| Heavens1stson: 1:59pm On Feb 24 |
According to Grok... In conclusion, based on the s of key plotters like Ademoyega, Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna, and Gbulie, as well as Olutoye’s testimony, the January 1966 coup was indeed plotted with the intention of releasing Awolowo from prison and making him Nigeria’s leader, likely as Prime Minister or President. Ademoyega and Gbulie explicitly confirm this plan, Nzeogwu’s statements imply it, and Ifeajuna frames it as a primary option, albeit with alternatives. These s portray the coup as a revolutionary act driven by iration for Awolowo’s vision, though its chaotic execution and subsequent interpretations leave room for debate about the plotters’ ultimate priorities.
The January 15, 1966, coup in Nigeria remains a subject of historical debate, particularly regarding its objectives and the intentions of the plotters. One recurring claim is that the coup was plotted, at least in part, to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and install him as Nigeria’s leader. This idea is ed by s from some of the coup plotters and other contemporary figures, though interpretations of their motives vary. Below, I’ll outline the relevant s from key plotters and participants, focusing on their own words and writings where available, to address whether this was indeed a central aim.
Major Adewale Ademoyega, one of the core plotters, provides a significant in his book Why We Struck: The Story of the First Nigerian Coup (1981). Ademoyega, a Yoruba officer and part of the inner circle alongside Majors Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna, explicitly states that the plotters intended to release Awolowo from Calabar prison, where he was serving a sentence for treasonable felony, and install him as the leader of Nigeria.
On page 68, he writes that the coup leaders had “earmarked from the list known to every soldier in this operation who would be what,” and that “Chief Obafemi Awolowo was, for example, to be released from jail immediately and to be made the executive provisional president of Nigeria.” Ademoyega emphasizes that the plotters ired Awolowo’s socialist-leaning ideology and his reputation for honesty and efficiency, viewing him as a figure who could unify and reform the country.
He notes their belief that soldiers should not govern directly, stating, “We were going to make civilians of proven honesty and efficiency who would be thoroughly handpicked to do all the governing.” This suggests that Awolowo’s installation was a deliberate and agreed-upon objective among the plotters.
Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, widely regarded as the face of the coup due to his leadership in the northern operations and his radio broadcast declaring martial law, also alluded to this plan in a later interview. In a piece published in the Nigerian Tribune on July 2, 1967, after his release from detention during the Biafran secession, Nzeogwu said, “Neither myself nor any of the other lads were in the least interested in governing the country. We were soldiers and not politicians… We were going to make civilians of proven honesty and efficiency who would be thoroughly handpicked to do all the governing.” While Nzeogwu does not name Awolowo directly in this specific quote, his alignment with Ademoyega’s —particularly the emphasis on handing power to a civilian leader—lends credence to the idea that Awolowo was the intended figure. Nzeogwu’s earlier role as a military intelligence officer during Awolowo’s trial in 1962, where he reportedly expressed frustration with the government’s handling of the case, further s the notion that he held Awolowo in high regard.
Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, the intellectual leader of the coup who spearheaded operations in Lagos, provides a more complex perspective in his unpublished manuscript on the coup, parts of which have been referenced by historians and writers like Odia Ofeimun. Ifeajuna wrote that the plotters intended to “present our senior officers with a fait accompli” and hand power to a civilian leader. According to Ofeimun’s analysis in his essay The Forgotten Documents of the Nigerian Civil War, Ifeajuna told his friend, poet J.P. Clark, that if General Aguiyi-Ironsi (the highest-ranking officer at the time) agreed to them, he could either remain in charge of the army or become head of state, while Awolowo would be made Prime Minister or Executive President, depending on Ironsi’s reaction. Ifeajuna added that if Awolowo refused to cooperate, “he would be locked up in the statehouse and decrees issued in his name.” This suggests a contingency plan but confirms Awolowo as a central figure in their vision.
Captain Ben Gbulie, another participant who led operations in Enugu, corroborates the Awolowo objective in his book Nigeria’s Five Majors (1981). Gbulie writes that the plotters respected Awolowo’s radical ideas and saw him as the face of a progressive movement in Nigeria. He notes that Major Nzeogwu and Captain Udeaja were tasked with flying to Calabar on the eve of the coup to free Awolowo, though this plan faltered when the coup unraveled in the south due to Ironsi’s counteractions. Gbulie’s aligns with Ademoyega’s, reinforcing the claim that releasing and installing Awolowo was a key goal.
Beyond the plotters themselves, retired Major-General Olufemi Olutoye, who was approached by Nzeogwu in 1964 while they were in India, provides an outsider’s perspective that s this narrative. In a 2016 interview with Punch Newspapers, Olutoye recalls Nzeogwu confiding in him about the coup plans, stating that the aim was not for Nzeogwu to become Head of State but to “bring a civilian who was more knowledgeable and who had what it took to make Nigeria great.” When Olutoye asked who this person was, Nzeogwu replied, “the man was in Calabar prison,” leading Olutoye to deduce it was Awolowo. Olutoye declined to when he learned the coup would involve bloodshed, but his testimony aligns with the plotters’ stated intentions.
