When Nigeria’s first military coup took place on 15 January 1966, national attention focused on the dramatic deaths of prime ministers, premiers, and senior generals. These killings reshaped the country’s political direction and marked the end of the First Republic. Yet among those who died was a man whose name rarely appears in public memory, despite the significance of his fate.
Lieutenant-Colonel James Pam Unegbe was not a political leader, nor was he involved in the partisan struggles that destabilised Nigeria in the early 1960s. His death during the coup remains one of the most revealing episodes of that turbulent period, exposing how the intervention quickly lost direction and widened the circle of violence beyond its stated purpose.
Who Lt-Col James Pam Unegbe Was
Lt-Col James Pam Unegbe served as the Quartermaster-General of the Nigerian Army, a senior administrative position responsible for logistics, supplies, and financial administration. The office was essential to the army’s daily operations, ensuring that units were equipped and funded, but it did not involve battlefield command or political authority.
EXPLORE NOW: Military Era & Coups in Nigeria
Unegbe was a career military officer whose responsibilities were institutional rather than political. He was not publicly associated with the electoral crises, regional rivalries, or constitutional disputes that defined the later years of the First Republic. His professional life remained within the internal structure of the armed forces.
This separation from politics makes his death particularly striking within the broader story of the coup.
The Coup of 15 January 1966
The January 1966 coup was organised largely by junior officers, with Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu playing a central role. The plotters announced that their aim was to end corruption, political violence, and instability that had followed disputed elections and rising ethnic tension.
The execution of the coup, however, was uneven. Some political leaders were killed while others escaped. Several senior military officers were targeted, but the coup failed to secure nationwide control. Within days, Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, the most senior surviving officer, emerged as Head of State.
Amid this confusion, a number of officers lost their lives in circumstances that were never clearly explained.
The Killing of Lt-Col Unegbe
Lt-Col Unegbe was abducted from his residence in Lagos by soldiers involved in the coup and was later killed. His death did not take place during an armed clash or while commanding troops in resistance.
No official explanation was given for his killing. Unlike political leaders whose deaths could be linked to power struggles, Unegbe’s position offered no obvious political justification. His inclusion among those killed created unease within military circles and raised questions that were never publicly addressed.
What His Death Revealed
The killing of Lt-Col Unegbe highlighted the lack of clear boundaries within the coup. Decisions about who should be removed were inconsistent, and the absence of a unified command allowed violence to spread beyond defined political targets.
This lack of discipline weakened the moral authority of the intervention. While the coup was presented as corrective, events on the ground suggested that control over outcomes had slipped, allowing actions that contradicted its declared intentions.
Impact Within the Nigerian Army
Within the armed forces, the killing deepened anxiety. Officers who had remained professionally distant from civilian politics could no longer assume safety through neutrality. Trust across ranks and regions eroded, and suspicion became embedded within the military structure.
These tensions did not dissipate. They contributed to growing resentment, particularly in the North, and formed part of the background to the counter-coup of July 1966, which claimed the lives of Ironsi and several other officers.
Silence and Consequences
No public inquiry clarified why Lt-Col Unegbe was killed. His death joined a list of unresolved killings that marked Nigeria’s transition from civilian to military rule.
This silence became a defining feature of the period. By failing to confront the violence openly, successive military governments allowed grievances to harden and mistrust to deepen. The unresolved nature of these deaths shaped the character of military rule and normalised political violence as a tool of power.
EXPLORE: Nigerian Civil War
Why His Story Endures
Lt-Col Unegbe’s death matters because it captures the moment when Nigeria’s first military intervention lost coherence. His killing demonstrated how quickly force, once unleashed, escaped its original purpose and widened the scope of destruction.
Remembering his story is essential to understanding why the promise of order and reform gave way to cycles of retaliation, instability, and prolonged military dominance in Nigeria’s political life.
Author’s Note
Lt-Col James Pam Unegbe’s death stands as a quiet warning in Nigeria’s history. It shows how the collapse of civilian rule was followed not by clarity, but by confusion and silence. His killing, unexplained and unresolved, symbolised the breakdown of restraint that shaped the early years of military rule and influenced the nation’s long struggle with power, accountability, and trust.
References
- Max Siollun, Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria’s Military Coup Culture (1966–1976)
- Adewale Ademoyega, Why We Struck: The Story of the First Nigerian Coup
- J. Isawa Elaigwu, The Military and the Management of Civil Crises in Nigeria
