Military Era & Coups in Nigeria
Military regimes, coups, economic policies, and the transition to democratic governance in Nigeria from 1966 to 1999.
Usman Kakanda Bello and the 1990 Coup: The Officer Who Died Defending Dodan Barracks
Usman Kakanda Bello was serving as aide-de-camp to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida when rebel soldiers attacked Dodan Barracks in Lagos in the early hours...
Nigeria’s First Republic: 5 Crucial Years That Ended in Military Rule
Nigeria’s First Republic emerged from independence with elected institutions, powerful regional governments and political leaders who had spent years negotiating the end of British...
Debo Basorun and Babangida: The Powerful 1989 Court Battle That Exposed a Military Rift
The story of Debo Basorun and Babangida is one of the most remarkable personal ruptures within Nigeria’s military establishment during the 1980s. Major Adebowale...
Gideon Orkar coup attempt: 69 Executions After Nigeria’s Dramatic 1990 Military Uprising
The Gideon Orkar coup attempt of 22 April 1990 was one of the most serious armed challenges to the military government of General Ibrahim...
Death of Timothy Onwuatuegwu: 3 Powerful Accounts Behind an Unresolved 1970 Mystery
The Death of Timothy Onwuatuegwu remains one of the enduring mysteries surrounding the final days of the Nigerian Civil War. Four years before Biafra...
5 Defining Chapters of Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo
Colonel Ibrahim Taiwo occupied political office for less than seven months, yet his military career intersected with some of the most consequential episodes in...
Colonel Joseph Akahan: 5 Defining Moments in the Remarkable Rise and Sudden Death of Nigeria’s Young Wartime Army Chief
Colonel Joseph Akahan was only 30 years old when his brief but consequential military career ended during the opening month of the Nigerian Civil...
Ely Calil: The Kano-Born Oil Financier at the Centre of the Wonga Coup Allegations
Ely Calil was one of the most enigmatic businessmen to emerge from Nigeria’s postcolonial commercial world. Born in Kano in 1945, he grew up...
8 Senior Leaders Of The Biafra Second Anniversary Parade
The Biafra second anniversary parade at Isu on 30 May 1969 took place under circumstances far removed from the celebrations that had accompanied the...
Nigeria’s Army Chiefs Who Died in Office
Nigeria’s Army Chiefs Who Died in Office form a remarkably short list. Across more than six decades of Nigerian military history, three men died...