who lead the second military coup in nigeria
Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed
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1966 Nigerian counter-coup The 1966 Nigerian counter-coup, or the so-called "July Rematch", was the second of many military coups in Nigeria. It was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and many northern military officers. The coup began as a mutiny at roughly midnight on July 28, 1966 and was a reaction to the killings of Northern politicians and Officers by mostly Igbo soldiers on January 15, 1966 (see 1966 Nigerian coup d'état.) The July mutiny/counter coup resulted in the murder of Nigeria's first military Head of State General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi (who was hosting a visiting
1966 Nigerian counter-coup
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1966 Nigerian counter-coup The 1966 Nigerian counter-coup, or the so-called "July Rematch", was the second of many military coups in Nigeria. It was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and many northern military officers. The coup began as a mutiny at roughly midnight on July 28, 1966 and was a reaction to the killings of Northern politicians and Officers by mostly Igbo soldiers on January 15, 1966 (see 1966 Nigerian coup d'état.) The July mutiny/counter coup resulted in the murder of Nigeria's first military Head of State General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi (who was hosting a visiting
1966 Nigerian counter-coup
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Aguiyi-Ironsi) in Ibadan by disgruntled northern non-commissioned officers (NCOs). Upon the termination of Ironsi's government, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon was appointed Head of State by the July 1966 coup conspirators. According to historian Max Siollun northern soldiers had a list of grievances following the aborted January 15, 1966, coup which led to the planning of the counter-coup. A list of their grievances were: The principal coup plotters are listed below: 1966 Nigerian counter-coup The 1966 Nigerian counter-coup, or the so-called "July Rematch", was the second of many military coups in Nigeria. It was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and
1966 Nigerian counter-coup
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KiriKiri. Chief Olowofoyeku was released after the second counter coup on 29 July 1966 that was carried out by soldiers of Northern Nigerian extraction who replaced the old military regime of Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi. This Coup D'état was led by a northerner, Col. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma who plotted the counter coup on behalf of Northern Nigerian soldiers that installed Lt Col. Yakubu Gowon, (a young, intelligent 32-year-old officer) as the second Military Head of State to power in 1966. This second coup finally led to the Nigeria-Biafran Civil War of 1966–1970. Over 1 million civilians, mostly of Ibo extraction died in
Babatunji Olowofoyeku
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Dodan Barracks Dodan Barracks is a military barracks occupying a large area located off Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Nigeria. Dodan Barracks was the residence of the heads of state of various Military Governments in Nigeria, and also the Supreme Military Headquarters from 1966 until the move to Abuja in 1991. The name "Dodan" originated from the site of a battle fought during the Second World War by the 82nd West African Division in Burma. The Dodan Barracks was one of the bases of a group of army majors who attempted a coup against the civilian government in January 1966. The
Dodan Barracks
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Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966–1979) The Supreme Military Council was the body that ruled Nigeria after the coup d'état in 1966 until it was dissolved following the Nigerian parliamentary election, 1979 and the Second Nigerian Republic. According to a Constitutional Decree, published in Lagos on 17 March 1967, legislative and executive power was vested in the Supreme Military Council. The Chairman of the Council was the head of the Military Government. The Supreme Military Council consisted of the Regional Military Governors and the Military Administrator of the Federal Territory, the Heads of the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force,
Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966–1979)
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Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98 The Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98 were a pair of military dictatorships in Nigeria that were led by the Nigerian military, having a chairman or president in charge. Nigeria's first military junta began following the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état which overthrew Prime Minister Alhaji Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was made the Head of the Federal Military Government of Nigeria, but was soon overthrown and murdered in a coup in July of the same year. Aguiyi-Ironsi was succeeded by General Yakubu Gowon, who established a Supreme Military Council.
Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98
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truck that Bako was killed in is on display at the Nigerian Army Museum in Zaria, Nigeria. The senior military officers involved in the 1983 coup were: Major General Buhari's Supreme Military Council (SMC) observed a minute of silence for the slain Brigadier Bako during SMC's first meeting. Bako's son (Professor Ibrahim Ado Bako) claimed in a January 2014 interview with Leadership of Nigeria, that Bako was killed by fellow coup conspirators who were not aligned with Bako's intention to conduct a bloodless coup. Professor Bako asserted that the "top brass of the army and their cohorts did not agree
Ibrahim Bako
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Military coups in Nigeria There have been a large number of successful and failed military coups in Nigeria since the country's independence from the British Empire in 1960. A military coup is the violent or non-violent overthrow of an existing political regime by the military. Between 1966 and 1999 the army held power in Nigeria without interruption apart from a short-lived return to democracy between 1979-1983. “Military coups and military rule (which began as an emergency aberration) became a seemingly permanent feature of Nigerian politics. The January 1966 coup was carried out by mostly Igbo army officers including Major Kaduna
Military coups in Nigeria
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members were attacked injured and killed in a series of ethnic attacks launched by some other ethnic groups in other parts of the country following the first military coup executed by mostly Igbo generals, in which top northern Nigerian leaders among others were terminated. The main rivals of the mostly Igbo Eastern Nigerians were the Hausa/Fulani people of Northern Nigeria. A northern headed war on the secession (1967—1970) and continuous attacks on the Igbos in other part of Nigeria lead Igbos from northern and western Nigeria to return to their "native" areas in eastern Nigeria and Enugu became a destination.
