Harrison A 🎯🎯🎯 (@harreceipts), a prominent social media influencer, recently took to his X handle to share a provocative claim.
He asserts that the Yorubas were the masterminds behind the 1966 coup in Nigeria. Harrison suggests that the coup was initially orchestrated by the Yorubas, but when it failed, they shifted the blame onto the Igbos.
According to his post, the narrative of an “Igbo coup” was a strategic move to divert attention from the initial plotters. Harrison questions whether political leader Awolowo went to his grave with this hidden truth, leaving followers stunned and intrigued by the revelation.
He wrote: “Yorubas organize 1966 coup, coup cast, dem turn around and say na Igbos run am. Then become the force to push the narratives say na Igbo coup just because they failed to see their coup to the finish line. Awolowo went to the grave with a secret like this? My brain wan blow.”
Meanwhile, a recent report by NN News Media highlighted revelations from the newly released autobiography A Journey in Service by former military president General Ibrahim Babangida (IBB). In the book, Babangida refutes the long-standing claim that the January 15, 1966, coup was an ethnic-driven plot led by Igbo officers.
For decades, the coup has been labeled as an “Igbo Coup,” suggesting it was a calculated attempt by Igbo military officers to seize power. However, Babangida argues that the events of 1966 were rooted in widespread dissatisfaction within the military and political class, rather than an ethnic agenda.
He pointed out that the head of the plotters, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, was only Igbo by name but was raised in Kaduna, spoke fluent Hausa, and identified more with the Northern region. Babangida also noted that several Igbo officers, such as Lt-Col. Arthur Unegbe, were killed in the coup, contradicting the notion of an ethnic agenda.
Furthermore, non-Igbo officers like Major Adewale Ademoyega, Captain Ganiyu Adeleke, and Lts Pola Oyewole and Olafimihan participated in the coup, while an Igbo officer, Major John Obienu, played a role in suppressing it.
Babangida also recalled that one of the coup’s objectives was to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and install him as the executive provisional president of Nigeria, further challenging the claim that the coup was ethnically motivated.
As these contrasting perspectives emerge, the debate over the true nature of the 1966 coup continues to spark discussion among historians, political analysts, and the Nigerian public.
