Nigeria's bloodiest military coup: All you need to know about the July 29, 1966 counter-coup

Nigeria’s July 29, 1966, counter-coup stands as one of the most violent political upheavals in African history.

Orchestrated by northern military officers, the revolt not only claimed the lives of top military leaders, including the Head of State, General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, but also triggered widespread massacres that left tens of thousands of civilians dead, mostly of Igbo origin.

The counter-coup was largely a response to the January 15, 1966, military coup, led by mostly Igbo officers, which saw the assassination of top northern and western leaders, including Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and Premier Ahmadu Bello.

General Aguiyi-Ironsi, an Igbo, assumed power in the aftermath and ruled for six months. However, his administration faced intense ethnic tension, especially from the North.

The situation worsened following his promulgation of Unification Decree No. 34 in May 1966, which abolished Nigeria’s federal structure and consolidated power at the centre.

Northern officers viewed the move as an attempt to cement Igbo dominance over national affairs.

Apart from political grievances, the coup was driven by deep-seated religious and ethnic rifts. The North-South divide widened as Muslim-majority northern elites grew suspicious of the predominantly Christian southern leadership.

The concentration of Igbo officers in the army and civil service heightened fears of marginalisation among northerners.

The assassination of several northern leaders during the January coup, with minimal Igbo casualties, was also seen as a conspiracy, fuelling a thirst for revenge among young northern officers and rank-and-file soldiers.

The counter-coup was masterminded by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed and supported by a group of northern officers, including Major Theophilus Danjuma and Major Martin Adamu.

These officers coordinated mutinies across barracks in Abeokuta, Ibadan, Lagos, Kaduna, and Kano between July 28 and July 30.

General Aguiyi-Ironsi and Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, the Military Governor of the Western Region, were captured and assassinated in Ibadan.

Simultaneously, over 240 southern military personnel, mostly of Igbo extraction, were killed in multiple barracks. These included 42 officers and over 130 other ranks.

Beyond the military killings, the counter-coup sparked one of Nigeria’s deadliest episodes of ethnic violence.

From late July through October 1966, between 8,000 and 30,000 Igbo civilians were reportedly massacred in northern cities such as Kano, Kaduna, Jos, and in rural areas.

Markets, homes, and businesses belonging to Igbos were looted and burned. Women and children were not spared.

The violence bore the marks of ethnic cleansing, as organised mobs, with tacit support from some local authorities, carried out killings and forced displacements.

Nearly one million Igbos fled back to the Eastern Region, creating a massive refugee crisis and economic disruption across the country.

In the wake of the coup, Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon was appointed Head of State. He reversed Ironsi’s controversial Decree No. 34 and restored Nigeria’s federal structure.

However, efforts at national reconciliation were minimal, and the Eastern Region, led by Lt. Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, increasingly distrusted the federal leadership.

The counter-coup set Nigeria on an irreversible path toward civil war. Diplomatic attempts at unity, including the Aburi Accord in Ghana, failed to bridge the deep divisions.

By May 1967, Ojukwu declared the Eastern Region an independent state of Biafra, igniting a three-year civil war.

Despite the scale of violence, international reactions were muted. Western powers maintained diplomatic ties with the new regime while African nations, including members of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), largely remained silent.

The political fallout from the coup entrenched military rule in Nigeria, diminished Igbo influence in federal politics, and ushered in decades of northern dominance.

It also marked the beginning of recurring cycles of ethnic violence, military intervention, and national instability.

More than 50 years later, Nigeria still grapples with the legacy of the 1966 counter-coup. It not only deepened ethnic distrust but also permanently altered the country’s demographic and political landscape.

Historians continue to debate the actual casualty figures, with estimates ranging from 8,000 to 100,000. The absence of official investigations or prosecutions has led many to believe that the state was complicit or negligent.

Analysts say the events of 1966 offer critical lessons: the dangers of ethnic exclusion, the need for inclusive governance, and the importance of safeguarding democratic structures.

The July 29 counter-coup remains a stark reminder of how ethnic mistrust and political short-sightedness can plunge a nation into darkness.