Enugu
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the President, Bako was shot dead, while sitting in the passenger side of a UNIMOG utility truck, in an ensuing fire fight between troops from Bako's detachment and the Brigade of Guards soldiers under the command of Captain Augustine Anyogo. The UNIMOG utility truck that Bako was killed in is on display at the Nigerian Army Museum in Zaria, Nigeria. The senior military officers involved in the 1983 coup were: This was a palace coup led by then Chief of Army Staff, Major General Ibrahim Babangida who overthrew the administration of Major General Muhammadu Buhari. Hundreds of military officers were
Military coups in Nigeria
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Ibrahim Babangida, Lieutenant Ibrahim Bako, 2nd Lieutenant Sani Abacha among others), who staged what became known as the Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966 because of grievances they felt towards the administration of General Aguiyi Ironsi's government which quelled the January 15, 1966 coup. Garba first came to national attention in Nigeria when, on July 29, 1975, he announced the coup d'état against the leader of the country, General Yakubu Gowon. Garba's speech, broadcast from Radio Nigeria, began with the following statement: Garba was a close ally of Gowon. The coup was led by junior military officers unhappy at the lack of
Joseph Nanven Garba
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kept his promise to relinquish office to a civilian government, but not before appointing Ernest Shonekan head of an interim government. Babangida's regime has been considered the most corrupt, and responsible for creating a culture of corruption in Nigeria. In late 1993 Shonekan's caretaker regime was overwhelmed by the military coup of General Sani Abacha, who used military force on a wide scale to suppress the continuing civilian unrest. He shifted money to offshore accounts in western European banks and defeated coup plots by bribing army generals. In 1995 the government hanged environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa on trumped-up charges in the
Nigeria
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Cabinet of Shehu Shagari The Cabinet of Shehu Shagari formed the government of Nigeria during the presidency of Shehu Shagari between 1979 and 1983, after the return to civilian rule with the Second Nigerian Republic. It was terminated by a military coup. Lieutenant General Olusegun Obasanjo became head of the government after an attempted coup in February 1976. He managed the transition to civilian rule in an election won by the National Party of Nigeria led by Shehu Shagari. Shagari took office on 1 October 1979. He then appointed 61 ministers, of whom 24 were of cabinet rank. The ministers
Cabinet of Shehu Shagari
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of Northern politicians enraged Northerners resulting in violence against the Igbo by northerners. The military government sought to end the ethnic unrest by dismantling the federal system of government and replacing it with a unitary system of government, however this reform was short-lived as the government was overthrown in another coup that saw Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon become the Norths compromise with the south to lead Nigeria. By 1967, many Igbos had lost faith in Nigerian nationalism and in May of that year, Igbo separatists formed the Republic of Biafra that demanded secession from Nigeria. The Biafran crisis was the
Nigerian nationalism
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Sule Ahman Sule M. Ahman is a retired army officer who was appointed Military Administrator of Enugu State, Nigeria from August 1996 to August 1998 during the military regime of general Sani Abacha. During the military coup of 27 August 1985, when General Ibrahim Babangida became head of state, Major Sule Ahman lent support in his position in Supply and Transport in the Ikeja Cantonment. As military administrator of Enugu State, Colonel Ahman inaugurated the 22nd General Assembly of Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria, held in Enugu in 1997. In his address, Ahman urged the Chief Executives to help educate and
Sule Ahman
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Victor Banjo Victor Banjo (April 1, 1930 – September 22, 1967) was a Colonel in the Nigerian Army. He ended up in the Biafran Army during the struggles between Nigeria and Biafra. Victor Banjo was mistaken for a coup plotter against the Nigerian Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa, by the Government of Aguyi Ironsi (according with the book "Why we struck" by Adewale Ademoyega) He was alleged to have staged a coup plot against Biafran President Odumegwu Ojukwu. and was executed as a result. It took a second military tribunal judge to sentence Victor Banjo, because Odumegwu Ojukwu's first military judge
Victor Banjo
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debt. He enrolled Nigeria in the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which aggravated religious tensions in the country. Babangida survived an abortive coup, then postponed a promised return to democracy to 1992. Free and fair elections were finally held on 12 June 1993, the first since the military coup of 1983, with a presidential victory for Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola of the Social Democratic Party, who gained some 58% of the votes, defeating Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention. However, Babangida annulled the elections, leading to massive civilian protests that effectively shut down the country for weeks. Babangida finally
Nigeria
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the University of Nigeria, Nsukka Campus. In the lead-up to Nigerian independence Ibiam served in local government, in the Eastern Regional House of Assembly, and in the Legislative and Executive Councils. After Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Ibiam was appointed governor of Eastern Region. On 24 August 1962, he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG). Ibiam held office until the military coup of 15 January 1966 that brought Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi to power. His authoritarian successor, colonel Emeka Ojukwu, immediately ejected Ibiam from the State House in Enugu. Later, Emeka
Akanu Ibiam
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Nigeria was established at Oron (now in Akwa Ibom State). During the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari that followed the Second Republic after a 31 December 1983 coup, Elegbede was Chairman of the Kaduna Zone military tribunal, which was set up to try public officers from the previous civilian regime who had been accused of embezzling public funds. He was appointed director of the Defence Intelligence Agency, and was later head of administration in Defence Headquarters under General Ibrahim Babangida. In September 1985, Commodore Elegbede was Flag Officer Commanding, Sea Training Command. He was a member of Babangida's Armed
Babatunde Elegbede
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aborted coup led to the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed. Upon General Muhammed's death and the foiling of the coup, then Lt General Olusegun Obasanjo became Head of State. The Nigerian Military Coup of December 31, 1983 was led by a group of senior army officers who overthrew the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari. Participants included Majors General Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari, Brigadiers Ibrahim Bako, Sani Abacha, and Tunde Idiagbon. Major General Buhari was appointed Head of State by the conspirators. Ibrahim Bako (then Director of the Army Faculty at the Armed Forces Command and staff College,
Military coups in Nigeria
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granted two honorary Doctorate degrees in Science from Enugu State University of Technology, and in Law from Abia State University. He was also granted an honorary Doctorate degree in Science from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2010. His second wife Diezani Alison-Madueke was the first female director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, later to become Nigeria's minister of transportation on July 26, 2007. Madueke studied at the Nigerian Defense Academy between 1964 and 1967. He served at the Embassy of Nigeria as Naval Attache in Washington DC, USA. After a military coup d'état overthrew civilian President Shehu
Allison Madueke
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and primary schools. The town has also produced many clergies including two Bishops. Oko has been a shining light in the politics of Nigeria. The first executive vice president of Nigeria, Chief (Dr) Alex. I. Ekwueme is a proud son of Okoland. He was the vice president to Alhaji Shehu Shagari under the auspices of National Party of Nigeria(NPN) from 1 October 1979 to 31 December 1983. Dr Alex Ekwueme and Alhaji Shehu Shagari won the presidential election for a second term that was to run from 1983 to 1987, but their administration was toppled in a military coup and
Oko Town
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little growth. This led to a rise in poverty, crime, child abuse, disease, institutional decay and urban dislocation. The instability and dissatisfaction caused by these policies was one of the causes of the consistent pattern of coups. Military coups in Nigeria There have been a large number of successful and failed military coups in Nigeria since the country's independence from the British Empire in 1960. A military coup is the violent or non-violent overthrow of an existing political regime by the military. Between 1966 and 1999 the army held power in Nigeria without interruption apart from a short-lived return to
Military coups in Nigeria
