THE JANUARY 15 MILITARY COUP, 50 YEARS ON...
In the early hours of January 15, 1966, a young army Major from Okpanam in the then Midwestern Nigeria, Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu led a group of mostly northern soldiers on a supposedly military exercise and led them to attack the official residence of the premier of the north, Sir Ahmadu Bello in a bloody Coup that saw the murder of the Premiers of Northern and Western Nigeria. The Prime Minister, a federal minister, two regional premiers, and top Army officers from the Northern and Western regions of the nation were brutally murdered. The premier of the Eastern region (where most of the plotters came from), the President of federation and the Eastern Premier survived . The coup failed as the highest ranking Army official then, General Aguiyi Ironsi who himself was targeted for elimination foiled the plot in Lagos, taking the reins of power. Nzeogwu was later arrested in Lagos on January 18, 1966.
By nonso ndibe
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