Following revelations in former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s book, “A Journey in Service,” the Igbo apex group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called for an official apology and N10 trillion in compensation from President Bola Tinubu on behalf of the Igbos.
The group’s demand comes in response to Babangida’s assertion that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup, as previously alleged.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo is seeking reparations for the misrepresentation and injustices faced by the Igbo people in the wake of the coup.
The group has asked President Tinubu to address these historical wrongs, emphasizing the importance of setting the record straight and ensuring justice for the Igbos. The requested N10 trillion compensation is seen as a symbolic gesture to acknowledge the harm caused by the false narrative surrounding the 1966 coup.
In his book, Babangida revealed that the primary objective of the coup plotters was to release Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and install him as Prime Minister. He emphasized that the involvement of officers from different ethnic backgrounds, including non-Igbo officers such as Major Adewale Ademoyega, Captain Ganiyu Adeleke, and Lieutenants Fola Oyewole and Olafimihan, further invalidates the claim that it was an Igbo-driven coup.
Additionally, some senior Igbo officers were also victims of the coup, such as Lt-Col. Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe, who was executed by fellow officer Major Chris Anuforo. This further weakens the argument that the coup was designed to serve Igbo interests.
Furthermore, Babangida pointed out that the coup was ultimately crushed by Major John Obienu, an officer of Igbo extraction, reinforcing the argument that it was not an ethnic uprising but rather a failed military intervention with specific political objectives.
Reacting, Ohanaeze noted that the story surrounding the coup at the time, unleashed disastrous repercussions on the Igbo people, which ultimately led to the cataclysmic horrors of the Biafra War.
In a statement by the Deputy National President of the Ohanaeze faction, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the group noted that the apology and compensation had become necessary due to the ‘’staggering loss of life, with approximately three million Igbo—predominantly innocent women and children—slaughtered during the war.’’
