By admin
Why do non-Igbo Nigerians still believe that the Jan 15 was an Igbo coup, despite evidence to the contrary ? Yes, the pattern and outcomes might suggest so, making it hard to ignore or ponder, but is that enough ? Especially when major participants in the July counter-coup like Gen Theo Danjuma, have actually said that it wasn’t an Igbo coup – he was approached by Major Nzeogwu to join the Jan 15 revolution but turned him down – why would Major Nzeogwu (Igbo) approach Major Danjuma (Junkun North) to plan a so called Igbo coup ?
Gen Babangida in his book “A journey in service”, also said that the coup wasn’t an Igbo coup, but rather than accept the truth coming from witnesses and active participants from that era, we find that Nigerians double down on their mis-belief that it was an Igbo coup.
The main actors have also said it was not a grand Igbo plot, this includes the main plotter Major Wale Ademoyega (see our book review of “why we struck” by him). It’s obvious that it might be hard to take the other plotters word for it – because they’re Igbo.
Now, juxtapose the counter coup of July 29 1966 with Jan 15 and then you’ll start to see that Jan 15 was planned solely by ideological and political soldiers, who in the main as per rank, happened to be Igbo, and nothing else.
July 29 was planned by the Northern Emirs, Chiefs, Politicians, Academics, Civil Servants, Military Officers and men and masses etc to kill Gen Ironsi and all Igbo Officers and Igbo civilians in Northern Nigeria and elsewhere.
whereas no Igbo King or chief, No Igbo Politicians, Academics, Civil Servants ever came together with the 5-7 Majors to plan to toppling of Balewa’s government, rather those Majors and other ranks planned it all by themselves and executed the coup by themselves without the blessings of the Igbo nation and its elite as compared to the revenge coup 7 months later.
Let us not also forget that an Igbo high ranking officer, Col Arthur Unegbe was killed because of his closeness to Brig Maimalari and not because of any Armoury Keys – which he had not, whilst the July 29 coup had no Northern officer of a high rank killed by the Northern officers.
Phew ! This is a strange book review, because a huge detour was made, talking about the first coup rather than introducing the book and its themes as is custom.
The reason for this detour is because of what has been said at the beginning of this review about the Nigerian belief that the Jan 15 coup, was an Igbo coup. In 2026 the comment sections of many social media platforms are awash with these false assertions and many Nigerians are now making money off Igbophobia, and one of their main topics has always been about the Jan 15 coup – this raises emotions and brings lots of traffic, which brings money to them because if people can do anything for money, them trending and gaining off Igbophobia, is easy-peasy.
Though Nigeria is beset with myriads of problems from lack of electricity and basic amenities and health care to insecurity and corruption, these issue rarely garner any internet traffic as compared to to Igbophobia and anti-Igbo topics etc of which Jan 15 is the main diet for Nigerians. in fact many believe that Jan 15 1966 is reason petrol is selling for N1500 a liter today (LOL).
But what if something else was the cause of Jan 15 ?, Why don’t people just take the words of the plotters for what it might be – the truth ?
The plotters claim they wanted to rid the country of corruption, nepotism, political violence and to stop the drifting apart of the nation etc
But there also seems to be another reason for Jan 15, that is rarely mentioned in the Nigerian media, history books, interviews etc, and that is that a coup or some military actions was being planned by the Balewa government for the 17th of January 1966.
Why don’t the Nigerian media talk about this ? are they scared ? are they lazy ? are they complicit ? do they hate the truth ? The same goes for the Nigerian historians and academics too, because the bible says “the truth shall make you free”, the investigative journalist have not bothered to pick up on this crucial issue all these years.
Finally, we get to the book itself, Phew (again, LOL). The Man Died is a Nobel award winning book by Prof Wole Soyinka, this book is mega-monster of a book, packed full of mind-blowing, astounding and tear jerking stories about his arrest and detention during the Nigerian civil war.
A lot was exposed in this book, including gross human right abuses by the regional and federal governments of Nigeria during the turbulent periods of 1966-67, using his verbose and grandiose and very high academic writing style – which I adore very much, he tells many stories about his incarceration, which started once he came back from Enugu, during the early days of the war – see our review on his book, “you must set forth at dawn”.
Remember he was the go-between, Col Victor Banjo in Biafra and Col Segun Obasanjo in the West, with regards to the former’s plan to march to the West and Lagos. That role amongst other things led to his arrest and detention.
But as is our style, we’re not giving everything about the great book away, as we urge the reader to go and buy a copy of this marvellous book, you won’t be disappointed.
The reason for the great detour at the beginning of this review to Jan 15, is answered at pages 160-162 of this exciting book. Prof Soyinka alleges that there was a plan by the ‘mafia-feudalist’ and a government loyal section of the army to carry out a coup to wipe out the pro-Awo elite and intelligentsia of the West (some say and to ferment an uprising in the East), in order to firmly entrench the Balewa government, this was planned for Jan 17,1966.
Prof Soyinka, attested that Jan 15 coup happened to forestall the Jan 17 coup. And the question then is, why hasn’t any major debates happened around this assertion ? why hasn’t the Nigerian media made any kind of noise about this notion ?, where are our historians and investigative journalist when we need them on such a crucial subject ?
Could it be then, that revealing this truth will bury the lie that Jan 15 was an Igbo coup, and hence makes the July 29 counter coup even less legible and more wicked and murderous and power hungry ? and that the subsequent civil war and millions dead a demonic sacrifice ?
Prof Wole Soyinka is also supported by Brig Hilary Njoku, in his book “A tragedy without heroes” – check our book review, where he says that Brig Maimalari angrily unleashed a diatribe at him, during an occasion in an officer’s mess and unwittingly revealed a coup plan to the astonishment of officers around him – please read page 12 of Brig Hilary Njoku’s great book, if you have a copy.
We will not give out much more about this titan of a literary masterclass, but seriously urge our readers to go and get this unputdownable book, and to also check out the other books in our book section, we have a plethora of book reviews on the Nigerian civil war and aim to keep bringing you all much more.
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