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Adedeji)." Before his final illness, Dudley had started to gather material for a biography of Murtala Mohammed, the Nigerian military president who took over from General Yakubu Gowon after the 1976 coup, and who was assassinated later that year. Dudley's published views on Mohammed indicated that he held Mohammed in high regard. Dudley died in Epping, England. Billy Dudley was one of the co-authors of the 1979 Constitution of Nigeria (since replaced, following various military coups). He is also credited with having been a major influence on the principal advisers to General Gowon in 1967, recommending that Nigeria should stay
Billy Dudley
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William Walbe William Walbe (July 13, 1943 – June 27, 2011), was a colonel in the Nigerian Army who served as the military aide-de-camp (ADC) to General Yakubu Gowon, the third Nigerian Head of State. Born William Godang Walbe on July 13, 1943, in Plateau State, Nigeria, Walbe received his secondary education at the Nigerian Military School (NMS) in Zaria. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1962 and served as Anti-Tank Platoon Commander, 2nd Battalion, General Staff Officer III, 2nd Brigade in the Nigerian Army. Walbe gained notoriety as a conspirator in the Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966 which
William Walbe
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staged a successful coup d'état against the civilian government. The federal military government which assumed power under General Aguiyi-Ironsi was unable to quiet ethnic tensions or produce a constitution acceptable to all sections of the country. In fact, its efforts to abolish the federal structure exacerbated the growing unrest and led to another coup, led by largely northern officers in July of the same year. This second coup established the regime of Major General Yakubu Gowon. Subsequently, the massacre of thousands of Igbo in the north prompted hundreds of thousands to return to the southeast, where increasingly strong Igbo secessionist
Petroleum industry in Nigeria
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Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, was born on 26 February 1937 in Kaduna and died in a mysterious circumstance on 29 July 1967 in Nsuka sector during the Nigeria Civil War. He was a Nigerian military officer who played a leading role in the January 15, 1966 military coup, an event that derailed Nigeria's nascent democracy and introduced military rule to Nigeria. Nzeogwu was born in the Northern Region’s capital of Kaduna to Igbo immigrant parents from the Mid-Western Region-Okpanam Town, near Asaba in the present day Anioma Delta State. Nzeogwu attended Saint Joseph's Catholic Primary School in
Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu
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that they were "just looking for jobs for themselves". In February 2013 the party merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, and the Congress for Progressive Change to form the All Progressives Congress. The ANPP is a right-wing conservative party with mass appeal. The party draws its strength predominantly from Northern Nigeria. There was a party of the same name during the Second Republic, which was banned following the Military Coup of 1984 led by General Buhari. The current party is a party with the same name but with little or no resemblance or affinity
All Nigeria Peoples Party
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regional rivalries which have played such a large part in recurrence of coups were a result of colonialism creating an artificial state encompassing several different distinct ethnic groups. These distinct ethnic groups were represented by regional parties, which ensured that “none of the parties could govern Nigeria on its own, and… that conflict was only a matter of time away.” Therefore, there was no centralised opposition to military rule; when a coup occurred, it was therefore just another faction of military rule. However, one exception to this recurring pattern of factions was the Ogoni people (Mosop), who managed to articulate
Military coups in Nigeria
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British order in council so as to come into force immediately upon independence, on 1 October 1960. Under this constitution Nigeria retained Queen Elizabeth II as titular head of state. Independent Nigeria's second constitution established the country as a federal republic. It came into force on 1 October 1963 (Nigeria's third anniversary as an independent nation). The 1963 constitution, which was based on the Westminster system, continued in operation until a military coup in 1966 overthrew Nigeria's democratic institutions. The 1979 constitution, which brought in the Second Republic, abandoned the Westminster system in favour of an American-style presidential system, with
Constitution of Nigeria
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1967 to July 1967. In July 1966 Lieutenant Muhammadu Buhari was one of the participants in the "July Rematch" or so called "Counter-Coup", led by Lt-Col Murtala Muhammed, that overthrew and assassinated Nigeria's first self-appointed military Head of State General Aguiyi Ironsi, who had assumed leadership of the Nigerian government after a failed coup attempt on 15 January 1966, which overthrew the elected parliamentary government of Nigeria (also known as first republic). Other participants in the coup on 28 July 1966 included 2nd Lieutenant Sani Abacha, Lieutenant Ibrahim Babangida, Major Theophilus Danjuma, Lieutenant Ibrahim Bako among others. The coup was
Muhammadu Buhari
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the Hutu military coup d'état created a Tutsi counter-reaction and laid the foundation for extreme Tutsi factions to seize power for themselves, first installing a new "mwami" and later abolishing the monarchy altogether in November 1966. Micombero, later promoted to Prime Minister, would lead the second coup d'état and become Burundi's first republican President and "de facto" dictator until 1976. 1965 Burundian coup d'état attempt On 18–19 October 1965, a group of ethnic Hutu officers from the Burundian military attempted to overthrow Burundi's government in a coup d'état. The rebels were angry about the apparent favouring of ethnic Tutsi minority
1965 Burundian coup d'état attempt
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Muhammadu Maccido Ibrahim Muhammadu Maccido dan Abubakar (20 April 1928 – 29 October 2006), often shortened to Muhammadu Maccido, was the 19th Sultan of Sokoto in Nigeria. He was the son and primary aide to Siddiq Abubakar III (1903–1988) who had been the Sultan of Sokoto for 50 years. Maccido served in many functions of government during his life and served most prominently as the liaison to Nigerian President Shehu Shagari (rule 1979–1983) until a military coup removed Shagari from power. When his father died in 1988, the head of the military government in Nigeria, Ibrahim Babangida appointed Ibrahim Dasuki
Muhammadu Maccido
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National Sports Commission. The job in fact was given to Abdulrahman Hassan Gimba. Abdulmumini Aminu Colonel (retired) Abdulmumini Aminu (born 1949) was military governor of Borno State, Nigeria between August 1985 and December 1987 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. He later became Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, and then Chairman of the West Africa Football Union. Aminu was one of the officers who arrested General Muhammadu Buhari in the August 1985 coup in which General Ibrahim Babangida came to power. Aminu was a Major in his mid-thirties when Babangida appointed him governor of Borno State later
Abdulmumini Aminu
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Abdulmumini Aminu Colonel (retired) Abdulmumini Aminu (born 1949) was military governor of Borno State, Nigeria between August 1985 and December 1987 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. He later became Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association, and then Chairman of the West Africa Football Union. Aminu was one of the officers who arrested General Muhammadu Buhari in the August 1985 coup in which General Ibrahim Babangida came to power. Aminu was a Major in his mid-thirties when Babangida appointed him governor of Borno State later that month. At Nigeria's first national AIDS conference in October 1987 Aminu said
Abdulmumini Aminu
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Habibu Idris Shuaibu Habibu Idris Shuaibu was military administrator of Niger State in Nigeria from August 1998 to May 1999, when he handed over control to the democratically elected Abdulkadir Kure. Habibu Shuaibu was an aide to General Ibrahim Babangida. In 1989, while at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas he wrote an unpublished thesis titled "Military Involvement in Politics in Nigeria: The Effect on Nigerian Army". Speaking as one of those who backed General Babangida's putsch on August 27, 1985, he claimed that the reason for the coup against Muhammadu Buhari was that Buhari
Habibu Idris Shuaibu
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Harris Eghagha Brigadier General Harris Otadafevwerha Deodemise Eghagha was appointed Military Governor of Ogun State, Nigeria from July 1978 to October 1979 during the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, handing over power to the elected governor Olabisi Onabanjo at the start of the Nigerian Second Republic. Eghagha was born on 8 March 1934 in Mereje, Okpe Local Government Area, Urhoboland, Delta State. Eghagha played a minor role in the January 1966 coup that overthrew the Nigerian First Republic and brought in the military regime of Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, as a second lieutenant in charge of a roadblock in Kaduna.
