Former Nigerian military leader, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, has shed light on the true events surrounding the 1966 coup that ousted the civilian administration led by Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.
In his book, “A Journey In Service”, IBB provides a detailed account of the coup, challenging the dominant narrative that has been marked by ethnic tensions and recriminations.
According to IBB, the original intention of the coup plotters was not driven by ethnic sentiments, but rather a desire to release Obafemi Awolowo from detention and install him as President.
He noted the role of Major John Obienu, an Igbo officer, who played a crucial role in crushing the coup, and notes that several senior Igbo officers were also killed during the uprising.
“It was a terrible time for the Nigerian military. As I have said elsewhere, as a young officer who saw all of this from a distance, probably, ethnic sentiments did not drive the original objective of the coup plotters,” IBB recounts.
He further explains, “For instance, the head of the plotters, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was only ‘Igbo’ in name. Born and raised in Kaduna, his immigrant parents were from Okpanam in today’s Delta State, which, in 1966, was in the old mid-western region. Nzeogwu spoke fluent Hausa and was as ‘Hausa’ as any!”
READ ALSO: “Believe IBB’s Book And Follow Him To Damnation” – Abacha’s Grandson Fires Back
IBB also notes that the coup took on an ethnic colouration after it was infiltrated by outsiders, leading to the murder of prominent northern leaders, including Sir Ahmadu Bello and his wife, Hafsatu.
“That said, it was heinously callous for Nzeogwu to have murdered Sir Ahmadu Bello and his wife, Hafsatu, because not only were they eminently adored by many but also because they were said not to have put up a fight. From that moment, the putsch was infiltrated by ‘outsiders’ to its supposed original intention, and it took on an unmistakably ethnic colouration, compounded by the fact that there were no related coup activities in the Eastern region,” he said.
IBB’s account also disclosed the tragic fate of senior Igbo officers who were killed during the coup, including Lt-Col. Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe, who was brutally gunned down by his own brother officer, Major Chris Anuforo.
“It should, however, be borne in mind that some senior officers of Igbo extraction were also victims of the January coup. For instance, my erstwhile Commander at the Reconnaissance Squadron in Kaduna, Lt-Col. Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe, was brutally gunned down by his own ‘brother,’ Major Chris Anuforo, in the presence of his pregnant wife, at his 7 Point Road residence in Apapa, for merely being ‘a threat to the revolution’.”
IBB’s revelations provide a fresh perspective on this pivotal moment in Nigerian history, emphasising the complexity and nuance of the events that unfolded.
Former Nigerian military leader, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, has shed light on the true events surrounding the 1966 coup that ousted the civilian administration led by Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.
In his book, “A Journey In Service”, IBB provides a detailed account of the coup, challenging the dominant narrative that has been marked by ethnic tensions and recriminations.
According to IBB, the original intention of the coup plotters was not driven by ethnic sentiments, but rather a desire to release Obafemi Awolowo from detention and install him as President.
He noted the role of Major John Obienu, an Igbo officer, who played a crucial role in crushing the coup, and notes that several senior Igbo officers were also killed during the uprising.
“It was a terrible time for the Nigerian military. As I have said elsewhere, as a young officer who saw all of this from a distance, probably, ethnic sentiments did not drive the original objective of the coup plotters,” IBB recounts.
He further explains, “For instance, the head of the plotters, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was only ‘Igbo’ in name. Born and raised in Kaduna, his immigrant parents were from Okpanam in today’s Delta State, which, in 1966, was in the old mid-western region. Nzeogwu spoke fluent Hausa and was as ‘Hausa’ as any!”
READ ALSO: “Believe IBB’s Book And Follow Him To Damnation” – Abacha’s Grandson Fires Back
IBB also notes that the coup took on an ethnic colouration after it was infiltrated by outsiders, leading to the murder of prominent northern leaders, including Sir Ahmadu Bello and his wife, Hafsatu.
“That said, it was heinously callous for Nzeogwu to have murdered Sir Ahmadu Bello and his wife, Hafsatu, because not only were they eminently adored by many but also because they were said not to have put up a fight. From that moment, the putsch was infiltrated by ‘outsiders’ to its supposed original intention, and it took on an unmistakably ethnic colouration, compounded by the fact that there were no related coup activities in the Eastern region,” he said.
IBB’s account also disclosed the tragic fate of senior Igbo officers who were killed during the coup, including Lt-Col. Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe, who was brutally gunned down by his own brother officer, Major Chris Anuforo.
“It should, however, be borne in mind that some senior officers of Igbo extraction were also victims of the January coup. For instance, my erstwhile Commander at the Reconnaissance Squadron in Kaduna, Lt-Col. Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe, was brutally gunned down by his own ‘brother,’ Major Chris Anuforo, in the presence of his pregnant wife, at his 7 Point Road residence in Apapa, for merely being ‘a threat to the revolution’.”
IBB’s revelations provide a fresh perspective on this pivotal moment in Nigerian history, emphasising the complexity and nuance of the events that unfolded.
via: Information Nigeria
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