Colonel Arthur Unegbe was killed for refusing to release the Armoury under his care to the 1966 coup plotters. As the Quartermaster-General, Lieutenant-Colonel Unegbe was responsible for the provision of every weapon, ammunition, vehicle, equipment, clothing, and food for the Army in general. Although he held no command nor battalion of troops, he was a senior officer......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
On January 15, 1966, the first military coup d’ etat was carried out in Nigeria by junior soldiers, toppling the government of Nnamdi Azikiwe and Tafawa Balewa thereby rewriting the political, social and military history of the country – forever. Major General Aguiyi Ironsi took over government as the first military head of state.
The casualties of the coup d’etat are Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, then the prime minister; Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto; Samuel Akintola, the premier of the Western Region; Festus Okotie, the finance minister, among others.
