IBB Confirms 1966 Coup Was Igbo-Led – Fani-Kayode

Former minister Femi Fani-Kayode claims that Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) has confirmed the 1966 coup was led by Igbos. Read more on the historical revelation and reactions.

Femi Fani-Kayode, the former Minister of Aviation, stated that nowhere in Ibrahim Babangida’s book “A Journey in Service,” does the former military Head of State mention that the coup of January 15, 1966 was not an Igbo coup.

Fani-Kayode asserted that those who argue it was not an Igbo coup are mistaken, suggesting they are either misguided and misinformed or intentionally misleading.

The former Minister mentioned in a post on his X account that IBB expressed generosity towards the Igbo people in his book.

He emphasized that this, however, does not grant anyone permission to misinterpret Babangida’s statements and conclusions or use them in an attempt to distort history.

He penned:

I hate to break it to you, but there’s no section in IBB’s book where he claims the coup of January 15, 1966, wasn’t an Igbo coup.

He actually suggested the opposite by stating that the coup had assumed an “unmistakable ethnic coloration.”

“That’s what he wrote, and it’s the reality. The coup was ethnically driven, specifically by the Igbo ethnicity.”

Those who have misunderstood his words and asserted that he stated the coup was not an Igbo coup are either misinformed or intentionally misleading.

Their grasp of the English language is limited, and often they haven’t read the book themselves. Instead, they depend on inaccurate social media quotes and cleverly designed misinformation.

I recommend they obtain a copy of the book, read it thoroughly, and cease trying to alter history by misrepresenting the words of the distinguished author.

In his typical style, IBB was generous toward the Igbos in his book. However, this should not be taken as permission to misinterpret his statements and conclusions or to use them as a means of revising history.

The evidence is straightforward: 99% of the officers involved in planning and carrying out the January 15, 1966 coup, as well as those participating in the mutiny, were Igbo. Meanwhile, nearly all—specifically non-Igbo military officers and political leaders—and occasionally their spouses who were killed during these events belonged to other ethnic groups.

We must honor the memory of those tragically and senselessly killed by confronting the harsh reality, preserving historical accuracy, and speaking truthfully.

The coup was clearly an Igbo-led event, as IBB emphasized when he mentioned its “ethnic coloration” in his writings.

I strongly advise anyone with a limited grasp of the English language, struggling to read more than three lines of any book or essay, to refrain from using his words in crafting their revisionist and blatantly false narrative, which is merely an attempt to uphold a long-standing untruth.

The reality is that the January 15, 1966 coup was indeed led by Igbo individuals, and I am pleased to acknowledge that IBB has affirmed this fact.

This is a truth, and as our journalist friends often say, “facts are inviolable while opinions come easily.”