Harris Eghagha
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Roy Horb Roy Dennis Horb (1952 – February 2, 1983) was a Surinamese military. He was one of the sergeants who committed a military coup in Suriname on 25 February 1980. He was the right hand man of army leader Dési Bouterse. Horb was a sergeant in Suriname. In 1979, he asked Dési Bouterse to be chairman of a new military union, and to take the lead in an execute coup. On 25 February 1980, Bouterse, Horb and fourteen other sergeants overthrew the Henck Arron government with a violent military coup d'état, now known as the Sergeants Coup. Horb became
Roy Horb
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May 16 coup The May 16 military coup d'état () was a military coup d'état in South Korea in 1961, organized and carried out by Park Chung-hee and his allies who formed the Military Revolutionary Committee, nominally led by Army Chief of Staff Chang Do-yong after the latter's acquiescence on the day of the coup. The coup rendered powerless the democratically elected government of Yun Bo-seon and ended the Second Republic, installing a reformist military Supreme Council for National Reconstruction effectively led by Park, who took over as Chairman after General Chang's arrest in July. The coup was instrumental in
May 16 coup
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1851 and formally annexed in 1861. Nigeria became a British protectorate in 1901. Colonization lasted until 1960, when an independence movement succeeded in gaining Nigeria its independence. Nigeria first became a republic in 1963, but succumbed to military rule three years later after a bloody coup d'état. A separatist movement later formed the Republic of Biafra in 1967, leading to the three-year Nigerian Civil War. Nigeria became a republic once again after a new constitution was written in 1979. However, the republic was short-lived, when the military seized power again four years later. A new republic was planned to be
History of Nigeria
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or not documented at all. Max Siollun has written about the infamous Dikko Affair which strained diplomatic relations between Great Britain and Nigeria for some time. Max Siollun Max Siollun is a Nigerian historian that specializes on Nigerian history with a particular focus on the Nigerian military and how it has affected Nigeria's socio-political trajectory from the pre-colonial era to the present. Max Siollun was born in Nigeria and educated in England, graduating from the University of London. Siollun's Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976), published in 2009, has received favorable reviews by numerous commentators who note
Max Siollun
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of the OAU. History has already told us whether Wachuku was right or wrong. Even Kwame Nkrumah who was one of the most vocal supporters of the Togolese government of coup makers, later fell victim of the coup contagion. As for Jaja Wachuku, he had resigned from the Nigerian parliament and government at midday of 14 January 1966 – twelve hours before the first Nigerian military coup of 15 January 1966 led by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu. In a public lecture titled "Nigeria: The Blackman's Burden", delivered on 24 February 2005 at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) to
Jaja Wachuku
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1964 and posted to Kano, where he was in charge of the 5th Battalion of the Nigerian Army. Lieutenant-Colonel Ojukwu was in Kano, northern Nigeria, when Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu on 15 January 1966 executed and announced the bloody military coup in Kaduna, also in northern Nigeria. It is to Ojukwu's credit that the coup lost much steam in the north, where it had succeeded. Lt. Col. Odumegwu-Ojukwu supported the forces loyal to the Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces, Major-General Aguiyi-Ironisi. Major Nzeogwu was in control of Kaduna, but the coup had failed in other parts of
C. Odumegwu Ojukwu
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manages the All-Africa Games. The second edition were awarded to Mali in 1969, but a military coup forced the cancellation of the Games. Lagos, Nigeria stepped in as host for the Games in 1971. Those Games were finally held in 1973 due to the Biafra War, which had just ended in Nigeria. In 1977, the 3rd Games were scheduled to take place in Algeria but due to technical reasons had to be postponed for a year and were held in 1978. Continuing the pattern, the next Games were scheduled to take place in Kenya in 1983, but were pushed back
African Games
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The Mid-Western Region was formed from the Western Region in 1966, and Lagos, the capital, was effectively governed as an unofficial fourth region outside the bounds of the Western Region. After the first coup and under the short-lived military government of Aguiyi-Ironsi, the country was reorganized under a central government. Following the counter-coup which resulted in Aguiyi-Ironsi's deposition and assassination, Nigeria was reorganized as a federal country, with three of the regions being divided into newer entities and all first-level subdivisions being renamed as states: Mid-Western and the states of former Eastern Region made a bid to secede from Nigeria
Federalism in Nigeria
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Umaru Dikko Dikko was born in Wamba. He started playing a role in the nation's governance in 1967, when he was appointed as a commissioner in the then "North Central State of Nigeria" (now Kaduna State). He was also secretary of a committee set up by General Hassan Katsina to unite the "Northerners" after a coup in 1966. In 1979, he was made Shagari's campaign manager for the successful presidential campaign of the National Party of Nigeria. During the nation's Second Republic, he played prominent roles as transport minister and head of the presidential task force on rice. A military
Umaru Dikko
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Tatari Ali Alhaji Abubakar Tatari Ali (c. 1929 – 28 May 1993) was elected Governor of Bauchi State, Nigeria in 1979, holding office until the military coup on 31 December 1983 that brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. In 1971, Ali was head of the Ministry of Information. He visited Washington, D.C., that year during preparations for planning the World Festival of Black Arts and Culture, to be held in Lagos in 1974. Ali was elected in 1979 at the start of the Nigerian Second Republic on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). His government was active
Tatari Ali
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Nigerian Civil War The Nigerian Civil War, commonly known as the Biafran War (6 July 1967 – 15 January 1970), was a war fought between the government of Nigeria and the secessionist state of Biafra. Biafra represented nationalist aspirations of the Igbo people, whose leadership felt they could no longer coexist with the Northern-dominated federal government. The conflict resulted from political, economic, ethnic, cultural and religious tensions which preceded Britain's formal decolonization of Nigeria from 1960 to 1963. Immediate causes of the war in 1966 included a military coup, a counter-coup and persecution of Igbo living in Northern Nigeria. Control
Nigerian Civil War
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Most of the dominant journalists of the period came from prominent newspapers but left for clandestine trenches to provide a platform for freedom of expression, reporting the truth and also everyday news essentials. The magazines comprised "TELL", "The News", "TSM", "Tempo" and "PM News". In 1995, a few editors from the magazines were jailed in a coup trial, the first major personnel constrictive action taken by the military. Alternative press in Nigeria The Alternative press in Nigeria or the press of the third kind is made up of writers who use militant approaches or viewpoints in news coverage. This usually
Alternative press in Nigeria
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Sabo Bakin Zuwo Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo was a Senator in the Nigerian Second Republic who was elected Governor of Kano State, Nigeria in October 1983, holding office briefly until the military coup on 31 December 1983 that brought General Mohammadu Buhari to power. He was elected on the People's Redemption Party (PRP) platform. Zuwo's origins could be traced to Nupe in Niger state, from where his great grand parents migrated to Kano, where he was born and raised. He had no formal education, but said that he attended "Mallam Aminu Kano Political School, Sudawa, Kano", referring to the politician
Sabo Bakin Zuwo
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Musa Yar'Adua together with some Kano State Politicians such as his Deputy Governor Alhaji Wada Abubakar, Alhaji Ahmadu Rufai, Alhaji Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila and Alhaji Dauda Dangalan. Sabo Bakin Zuwo Aliyu Sabo Bakin Zuwo was a Senator in the Nigerian Second Republic who was elected Governor of Kano State, Nigeria in October 1983, holding office briefly until the military coup on 31 December 1983 that brought General Mohammadu Buhari to power. He was elected on the People's Redemption Party (PRP) platform. Zuwo's origins could be traced to Nupe in Niger state, from where his great grand parents migrated to Kano,
