By Erewunmi Peace

A retired Nigerian Army officer, Brigadier-General Godwin Alabi-Isama (rtd), has challenged the long-held narrative that the January 15, 1966 military coup was an “Igbo coup,” insisting that the event was more complex than often portrayed.

Speaking in a recent interview to mark 60 years since the coup, Alabi-Isama said key national figures at the time — including Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe (Zik), Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and Lt.-Col.

Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu — were aware of the planned incursion and played roles that prevented it from fully succeeding.

According to the retired general, the ethnic labeling of the coup has contributed to long-standing divisions in Nigeria, despite the fact that the coup plotters claimed their actions were aimed at ending corruption, political instability, and poor governance in the First Republic.

The January 1966 coup, led by young military officers, resulted in the killing of several senior political and military leaders, mainly from the Northern and Western regions.

The events that followed led to General Aguiyi-Ironsi becoming Nigeria’s first military Head of State, and later sparked the July 1966 counter-coup and the Nigerian Civil War.

Historians, however, note that interpretations of the coup remain contested.

While some agree that ethnic motivations were not the original intent, others argue that the pattern of killings and political outcomes reinforced ethnic suspicions at the time.

Alabi-Isama’s comments add to ongoing debates about Nigeria’s early military interventions in politics and their lasting impact on national unity.