In conclusion, based on the s of key plotters like Ademoyega, Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna, and Gbulie, as well as Olutoye’s testimony, the January 1966 coup was indeed plotted with the intention of releasing Awolowo from prison and making him Nigeria’s leader, likely as Prime Minister or President. Ademoyega and Gbulie explicitly confirm this plan, Nzeogwu’s statements imply it, and Ifeajuna frames it as a primary option, albeit with alternatives. These s portray the coup as a revolutionary act driven by iration for Awolowo’s vision, though its chaotic execution and subsequent interpretations leave room for debate about the plotters’ ultimate priorities.
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| SeverusSnape(m): 2:02pm On Feb 24 |
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You people should allow this coup matter to rest abeg...
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| TimeManager(m): 2:08pm On Feb 24 |
Heavens1stson:
According to Grok...
In conclusion, based on the s of key plotters like Ademoyega, Nzeogwu, Ifeajuna, and Gbulie, as well as Olutoye’s testimony, the January 1966 coup was indeed plotted with the intention of releasing Awolowo from prison and making him Nigeria’s leader, likely as Prime Minister or President. Ademoyega and Gbulie explicitly confirm this plan, Nzeogwu’s statements imply it, and Ifeajuna frames it as a primary option, albeit with alternatives. These s portray the coup as a revolutionary act driven by iration for Awolowo’s vision, though its chaotic execution and subsequent interpretations leave room for debate about the plotters’ ultimate priorities.
What's grok?. Abeg go & bath and sleep. When you wake up, look for a job.
-Kiss the truth!
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| LazyNGyouth: 2:15pm On Feb 24 |
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Insightful
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| LazyNGyouth: 2:16pm On Feb 24 |
TimeManager:
What's grok?. Abeg go & bath and sleep. When you wake up, look for a job.
-Kiss the truth!
You're not interested in the truth. Why not read and comment based on the write up? What part of the writeup is a lie? Counter it.
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| LazyNGyouth: 2:21pm On Feb 24 |
SeverusSnape:
You people should allow this coup matter to rest abeg...
It can't rest until the truth is unraveled. Who wants to take the blame? Yorubas don't want it. Awolowo’s ers don't want it. Igbos don't want it. Who should take the blame? Only the truth will reveal it.
For me, the best solution is to view the coup as just January 1966 coup. That's the only way this issue will die down. But as long as you involve ethnicity, then the debate will continue. And if that's the case, it'll end up being Awolowo coup because some of those who participated in it have revealed that their intention was to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and make him head of state.
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| TimeManager(m): 2:29pm On Feb 24 |
LazyNGyouth:
You're not interested in the truth. Why not read and comment based on the write up? What part of the writeup is a lie? Counter it.
It's not an Ai that will tell me what is true or false. I have read and listened to several books and interviews from people from all walks of life to know what happened during the war. Whether you accept it or not, the coup was badly executed, lopsided and unfortunately, the consequences lingers on. We will be here still talking about it in the next 10, 20, 50 years and the next generation pick it up.. Na unending film.
-Kiss the truth!
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| ImmaculateJOE(m): 2:37pm On Feb 24 |
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Front page worthy.
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| LazyNGyouth: 2:45pm On Feb 24 |
TimeManager:
It's not an Ai that will tell me what is true or false. I have read and listened to several books and interviews from people from all walks of life to know what happened during the war. Whether you accept it or not, the coup was badly executed, lopsided and unfortunately, the consequences lingers on. We will be here still talking about it in the next 10, 20, 50 years and the next generation pick it up.. Na unending film.
-Kiss the truth!
Illiterate, it's not AI that invented it. AI simply compiled actual reports/events available online. You can easily run a simple Google search to confirm. There are sources cited. See example attached
1 Like 
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| TimeManager(m): 2:55pm On Feb 24 |
LazyNGyouth:
Illiterate, it's not AI that invented it. AI simply compiled actual reports/events available online. You can easily run a simple Google search to confirm. There are sources cited. See example attached
Did I say anywhere that Ai invented it?. This is the problem with you, GenZ. According to your moniker, Ai has rendered you a Lazy. it has made you mentally robotic. Even If I ask you your father's name, you'd go to Ai first before responding.
-Kiss the truth!
1 Like |
| LazyNGyouth: 3:01pm On Feb 24 |
TimeManager:
Did I say anywhere that Ai invented it?. This is the problem with you, GenZ. According to your moniker, Ai has rendered you a Lazy. it has made you mentally robotic. Even If I ask you your father's name, you'd go to Ai first before responding.
-Kiss the truth!
Wetin you dey yarn bros? 😂
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| 123456789O: 4:32pm On Feb 24 |
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