Sabo Bakin Zuwo
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Solomon Lar Chief (Dr.) Solomon Daushep Lar (April 1933 – 9 October 2013) was a Nigerian politician who has held various offices at the National level for over 50 years. He was a member of the first national parliament when Nigeria gained independence in 1960. He was elected governor of Plateau State on the Nigerian People's Party (NPP) platform during the Nigerian Second Republic, holding office from October 1979 until the Military coup of 31 December 1983 that brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. Later, he was founding chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). Lar was born in Pangna,
Solomon Lar
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1973 All-Africa Games The 2nd All-Africa Games – Lagos 1973 were played from January 7, 1973, to January 18, 1973, in Lagos, Nigeria. After the success of the first African Games, the organizing bodies awarded the second games to Bamako, Mali to be held in 1969. A military coup disrupted the plans and the organizers moved the games to Lagos, Nigeria to be held in 1971. The games were postponed once again and finally opened in January 1973. A torch was lit in Brazzaville a week before the games and transported to Lagos as a symbol of the continuity of
1973 All-Africa Games
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1973 All-Africa Games The 2nd All-Africa Games – Lagos 1973 were played from January 7, 1973, to January 18, 1973, in Lagos, Nigeria. After the success of the first African Games, the organizing bodies awarded the second games to Bamako, Mali to be held in 1969. A military coup disrupted the plans and the organizers moved the games to Lagos, Nigeria to be held in 1971. The games were postponed once again and finally opened in January 1973. A torch was lit in Brazzaville a week before the games and transported to Lagos as a symbol of the continuity of
1973 All-Africa Games
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Babafemi Ogundipe Babafemi Ogundipe (6 September 1924 – 20 November 1971) was the "de facto" Vice President of Nigeria during Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi's 1966 military government. He was born on September 6, 1924 to Yoruba parents from Ago-Iwoye, in present-day Ogun State in western Nigeria. He joined the Royal West African Frontier Force in 1941, serving in Burma between 1942 and 1945. He re-enlisted after the second World War, and rose to the rank of Brigadier in May 1964. He served as the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters Nigerian Defence Forces between January 1966 and August 1966. After the coup which
Babafemi Ogundipe
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Clement Ebri Clement David Ebri (born 1952) is a Nigerian politician who was elected on the NRC platform as Governor of Cross River State, Nigeria between January 1992 and November 17, 1993 during the Nigerian Third Republic, leaving office after the military coup that brought General Sani Abacha to power. He was a strong supporter of General Ibrahim Babangida, who had initiated the short-lived third republic. Ebri was born on 11 December 1952 in Mkpani, Yakurr Local Government Area, Cross River State. He studied at Sacred Heart College, Aba, the Community Secondary School, Ugep, and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
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1983 Nigerian coup d'état The Nigerian military coup of December 31, 1983 was coordinated by key officers of the Nigerian military, led to the ouster of the democratically elected government of President Shehu Shagari, and the installation of Major General Muhammadu Buhari as Head of State. Civil-military tensions were testy as evidenced by the Gaius of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 3rd Division (Major General Muhammadu Buhari) to cut off fuel supplies and food into Chad, an action caused by border disputes between Nigeria and Chad and which was opposed by President Shehu Shagari. Against further orders by Shagari to
1983 Nigerian coup d'état
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Rotimi Fani-Kayode Oluwarotimi (Rotimi) Adebiyi Wahab Fani-Kayode (20 April 1955 – 21 December 1989) was a Nigerian-born photographer, who moved to England at the age of 12 to escape the Nigerian Civil War. The main body of his work was created between 1982 and 1989. He explored the tensions created by sexuality, race and culture through stylised portraits and compositions. Rotimi Fani-Kayode was born in Lagos, Nigeria, in April 1955, as the second child of a prominent Yoruba family (Chief Babaremilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode and Chief Mrs Adia Adunni Fani-Kayode) that moved to Brighton, England, in 1966, after the military coup
Rotimi Fani-Kayode
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Asheik Jarma Asheik Jarma was elected Governor of Borno State, Nigeria in October 1983, holding office briefly until the military coup on 31 December 1983 that brought General Mohammadu Buhari to power. He was elected on the Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) platform. In the lead up to restoration of democracy in 1999, Jarma was a founding member of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). In April 2001 the PDP suspended Jarma from its Board of Trustees for one month for flirting with other political associations. In November 2001 he was a member of the interim contact and mobilisation committee for the
Asheik Jarma
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visiting Egypt. Abacha appointed himself Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria. After Abacha's death in 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over and ruled until Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ again became head of state (via the 1999 presidential election), ending the junta and establishing the Fourth Nigerian Republic. Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98 The Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98 were a pair of military dictatorships in Nigeria that were led by the Nigerian military, having a chairman or president in charge. Nigeria's first military junta began following the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état which overthrew Prime Minister Alhaji
Nigerian military juntas of 1966–79 and 1983–98
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the second-in-command. After the coup, he became a member of the National Military Council of Suriname. On March 11, 1982, a counter-coup was attempted by Surendre Rambocus. Wilfred Hawker, who was in prison after a failed counter-coup in 1981, escaped. This counter-coup also failed and Hawker was captured and summarily executed by Horb. On December 7, 1982, the military rounded up 16 opponents who had criticized the military government and held them at Fort Zeelandia in Paramaribo. They were all killed, with the exception of Freddy Derby, who Horb requested to be released. Bouterse gave Horb the orders to extort
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candidate, former military ruler Muhammadu Buhari, were quick to condemn the attacks and the government's response. Buhari, on 10 January, said that the massacre was further proof to the claim that "Nigeria has become a place where people no longer feel safe, where the armed forces have neither the weapons nor the government support required to do an effective job of protecting Nigerian citizens and their property." Buhari, a Muslim from northern Nigeria, seized power in a 1983 coup d'état before being ousted himself in a coup d'état in 1985 on the grounds that his style of rule was excessively
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ordeal. This subject remains an unresolved element of the history of the 1966 coup attempt. Following Ironsi's move against the coup, Ifeajuna's friends Christopher Okigbo and J.P. Clark helped him cross the border into Dahomey (now Benin) and through to Ghana where he was welcomed by its leader Kwame Nkrumah. Nkrumah's regime was overthrown shortly afterwards and Ifeajuna returned to Nigeria after assurances from Emeka Ojukwu that his life would not be at risk. He again became involved in the military, this time within the Biafran Army – the Republic of Biafra declared its secession from Nigeria, beginning the Nigerian
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the capital honking their car horns in support. The African Union expressed concern and condemned all seizures of power. The Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, "was deeply troubled", stating that he wanted the dispute to be resolved peacefully. The then President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, denounced the coup, stating "the days of tolerating military governance in our sub-region or anywhere [are] long gone". Taya was on the plane back to Mauritania when the coup happened, forcing him to land in Niger. He eventually made his way to Qatar, and now works as a teacher at a Qatar military school.
