The Inside Story Of Nigeria’s First Military Coup

Link to the article is here

Don\'t really know much about the war, though I admire a lot of the participants. My mom used to talk about them with such awe / hope(?) in her voice, especially Nzeogwu.

Can\'t wait for Part 2.

I have read many texts about the coup and the subsequent massacre of Igbos. Nothing in this article is new to me (except the sierra leonian lineage of Ironsi) but I appreciate the author\'s attempt to present same facts in a different light-taking no sides. The three regions of Nigeria see the coup in different perspective. Most older generations see it as an Igbo coup. Younger generations are beginning to read this episode of our national history from different writers and I only hope they understand that coups for whatever reasons set a country backwards. But then again, when our leaders forbid peaceful transition of govt. through a free and fair elections, they force a violent take-over of the reins of govt by a gang of greedy, ill-educated, unethical violators of a constitution all in the name of fighting for the general masses.

If this coup had succeeded in installing Chief Awolowo as Prime Minister, I wonder how Nigeria would be today. That question can never be answered I suppose.


I will still make commentaries especially on the Igbo of the Midwest after the part 2 of this article.

I must commend the writer for such a scholarly piece, even though there are some points I would like to know more about.
We may never know the whole details of what transpired before and after a group of young officers overthrew the governement of that time. But one thing is clear, their action was aimed at terminating one of the potentially most terrible government in Africa-the Ahmadu Bello led Northern mafia

Odinaka

Who is Max Siollun? Well I look forward to ur part two of the first coup in nigeria but I would like to point out that there have been so many authors claiming different things about the coup and the Nigerian Civil War which is a fallout of that coup; different men claiming to have been what they were not(Obasanjo in Not My Command, Madeibo, Frederick Forsyth\'s Emeka and others. I still feel the best account of the coup is that of Major Adewale Ademoyega; the only member of the core planners to have written about the coup...Why we struck

Come come come chaps, no name calling, let us be sensible and wait for part II before digging in.

Max Siollun, sir, you’ve set my appetite in motion. Can we have part II earlier than the few weeks? Can you, also, provide some useful references, web links, and eBook websites- if any- where one can download related materials.

Palamedes

Hi Max,

My recollection of the military coup was the word \"araba\" ( slogan the hausas were shouting) in housa lingua franca meaning \" Division\".

Six years old boy caught in street riot in Kaduna. Though born in Lagos Island (campus square) had my primary education in kaduna.

The word \"araba\" ( still having nightmares with the word) was not mensioned in your article.

Many Igbo neighbours were burnt or beheaded that was gruesome and repugnant for six years old to experience.

The Hausas has a lot to anwser to regarding the atrocities they commited prior to the civil war.

Please Max Siollum release the next episode quickly as you\'ve wet our appetite.

Max who are you and where are you from?.

Gbemi Fadu
Surrey UK.

Max Siollun
Get your story straight. Aguiyi Ironsi`s father is NOT from Sierra Leone. Mr. Ironsi is as IGBO as they come. Mr. Ironsi is from UMUANA in Umuahia Ibeku. AS a Biafran Soldier I visited his home town more than two times.
Aguiyi Ironsi has living relatives and those relatives will be surprised to hear they from Sierra Leone. Infact he is related the traditional leader UMUANA. In IGBOLAND, migrants cannot be traditional ruler.

Max Siollun
Get your story straight. Aguiyi Ironsi`s father is NOT from Sierra Leone. Mr. Ironsi is as IGBO as they come. Mr. Ironsi is from UMUANA in Umuahia Ibeku. AS a Biafran Soldier I visited his home town more than two times.
Aguiyi Ironsi has living relatives and those relatives will be surprised to hear they from Sierra Leone. Infact he is related the traditional leader UMUANA. In IGBOLAND, migrants cannot be traditional ruler.

A Guest asked:

Max who are you and where are you from?


I would ignore this question, if I were you, Max. There is a danger in this innocent looking question. I know you are proud of what you are, but don’t be tempted to answer. You must refuse us any weapon to accuse you of loyalty or bias.


Palamedes

What really is the objective of this writer? Where was he when the civil war issue was like a wild bush fire on the internet? Why bring it up now?

Don\'t forget that some of us are latecomers in almost everythign that we. so you will see this from time to time.

What really is the objective of this writer? Where was he when the civil war issue was like a wild bush fire on the internet? Why bring it up now?\"

Whenever one wakes is his or her morning.

Matrix

The Igbo must revenge all the attrocities committed against us by other Nigerians. In ths day and age, the revenge is not going to come by bloodshed; it is coming through other means.

The igbos are going to rule Nigeria economically, socially, and politically. We are going to dominate Nigeria, and the North will be begging us to be our \"meguard\", and the west will be asking us to hire them in our businesses.

Just wait for the time the playing field is levelled. In fact, the imagination is imaginable.

”The Igbo must revenge all the attrocities committed against us by other Nigerians.”

Why stop there - why not go all the way back to slavery and the Europeans?

“We are going to dominate Nigeria, and the North will be begging us to be our \"meguard”

Whatever ”meguard” means. Domination goes two ways i.e., domination is by consent . Apartheid South Africa, Iraq, Chechnya, Arkaeda – pardon my spelling. You can have all the big guns and yet fail to subdue anyone.

You talk of the Igbos as a monolithic ethnic group, which is a lie: I have Igbo blood in me, way back, but come from a different part of Nigeria.


”…In fact, the imagination is imaginable.”

I agree with you, it is just an imagination – like imagining yourself in bed with Allie Barrie or even Marylyn Monroe - and most people would have kept quiet about it to save themselves embarrassment, but not you.

You need to go out more and enjoy fresh air.

You are not a very bright guy, are you? Don\'t you understand what you are advocating? - another civil war. It\'ll take the country another 20-30 years to recover.
All dumb asses should keep their mouth shut at all times to save the rest of us the wrath of uninteded concequences.

Guest
You don`t have no Igbo blood in your body. Not even a drop of that fine blood.

You have a right to feel superior over your past but not over other ethnic groups in Nigeria. You probably have little knowledge of your history to realise that the Igbo have benefited quiet a lot from her neighbours i.e., your style of clothing, your traditional institution – that never existed before the British – are all borrowed from your neighbours, particularly, the present inhabitants of Rivers state.

Most Nigerians have their roots in more than one ethnic group unless yours forebears never left their village. Perhaps it would have been better for you to have remained in the village as your forebears; look what the big world is doing to you: you can’t handle it.

Perhaps you still leave in the village but have come to the big world to see for yourself the rumours, that have been going on in your village, about traffic lights, aircrafts – big birds in the sky, skyscrapers, and the internet. It is too much for you - you need a lay down; you are angry with all these advances; you sigh and murmur to yourself “why can’t things be as in the old days”; you want all Igbos to return to village life.

Now tell me again about the “fine blood” of the Igbos.

You lack some basic knowledge of what goes on around you, I think you\'re the only igbo man left behind.

\" The Igbo must revenge all the attrocities committed against us by other Nigerians.\"[/B]

You\'re so short sighted you can\'t see beyond your nose, you\'ll end up leaving for ever in the tunnel, if you\'re waiting to avenge.

Wake up silly swat.

Gbemi

Following my earlier visit - see \"Back to the Village.

Since this village man has a thing about fine blood, perhaps we should call him Dracula.

Thank God, you are not a leader in any country or anywhere for that matter. Otherwise, you will have your people tied up in unnecessary conflicts & wars for decades while the rest of the world is moving on.

Remember the Tutsis and the Hutus??????