Military Era & Coups in Nigeria
Military regimes, coups, economic policies, and the transition to democratic governance in Nigeria from 1966 to 1999.
Nigeria’s January 1966 Coup
On 15 January 1966, a group of young Nigerian Army officers carried out a coup that overthrew the civilian government of the First Republic,...
Nigeria’s Defining Military Coups, How Power Seizures Reshaped the Nation, 1966 to 1993
Nigeria’s modern political story cannot be understood without the coups that repeatedly reset the rules of power. Between 1966 and 1993, military interventions did...
Lawal Jafaru Isa and Kaduna’s Military Era
Brigadier‑General Lawal Jafaru Isa (retired) is a Nigerian military officer and public official best known for serving as Military Administrator of Kaduna State during...
Betrayal in Ikoyi: Maimalari and the 1966 Coup
The January 15, 1966 coup stands as one of the most pivotal events in Nigeria’s post‑independence history, marking the first time the military intervened...
From Power to Prosecution, The 1999 Arraignment of Abacha’s Inner Circle
In October 1999, Lagos became the setting for a scene many Nigerians had doubted they would ever witness. Major Hamza al Mustapha, the former...
Major Daniel Idowu Bamidele
Major Daniel Idowu Bamidele was a Nigerian Army officer executed on 5 March 1986 after conviction by a military tribunal under the regime of...
The Untold Story of Nigeria’s First Royal Air Force Officer in World War II
Emanuel Peter John Adeniyi Thomas was born in Lagos in 1914, when Nigeria was under British colonial administration. Lagos was a growing coastal city...
From Sandhurst to a Shattered Nation
On 8 March 1956, a British archival photograph captured two Nigerian officer cadets, Arthur Chinyelu Unegbe and Alexander A. Madiebo, changing targets at a...
Hassan Usman Katsina and Nigeria’s Fight for Unity
Major General Hassan Usman Katsina, OFR, PSC, known as Ciroman Katsina, was one of Nigeria’s most respected military leaders during the early decades of...
From Barracks to Streets, How Military Rule Made State Violence Ordinary
Military rule has repeatedly reshaped how the state relates to ordinary people. When armed forces take political power, violence often stops being a last...