Why did the 1966 coup happen?
The coup was planned because according to the majors, the men at the helm of affairs were running Nigeria aground with their corrupt ways. Ministers under them were living flamboyant lifestyles and looting public funds at the expense of ordinary citizens.
How was Aguiyi-Ironsi overthrown?
Nzeogwu was countered, captured and imprisoned by Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. Aguiyi-Ironsi was named military head of state on 17 January 1966, a position he held until 29 July 1966, when a group of Northern army officers revolted against the government, and killed Aguiyi-Ironsi.
How was General Gowon overthrown?
The 1975 Nigerian coup d’état was a bloodless military coup which took place in Nigeria on 29 July 1975 when a faction of junior Armed Forces officers overthrew General Yakubu Gowon (who himself took power in the 1966 counter-coup). Obasanjo succeeded him as head of state.
Who started coup in Nigeria?
It was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and many northern military officers. The coup began as a mutiny at roughly midnight on July 28, 1966 and was a reaction to the killings of Northern politicians and Officers by some soldiers on January 15, 1966 (see 1966 Nigerian coup d’état).
Who led the 1966 coup in Ghana?
Leaders of the established 1966 military coup, including army officers Colonel E.K. Kotoka, Major A. A. Afrifa, Lieutenant General (retired) J. A. Ankrah, and Police Inspector General J.W.K. Harlley, justified their takeover by charging that the CPP administration was abusive and corrupt.
Who was Gowon second in command?
The initial President of the Supreme Military Council was Maj. -Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces. He was replaced by Murtala Muhammed (in 1975) and Olusegun Obasanjo (in 1976) in successive coups.
At what age did Gowon became head of state?
1966 coup. In January 1966, he became Nigeria’s youngest military chief of staff at the age of 31, because a military coup d’état by a group of junior officers under Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu led to the overthrow of Nigeria’s civilian government.