Following revelations from former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s book, A Journey in Service, that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo-led conspiracy as widely alleged, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has demanded an apology and N10 trillion in compensation from President Bola Tinubu.
Babangida clarified that the coup’s main objective was to free Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison and install him as Prime Minister, noting that it involved officers from diverse ethnic backgrounds. He highlighted that some Igbo officers were also victims, reinforcing that it was not an ethnically driven plot.
Ohanaeze Ndigbo argued that the misrepresentation of the coup led to devastating consequences for the Igbo people, culminating in the Biafra War, which resulted in the deaths of approximately three million people, mostly women and children. The group insists that an official apology and reparations are necessary to address the historic injustices and systemic marginalization suffered by the Igbo community.