has written a book called "why we struck". I plead with everybody to go and read that book, at least Ademoyega is not an Igboman. Read the damn book and decide for yourselves. Peace!

Katsumoto: Furnish us with these details. When you answering a question on an exam, do you refer to the textbook with the information without providing an answer? Dear examiner, the information can be found in Nelkon, if you read it, you will find the answer there.

Second, you want us to accept as Gospel the words of murderers, those who killed unarmed men and pregnant women in the middle of the night? They were cowards and murderers. Whatever you think, the report from the Special Branch is more credible than any trash from a cowardly murderer.

You don't want us to believe the story told by the principal actors themselves but you want us to believe some cooked up thrash by the Nigeria Government to support their atrocities both pre and post coup? How did I even take you seriously in the first place? Anyway, believe what you suits your agenda but don't come here deceiving some kids on Nairaland who are too lazy to read about their history.

ilugunboy: Listen to yourself..-is there any logic in what you wrote up there.?even a fellow ibo will be more willing albeit reluctantly to agree with Katz than in your emotional verbiage up there.

Truth is people like you always believe in what you were told by your clearly biased uncles and grand parents than in clearly and objective and more plausible accounts of neutral elements.

Okpara was in the presence of some chrisitan people from Cyprus by running into their gathering was all the alibi needed to save him...while another man was killed along with his pregnant wife. They have the presence of mind not to kill Okpara in the midst of other men...but lost their minds and emotions in killing an heavily pregnant woman?

Go and sell your bullshytee story to your birds!

You are one ignorant kid! Arcbishop Makariot was like the president of Cyprus at that time and came with many delegates too. Opening fire there would have caused the death of the cyprus leader or that of his delegates. We are dealing with vrifiable facts here from principal actors of the coup. Go and read "the 5 majors" and "why we struck".

Funny enough, I never knew Festus Okotie Eboh and colonel Unegbe were hausa and yoruba respectively. Like said, we owe our children the truth and we must tell it. Idiots can twist the truth all they like but thank God some of us still know the truth. The yoruba people have started their noise again but unfortunately this time, there is no Nzeogwu to do shiit! They can go ahead with their revolution. As for we Igbos, we love this government and will support GEJ again come 2019!

honeric01: Chai, see lecturing by Katsumoto.

So the igbos fired the first shot? Now i see why the elderly ones refuse to give room to anything igbo when it comes to leadership.

Which lecture? Copy and paste history? I am still waiting for the kid to quote a principal actor of the coup! They want us to believe the coup was a power grab attempt by Igbos and yet the coup was practical aborted by Ironsi? Are people this dumb in Nigeria?

Katsumoto: Here is an excerpt from the Special Branch investigation. Please provide your own sources/books/articles.

Special Branch Report: Military Rebellion of January 1966

71. When Major Ifeajuna and party returned to the Federal Guards Officers' Mess he learnt that the GOC was in town and was organizing 2nd Battalion NA at Ikeja to attack the rebels. He was then joined by Major Okafor and they drove off together in Major Ifeajuna's car.

At the Yaba Military Hospital they dropped 2/Lt Ezedigbo who had been wounded in the encounter with Brigadier Mai-Malari. The time was about 0400 hrs. Major Ifeajuna drove away on to the Abeokuta road. On the way they stopped and Ifeajuna asked the PM out of the car whence he shot and killed him. When he and Okafor became certain that the PM was dead they left the body in the bush at a point beyond Otta on the Lagos to Abeokuta road. They then opened the boot of the car and dropped the body of Lt. Col. Largema near that of the PM.

They then drove on to Abeokuta. On the way after Abeokuta two other soldiers in the car were dropped and told to find their way back to Lagos [b]whilst Ifeajuna and Okafor proceeded to Enugu. They arrived Enugu at about 1415 hours and proceeded to the Premier's Lodge where they held discussion with Dr. MI Okpara, then Premier of Eastern region, after which they separated and went into hiding. [/b]Ifeajuna eventually escaped to Ghana where he was received by the former President Kwame Nkrumah who sent him to Winneba to stay with SG Ikoku.

This is what the Nigerian Governmebt fed to people like you! If you want to read the truth, go and get the book "why we struck". And the other one from captain Ben gbulie, I have forgotten its name. Read what the principal actors said and not an investigation team set up by the government. Even Ademoyega has given his own interview, so stop spewing nonsense here. History cannot ne twisted! Never! We owe our children the truth!

Katsumoto: There was no operation in the East. When Ifeajuna knew the coup had failed and proceeded to escape, he still shot Balewa. The same Ifeajuna proceeded to Michael Okpara's house in Enugu where he had Tea (he briefed Okpara on how the coup transpired) before escaping to Ghana. Why didn't he kill Okpara? Why did he need to go to Enugu before escaping to Ghana? Is Lagos not closer to Ghana than Enugu? Ifeajuna simply went to seek assistance of those that sent him to execute the coup.

Stop distorting facts my friend! Ifeajuna initially went to enugu to kill Okpara but was told he was in the company of the ArcBishop of Cyprus who was the like the leader of Cyprus. Ifeajuna and co were hesitant to open fire there. You are a very bad liar kid! It was after the coup was aborted that Ifeajuna met Okpara and even suggested to him why he was saved. Don't come here twisting facts to suit your senseless lies! In another of your post, you claim zik caused the unrest in the west but yet admmitted Akintola was the arrowhead! Honesty must be a virtue hard to find among your people.