The January 15, 1966 coup in Nigeria has often been mischaracterized as an “Igbo coup,” but historical evidence suggests otherwise. The coup, led by Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was not ethnically motivated but aimed at eliminating corruption and restoring national unity. The primary goal of the coup plotters was to establish a more progressive leadership, and there were strong indications that they intended to install Chief Obafemi Awolowo as Prime Minister.
Kaduna Nzeogwu and the Coup Plotters
Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, an officer of Igbo origin from Delta State, spearheaded the coup with the support of officers from different ethnic backgrounds, including:
Major Adewale Ademoyega (Yoruba)
Captain G. Adeleke (Yoruba)
Lieutenant Fola Oyewole (Yoruba)
Major Timothy Onwuatuegwu (Igbo)
Their actions targeted prominent leaders across Nigeria, including:
Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa (Hausa-Fulani) – assassinated
Ahmadu Bello, Premier of Northern Nigeria (Hausa-Fulani) – assassinated
Samuel Akintola, Premier of Western Nigeria (Yoruba) – assassinated
Festus Okotie-Eboh, Minister of Finance (Itsekiri) – assassinated
Notably, President Nnamdi Azikiwe (Igbo) was untouched, and no prominent Igbo politicians were killed, which later fueled suspicions of ethnic favoritism. However, this was not the intent of the coup plotters, as they were focused on eliminating what they perceived as a corrupt and ineffective political class.
The Role of General Aguiyi-Ironsi
The coup was not entirely successful, as it was quickly crushed by another Igbo officer, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was the highest-ranking military officer at the time. Aguiyi-Ironsi took control of the government and restored order, ultimately becoming Nigeria’s first military Head of State. His rise to power further deepened suspicions that the coup was an “Igbo conspiracy,” even though he was not part of the original plot.
IBB’s Involvement and the Counter-Coup
The July 29, 1966 counter-coup, led by northern officers, resulted in the assassination of Aguiyi-Ironsi and saw General Yakubu Gowon take over as Head of State. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), who later became Nigeria’s military ruler, was among the officers who participated in this northern-led counter-coup. The brutal nature of the counter-coup and subsequent massacre of Igbo officers and civilians intensified ethnic divisions and contributed to the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970).
The Awolowo Factor
It is widely believed that the January 1966 coup plotters admired Obafemi Awolowo, the former Premier of the Western Region, due to his progressive policies and nationalist vision. There were claims that they planned to release Awolowo from prison and install him as Prime Minister, but the coup’s failure prevented this from happening.
A Coup Misinterpreted
Labeling the 1966 coup as an “Igbo coup” is historically inaccurate. While the majority of the key actors were Igbo, the coup itself had a nationalist rather than ethnic agenda. Moreover, it was an Igbo officer (Aguiyi-Ironsi) who ultimately crushed the coup, and another Igbo officer (IBB) played a role in the counter-coup that followed. The ethnic tensions fueled by the coup and counter-coup would later shape Nigeria’s history, but it is essential to understand that the 1966 coup was a failed military revolution rather than an ethnic conspiracy.
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