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by the jailed leader of the 1967 military coup and junta leader Georgios Papadopoulos. Voridis, who replaced Nikos Michaloliakos (who went on to lead Golden Dawn) as EPEN’s youth leader, remained in this position until 1990. During his compulsory military service from 1992 to 1993, Voridis graduated class leader (92 A' ESSO) in Armour School and he served as an Armour Cadet Reserve Officer, gaining the rank of second lieutenant. In 1994, he founded the far-right Hellenic Front party and became its first president. He unsuccessfully ran for the position of Athens mayor in 1998 and 2002. The Front's motto
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which they transferred power to General Murtala Muhammed as head of state. Immediately after the coup, he was appointed Governor of Benue Plateau State. After Olusegun Obasanjo had taken over control, he recalled Mohammed in March 1976 and appointed him to the Supreme Military Council as Director General of the Nigeria Security Organisation with the additional responsibility for police security. Later he was made director of military intelligence. After General Olusegun Obasanjo handed over to elected civilians at the start of the Nigerian Second Republic in 1979, Muhammed retired from the army. He went into private business, becoming managing director
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half of the 1960s. On the night of January 15, 1966, a coup d'état was set in motion by 9 Igbo and 1 Yoruba army officers, but was short lived and quelled within 48 hours by the Igbo Gen. Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi who then assumed total leadership over Nigeria. Gen. Ironsi appointed Maj. Kalu commandant of the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna due to the fact that it's incumbent commander, Col. Ralph Shodeinde, was assassinated by a detachment of mutinous soldiers led by Maj. Timothy Onwuatuegwu on the night of the coup. He was appointed Lieutenant Colonel in May 1966.
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Victor Malu Military Tribunal Victor Malu Military Tribunal is a seven-man special military tribunal (SMT) commissioned by the administration of general Sani Abacha in the year 1997, headed by general Victor Malu, to investigate roles played by soldiers and civilians in the coup plot to overthrow general Abacha’s regime. The SMT was located in Jos Plateau, Plateau state Nigeria. On 21 December 1997, general Sanni Abacha constituted a SMT to carry out investigation into the allegation surrounding the alleged coup plot against his government. The plotters include former Deputy Head of State, Lieutenant Oladipo Diya, Major General Tunji Olanrewaju, Major
Victor Malu Military Tribunal
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Mosul headquarter asking for help to stop the air raids and taking control of the iraqi units there, as there were no response from the other senior officers who are in charge of the fourth division. Khaleel Jassim promised to ease the situation, and arrest the conspirators. He attacked with his commando unit named after his name "Khaleel Jassim Unit" the Mosul air base and took control of the Ghazalni military base and restored the order there. Then captured the conspirators including Arif Abd ar-Razzaq. The coup lead to instability in Iraq on the political level as well as the
Arif Abd ar-Razzaq second coup
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Anthony Ukpo Stephen Anthony Ukpo (born 16 July 1947) was Minister of Information and Culture, and then Governor of Rivers State, Nigeria from August 1986 until July 1988 during the military administration of General Ibrahim Babangida. Ukpo was born in Okpoma, Yala, Cross River State on 16 July 1947. Joining the army, he was appointed Company Commander (1968), Battalion Commander (1969 and 1971 – 1973), Brigade Major (1970) and Instructor, Nigeria Defence Academy, Kaduna (1973–1974). He was a member of the inner circle of army officers who arranged the bloodless coup on 27 August 1985 when General Muhammadu Buhari was
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mis-governance. Ogbemudia was in London during the July 1975 coup and helped with renovations of Gowon's London abode after the ex-president went into exile. During a brief return to civil rule, Samuel Ogbemudia was elected governor of Bendel State in Oct 1983 as candidate for the National Party of Nigeria, replacing Ambrose Alli of the Unity Party of Nigeria. However, he lost his position in December that year when Muhammadu Buhari became military ruler after a coup d'état that overthrew civilian President Shehu Shagari. Between 1987 and 1989, Ogbemudia Chairman of the Nigerian Sports Commission, in 1989, Babangida appointed him
Samuel Ogbemudia
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governor-general on 16 November 1960, with Abubakar Tafawa Balewa as prime minister, and became the first Nigerian named to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. When Nigeria became a republic in 1963, he was its first president. In both posts, Azikiwe's role was largely ceremonial. He and his civilian colleagues were removed from office in the 15 January 1966 military coup, and he was the most prominent politician to avoid assassination after the coup. Azikiwe was a spokesman for Biafra and advised its leader, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, during the Biafran War (1967–1970). He switched his allegiance back to Nigeria
Nnamdi Azikiwe
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the military. Nigeria regained democracy in 1999 when it elected Olusegun Obasanjo, the former military head of state, as the new President of Nigeria. This ended almost 33 years of military rule (from 1966 until 1999), excluding the short-lived second republic (between 1979 and 1983) by military dictators who seized power in coups d'état and counter-coups during the Nigerian military juntas of 1966–1979 and 1983–1998. Although the elections that brought Obasanjo to power in 1999 and again in 2003 were condemned as unfree and unfair, Nigeria has shown marked improvements in attempts to tackle government corruption and to hasten development.
