Military Era & Coups in Nigeria
Military regimes, coups, economic policies, and the transition to democratic governance in Nigeria from 1966 to 1999.
15 January 1966, The Coup That Ended Nigeria’s First Republic and Changed the Nation Forever
Every year, 15 January returns as one of Nigeria’s most emotionally charged dates. It is observed nationally in connection with military remembrance and reflection,...
Nigeria’s 1966 Power Shift That Changed Everything, How January’s Coup Set Up July’s Counter Coup
Nigeria’s first months under military rule in 1966 were not a smooth transfer of power. They were a tense struggle to hold a fragile...
January Boys of 1966, The Nigerian Army Majors Who Toppled the First Republic and Lost Control of Power
On 15 January 1966, coordinated military action erupted across Nigeria’s major centres of power. Senior political leaders and top military officers were targeted, confusion...
January 15, 1966, Nigeria’s First Coup, A Reconstruction of Events in Kaduna, Lagos, and Ibadan
Nigeria’s first military coup unfolded in the late hours of January 14 and the early hours of January 15, 1966, as coordinated actions by...
How the January 1966 Military Takeover Was Planned and Executed
Nigeria’s First Republic struggled with political instability, regional rivalries and a series of contentious elections in the early 1960s. Violence in the Western Region,...
How Nigeria’s First Republic Collapsed: The Military Seizes Power in 1966
On 15 January 1966, Nigeria’s First Republic ended abruptly when a faction of junior army officers staged the nation’s first military coup. The sudden...
How Nigeria’s First Republic Collapsed: Elections, Violence, Corruption, and Census Controversies
Nigeria’s first national election since independence exposed the fragility of democratic institutions. The December 1964 federal election was delayed in several areas, particularly in...
Nigeria’s First Republic: Regional Power, Political Rivalry and the Road to the 1966 Coup
Nigeria’s First Republic, from 1960 to 1966, emerged with high expectations but operated within a political environment shaped by strong regional loyalties and inherited...
Inside Nigeria’s Officer Corps 1960–1966: How Ethnic and Regional Dynamics Shaped the Early Army
When Nigeria gained independence from Britain in 1960, its military was small and structured according to decades of colonial policy. The early officer corps...
Who Held the Guns? Inside the Nigerian Army During the January 1966 Coup
On 15 January 1966, Nigeria experienced its first military coup, ending the First Republic and reshaping the nation’s political landscape. This dramatic event was...