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In its edition on Thursday, January 15, 2026, Daily Trust released an article about the coup that took place on January 15, 1966, during which several notable political figures and military personnel, primarily from Northern Nigeria, lost their lives.

Because the event has evolved into a very delicate issue in Nigeria’s political past, various stories, opposing accounts, opinions, viewpoints, and assertions keep emerging, showing that many still bear the wounds of the coup, including individuals with more than just a passive stake, those who were present during the incident, family members of those who died in the coup, and people who have only read about it.

To this day, the event is regarded as the root of all political issues in the nation, leading to mutual distrust, regional sentiments, and unproductive competition.

The response to the coup triggered a series of events that eventually influenced the nation’s development. The counter-coup in July 1966, the establishment of 12 states, the civil war, and the attempts to bring together all regions of the country.

For some, it is merely an Igbo coup, while others disagree, attributing the events to the politicians of the First Republic; some claim that the soldiers of that time were overly ambitious and that a coup would have taken place regardless of the Nzeogwu-led one.

Various reports exist regarding the coup and the manner in which certain political figures and military personnel met their deaths.

Femi Fani Kayode, whose father, Remi Fani Kayode, served as the deputy premier of the Western Region during the coup, remembers that he was just six years old at the time.

He stated: “Around 2:00 a.m., my mother, Chief (Mrs) Adia Aduni Fani-Kayode, entered the bedroom where I shared space with my older brother, Rotimi, and younger sister, Toyin. I was six years old then.”

The power had been severed by the rebels, leaving us surrounded by total darkness, with only the headlights from three or four massive, heavy trucks featuring loud engines visible and audible.

We observed four pairs of headlights and listened to the sounds of four trucks arriving on the driveway.

“My father bravely went out to face them, after gathering us, praying with us, and telling us that since they were looking for him, he had to go out there,” he recounted.

Dr. Ishaya Pam, a former Chief Medical Director of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), son of Lt Col James Yakubu Pam, who was also killed in the coup, shared: ‘I was one year and nine months old when the coup took place on January 15, 1966. We have six siblings, and I am a twin. My father was killed on January 15, 1966, during the military coup events, and he served as the Adjutant-General at the Army Headquarters in Lagos. We resided at Number 8 Ikoyi Crescent in Lagos, and around 2:00 a.m. on that fateful day, our home was attacked by soldiers who were part of the coup conspirators.’

They entered the house, cut his car tires, and confronted him. Prior to this, he attempted to make a few phone calls as they were breaking in. Once they confronted him, he inquired about their intentions. Interestingly, the team leader was his deputy and a trusted associate, Major Humphrey Chukwuka.

Those killed

In addition to Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, who served as the Prime Minister of Nigeria; Sir Ahmadu Bello, the leader of the Northern Region; Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, the head of the Western Region; and Chief Festus Samuel Okotie-Eboh, the Minister of Finance in Nigeria, other individuals who died were Brigadier Samuel Adesujo Ademulegun, the commander of the 1st Brigade in the Nigerian Army; Brigadier Zakariya Maimalari, the commander of the 2nd Brigade in the Nigerian Army; Lt Colonel James Pam; Colonel Ralph Sodeinde; Colonel Arthur Unegbe; Colonel Kur Mohammed, and Lt. Colonel Abogo Largema.

Hajiya Hafsatu Bello, the spouse of the Sardauna of Sokoto, and Mrs. Lateefat Ademulegun, the wife of Brigadier Ademulegun, lost their lives as well.

Brig. Maimalari was among the early officers of the Nigerian Army and played a key role during its initial development. He was born on January 17, 1930, in Maimalari village, which was part of the former Borno Province, now known as Yobe State. He studied at Barewa College in Zaria before enlisting in the Royal West African Frontier Force in 1950. In 1953, following training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, he was appointed as a second lieutenant, becoming one of the first Nigerians to receive a standard combat commission. Later, he completed advanced military training in the United Kingdom, Pakistan, and at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, progressing through the ranks to eventually lead the Nigerian Army’s 2nd Brigade based in Apapa, Lagos.

Lieutenant Colonel Abogo Largema, originally from Damboa in today’s Borno State, was part of the first group of professionally educated Nigerian military officers. He joined the Nigerian Regiment within the Royal West African Frontier Force and eventually became the Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion based in Ibadan. Having received training abroad as part of initiatives to locally develop the officer ranks following independence, Largema was seen as a seasoned battlefield leader. He died while on duty on January 15, 1966, highlighting the significant impact the coup had on senior northern army officers.

Colonel Kur Mohammed, hailing from Bama in Borno State, was a notable northern military figure whose career ended abruptly due to the coup. He was killed in Lagos during the coup, along with other high-ranking officers and political figures, an event that historians have recognized as a pivotal point in Nigeria’s political and military past.

Lieutenant Colonel James Yakubu Gyang Pam, born on November 23, 1933, was the Adjutant-General at Army Headquarters in Lagos when he passed away. He was the first Nigerian artillery officer and the first army officer from the Middle Belt to be commissioned following training at Sandhurst. Pam died at his Ikoyi home during the coup after reportedly trying to inform senior command about the ongoing mutiny, a loss that took away a crucial institutional leader from the Nigerian Army at a pivotal time.

Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc.Syndigate.info).