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the next year and was promoted to platoon commander, and soon thereafter to company commander. He continued to move up the ladder, and in 1994, he went to the Teshi Military College in Ghana for training in army command. Koroma received military training in Nigeria and Britain. He commanded government forces who were fighting against the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel army led by the warlord Foday Sankoh. In August 1996, he was arrested for alleged involvement in a coup plot against the southern civilian officials who were in control of the country. It was also alleged that there
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Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi then made his own broadcast, accepting the "invitation". On 17 January, Major General Ironsi established the Supreme Military Council in Lagos and effectively suspended the constitution. The list below shows the officers involved on both sides of the coup as well as their ethnic backgrounds. Comprehensive list of casualties from the coup are below 1966 Nigerian coup d'état The 1966 Nigerian coup d'état began on 15 January 1966, when mutinous Nigerian soldiers led by Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed 22 people including the Prime Minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, many senior Army officers (including their
1966 Nigerian coup d'état
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Superintendent Abdulaziz Faruk, was killed during violence in Maiduguri triggered by the Boko Haram extreme Islamist sect. Usman Faruk Commissioner of Police (retired) Alhaji Usman Faruk (born 1935) was the first Military Governor of North-Western State in Nigeria from 1967 to 1975 after it was split off from the old Northern Region during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon. He was dismissed from office by General Murtala Mohammed, who took power in a coup on 29 July 1975, and who then launched a probe that found him guilty of illegally enriching himself while in office. He was later reinstated
Usman Faruk
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Daniel Akintonde Colonel Daniel Akintonde was appointed Military Governor of Ogun State, Nigeria from December 1993 to August 1996 during the military regime of General Sani Abacha. In 1994 Akintonde renamed the Ogun State College of Education to the Tai Solarin College of Education in honor of the late doctor Tai Solarin. Akintonde was among those arrested for involvement in the December 1997 alleged coup. On 20 April 1998 it was announced that he had been cleared of the charges. He was retired from the military in June 1999, along with all officers who had served as ministers, governors or
Daniel Akintonde
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second republic transport minister, Alhaji Umaru Dikko from the United Kingdom where he had fled after the 1983 Buhari coup. Elisha Cohen had been doing business in Nigeria since the 60's as the country representative of Solel Boneh, an Israeli construction company. Cohen built up contacts among the senior officers in the Nigerian military including Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, in the aftermath of the attempt it was claimed in some quarters that Obasanjo's friend Gen. T.Y. Danjuma had been instrumental in facilitating the mission. Cohen had impressed his Nigerian Military friends with stories of his ties to the Israeli intelligence services
National Security Organization
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Usman Faruk Commissioner of Police (retired) Alhaji Usman Faruk (born 1935) was the first Military Governor of North-Western State in Nigeria from 1967 to 1975 after it was split off from the old Northern Region during the military regime of General Yakubu Gowon. He was dismissed from office by General Murtala Mohammed, who took power in a coup on 29 July 1975, and who then launched a probe that found him guilty of illegally enriching himself while in office. He was later reinstated by the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida regime after being cleared of all charges, and was given his full
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established in 1960 conducted the immediate post-independence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965. The electoral body was dissolved after the military coup of 1966. In 1978, the Federal Electoral Commission was constituted by the regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo, organizing the elections of 1979 which ushered in the Nigerian Second Republic under the leadership of Alhaji Shehu Shagari. It also conducted the general elections of 1983. In December 1995, the military government of General Sani Abacha established the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria which conducted another set of elections. These elected institutions were not inaugurated before the sudden
Independent National Electoral Commission
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Northern People's Congress Northern People's Congress (NPC) is a political party in Nigeria. Formed in June 1949, the party held considerable influence in the Northern Region from the 1950s until the military coup of 1966. After the Nigerian Civil War of 1967, the NPC subsequently became a minor party. The leader of this party was the Sardauna of Sokoto who, also, was the Premier of the Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello. Sir Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the deputy leader of the party and Prime Minister of Nigeria. They produced the first prime minister whose office was created in 1957,and
Northern People's Congress
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wrote "A Man of the People", his model for the novel's events must have been military coups in other African nations. Despite his intentions, however, the subsequent coup in Nigeria meant that the book was again seen as being principally about Nigeria. The novel was republished in the influential Heinemann African Writers Series. A Man of the People A Man of the People (1966) is a novel by Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe. This satirical novel is a story told by the young and educated narrator, Odili, on his conflict with Chief Nanga, his former teacher who enters a career in
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of the issue of violence in Nigeria. Mohammed Dabo Lere Alhaji Mohammed Dabo Lere (1940-2002) is a Nigerian politician who was elected Governor of Kaduna State, Nigeria between January 1992 and November 1993 during the Nigerian Third Republic, leaving office after the military coup that brought General Sani Abacha to power. Dabo Lere was of Hausa-Fulani origin. He was born into the Lere royal family on March 15, 1940 in Lere town Lere Local Government Area in Kaduna State. He was elected Governor of Kaduna State in December 1991 on the National Republican Convention (NRC) platform, with James Bawa Magaji
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Ambassador there 1961–64. After another post in the Foreign Office 1964–68, he was Ambassador to Algeria 1968–71. He was deputy Under-Secretary at the FCO 1971–74, with responsibility for Africa and the Middle East. Le Quesne was High Commissioner to Nigeria 1974–76. His time in Nigeria was brought to an unlucky end by an attempted military coup by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka, who ambushed and assassinated the president, Murtala Mohammed on 13 February 1976. Dimka then visited Le Quesne and asked him to relay a message to General Gowon in London. Le Quesne refused, but the visit had compromised his
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reconciliation". One of the most notable of these is Cruz la plana y Laguna, bishop of Cuenca, a well-known supporter of the monarchic regime, who since the proclamation of the Second Republic had carried out a number of notorious political, pro right-wing campaigns throughout the province and had established close contacts with military officials such as general Joaquín Fanjul, who would lead the Madrid military uprising on 18 July 1936 in support of Franco's coup. The bishop of Cuenca is described by his biographer as "supreme advisor" to the general, as well as being closely involved with the fascist political
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the vote, defeating Manuel Pinto da Costa, who received about 40%. Menezes took office on September 3, 2001. His eligibility as a candidate was questioned, since he also held Portuguese citizenship, but he renounced this and his candidacy was approved. On July 16, 2003, while he was away in Nigeria, there was a military "coup d'etat" led by Fernando Pereira, but Menezes was restored to power on July 23, 2003, following an agreement. Menezes was re-elected on July 30, 2006, winning 60.58% of the vote and defeating Patrice Trovoada, son of former president Miguel Trovoada. The discovery of a coup
Fradique de Menezes
