Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the leading socio-cultural organization of the Igbo people, has demanded an apology and N10 trillion in compensation from President Bola Tinubu following revelations by former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo-led plot as widely believed.

IBB made this clarification during the launch of his book, “A Journey in Service,” where he stated that the 1966 military coup, which led to the assassination of key political leaders, was not motivated by ethnic sentiments. This revelation challenges the long-standing narrative that the coup was an Igbo conspiracy, a belief that has fueled ethnic tensions for decades.

IBB explained that the coup was not driven by Igbo nationalism, highlighting the role of Major John Obienu, an Igbo officer who actively helped to quell the mutiny. He also noted that many senior Igbo military officers were victims of the coup, contradicting claims of ethnic favoritism.

IBB pointed out that the leader of the coup, Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, though ethnically Igbo, was culturally and linguistically more aligned with the Hausa community, having been born and raised in Kaduna. IBB argued that Nzeogwu and his co-plotters were motivated by a desire to reform Nigeria rather than by tribal loyalties.

In response to IBB’s revelations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo called for an official apology and N10 trillion in reparations from President Tinubu, arguing that the misrepresentation of the 1966 coup had severe consequences for the Igbo people, including the Biafra War and ongoing socio-political marginalization.

Okechukwu Isiguzoro, Deputy National President of the Ohanaeze faction, stated that the Igbo suffered enormous losses, with approximately three million Igbos—mostly women and children—killed during the civil war. He argued that the coup’s mischaracterization led to the stigmatization of the Igbo as enemies of the state, which has continued to influence federal policies against them.

Ohanaeze highlighted several issues stemming from the coup’s misrepresentation, including:

 

• The July 1966 counter-coup that led to the assassination of Major General Aguiyi Ironsi, an Igbo Head of State.

• Systemic marginalization of the Igbo in political appointments and economic development, including limited state representation and the neglect of infrastructure projects in the Southeast.

• Economic exclusion, such as the closure of the Calabar seaport, dysfunctional ports in Igbo land, and the lack of operational international airports in the region.

Ohanaeze demanded that President Tinubu issue a public apology on behalf of previous military regimes, particularly the administration of General Yakubu Gowon, under which the Biafra War occurred. They stressed that the N10 trillion demand was not arbitrary but symbolic of the profound losses suffered by the Igbo people.

 

The group also stated that this acknowledgment would pave the way for national reconciliation and justice, insisting that reparations and sincere apologies are necessary to heal the historical wounds inflicted on the Igbo nation.