In a historic revelation, 59 years after the 1966 coup, former military leader, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, IBB, has absolved the Igbo ethnic group from any blame for the events that led to the military mutiny that ousted then civilian administration led by Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa.

Apart from Balewa, others killed by the coupists include then-Premier of Northern Region, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello; then-Premier of Western Region, Chief Ladoke Akintola and several top military officers from the North.

Meanwhile, the fact that then-Head of State, Major General Aguiyi Ironsi, among top Igbo politicians and military officers, was not killed made many believe that it was an Igbo-inspired mutiny. Additionally, most of the coup planners were Igbo.

However, contrary to the narratives linking the coup to ethnic sentiments, IBB, in his book A Journey In Service, clarified that the coup was not driven by ethnic motivations.

He highlighted the role of Major John Obienu, an Igbo officer, who played a key role in quelling the coup, revealing that many senior Igbo officers were also tragically killed during the uprising.

The book also sheds light on the broader involvement of various ethnic groups, notably the Yoruba, many of whom participated in the mutiny.

The former leader confirmed that the original intention of the coup plotters was to release political figure, Obafemi Awolowo, from detention and install him as the president.

Excerpts from the book, read: “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.

“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! He and his original team probably thought, even if naively, that they could turn things around for the better in the country.

“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.

“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’. As a disciplined and strict officer who, as the Quartermaster-General of the Army, was also in charge of ammunition, weapons, equipment, vehicles, and other vital items for the Army, the coup plotters feared that he might not cooperate with them.

“It should also be remembered that some non-Igbo officers, like Major Adewale Ademoyega, Captain Ganiyu Adeleke, Lts Fola Oyewole, and Olafimihan, took part in the failed coup. Another officer of Igbo extraction, Major John Obienu, crushed the coup.

“Those who argue that the original intention of the coup plotters was anything but ethnic refer to the fact that the initial purpose of the plotters was to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo ‘from prison immediately after the coup and make him the executive provisional President of Nigeria.” (Sunday Vanguard)