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Military Governors in Nigeria during the Ibrahim Babangida regime General Ibrahim Babangida became head of state after a coup on 27 August 1987, replacing General Muhammadu Buhari. In September 1987 Babangida created Akwa Ibom State from part of Cross River State and Katsina State from part of Kaduna State. In August 1991 he created eleven more states. He arranged for elections for states governors in 1991, with the military governors handing over to elected civilian governors in January 1992 at the start of the Nigerian Third Republic. The list below gives governors of the states that were in existence when
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in Umuahia, Abia State, Nigeria. He graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, with a BSc in Economics. He is married with four children. The political turmoil which followed the first military coup in 1966 escalated into a civil war when the south-east region of Nigeria seceded as the Republic of Biafra a year later. Ugochukwu enlisted in the Biafran Army and rose to the rank of captain before the war ended in 1970. Upon graduation from college, Ugochukwu was hired as an Economic Research Assistant by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). He remained with CBN for two years
Onyema Ugochukwu
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Gowon held power until July 1975, when he was overthrown in a bloodless coup. Brigadier (later General) Murtala Mohammed, who succeeded Gowon. Months later, in February 1976, Mohammed was assassinated by Buka Suka Dimka and others in a violent coup attempt, but the plotters failed to kill Olusẹgun Ọbasanjọ, who then succeeded Mohammed as head of state. The Supreme Military Council was formally dissolved when Ọbasanjọ handed power to the elected Shehu Shagari, ending the military regime and establishing a Nigerian Second Republic. Shagari was overthrown in the 1983 Nigerian coup d'état and succeeded by Muhammadu Buhari, who was appointed
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people of Lagos, who claimed that the military was making excuses for their mistakes and that nothing would be done to improve safety at other neglected ammunition dumps, many of which have not been properly maintained since Nigeria gained democracy in 1999 following twenty years of military rule. There were widespread fears in the immediate aftermath of the explosion that it signified the beginning of a military coup, although the government later released a statement ruling out this possibility. Numerous relief agencies, including the Red Cross and Red Crescent, provided aid to the thousands of homeless and lost people in
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resulted in the murder of the second Nigerian Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi and the Military Governor of the Western Region, Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi. Walbe (then a lieutenant) along with then Major Theophilus Danjuma were moles in General Ironsi's camp as they were the lead officers charged with Ironsi's security detail. Unknown to Ironsi, Major Danjuma and Lieutenant Walbe were part of a core group of northern military officers who conspired to overthrow Ironsi's government for what they perceived as the inadequate punishment of the leaders of the January 1966 coup that saw the murder of the Nigerian
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Nzeogwu, Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna among others. The casualties of the coup included the Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Sardauna of Sokoto Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the Western Region Samuel Akintola, the finance minister Festus Okotie-Eboh among others. Popularly known as the Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966, in July, saw Major-General Gowon succeed Ironsi. It lasted from July 28 to July 30th1966. General Yakubu Gowon was ousted in a palace coup on July 30, 1975, which brought then Brigadier [Murtala Muhammed] to power as Head of State. Popularly and erroneously known as the 'Dimka Coup', this bloody and
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Mbakwe served as an Administrator of Okigwe Province in the Republic of Biafra, an Igbo secessionist state in southeastern Nigeria, during the 1967–70 Civil War. Mbakwe joined the Constituent Assembly in 1978 and became governor on 1 October of the following year. One of the main priorities of his administration was to improve Imo State's roads. He was re-elected, but his second term was interrupted by General Muhammadu Buhari's military coup of 31 December 1983, which brought about the end of the Second Republic. Described as "controversial," he said the following about politicians in September 1995: "If you have not
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not taken any action to date. Its report was not released to the public until 2005, when it was published by two activist groups, the Nigerian Democratic Movement and Nigeria-based Civil Society Forum. Nigeria was under British rule up until 1960. After independence, there were many internal conflicts within the country that limited Nigeria’s ability to consolidate. The country was divided along religious and ethnic lines which led to mass killings and eventually, a full civil war that would last until 1970. With Nigeria under the control of a military dictatorship following the 1966 Nigerian coup d'état, other coups continued
The Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission of Nigeria
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In July 1966 northern officers and army units staged a counter-coup. Muslim officers named a General from a small ethnic group (the Angas) in central Nigeria, General Yakubu "Jack" Gowon, as the head of the Federal Military Government (FMG). The two coups deepened Nigeria's ethnic tensions. In September 1966, approximately 30,000 Igbo were killed in the north, and some Northerners were killed in backlashes in eastern cities. Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu proposed a confederated Nigeria. In January 1967, the military leaders and senior police officials of each region met in Aburi, Ghana and agreed on a loose confederation of regions. The
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Muhammadu Buhari Muhammadu Buhari (born 17 December 1942) is a Nigerian politician currently serving as the President of Nigeria, in office since 2015. He is a retired major general in the Nigerian Army and previously served as the nation's head of state from 31 December 1983 to 27 August 1985, after taking power in a military "coup d'état". The term Buharism is ascribed to the Buhari military government. He unsuccessfully ran for the office of president of Nigeria in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 general elections. In December 2014, he emerged as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress
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were being deployed in the Federal Capital Territory to assist accident victims. Lawan Gwadabe Colonel Lawan Gwadabe was Military Administrator of Niger State in Nigeria from December 1987 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. He was accused of planning a coup against General Sani Abacha in 1995, for which he was jailed, tortured and convicted of treason. After Abacha's death he was granted a state pardon. Gwadabe was born in 1949 in Jos, Plateau State, where he was brought up. His father was a Muslim of [Fulani] origin. Major Gwadabe was involved in the coup
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Lawan Gwadabe Colonel Lawan Gwadabe was Military Administrator of Niger State in Nigeria from December 1987 to January 1992 during the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida. He was accused of planning a coup against General Sani Abacha in 1995, for which he was jailed, tortured and convicted of treason. After Abacha's death he was granted a state pardon. Gwadabe was born in 1949 in Jos, Plateau State, where he was brought up. His father was a Muslim of [Fulani] origin. Major Gwadabe was involved in the coup of 27 August 1985, having just returned to 245 Recce Battalion (where
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coup targeting northerners in January 1966. Anuforo and other soldiers in detention such as Warrant Officers James Ogbu and B. Okuge, Sergeants Chukwu, Ogbuhara, and Ndukife, were tortured and killed. Chris Anuforo Chris Anuforo (died August 1966) was a Nigerian Army Major and one of the principal plotters of the January 15, 1966 coup, an event that derailed Nigeria's nascent democracy and introduced military rule to Nigeria. Anuforo attended Saint John's College in Kaduna, where he became close friends with Kaduna Nzeogwu. He received his commission in 1961 from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. While serving as the Staff Officer
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Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission, known as the Oputa Panel. The Panel was established through the Statutory Instrument 8 of June 1999 by erstwhile President Olusegun Obasanjo pursuant to the Tribunals of Inquiry Act of 1966 to investigate incidents of Traditional Justice Institutions and Organizations as well as gross violations of Human Rights committed in Nigeria between January 15, 1966, the day when a military coup instituted military control over the country, and May 29, 1999, when Obasanjo hitherto became President. Mudiaga Odje Mudiaga Odje (September 25, 1923 – December 9, 2005) Born in Evwreni, Delta State Nigeria. Dr. Odje
Mudiaga Odje