Nzeogwu Coup Plotters “Would Have” Killed Awolowo- Omokri

Renowned public commentator Reno Omokri says Major Kaduna Nzeogwu and other coup plotters had no plan to set the late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo free from prison.

Also, contrary to the claim that Awolowo was released from prison by the leader of the Biafran secessionist Army, General Odimegwu Ojukwu now late, Omokri said it was General Yakubu Gowon, Nigeria’s military leader at the time who released the former Premier of the Western Region from jail.

Omokri position is contrary to the wide held belief that the coup plotters of the January 15, 1966 had the intention to release, Awolowo who had been held in the Calabar prison at the time by the federal government for treason.

Other opinions claimed that Major Nzeogwu, who led the first bloody coup in the country, which led to the killings of some prominent leaders of Nigeria’s First Republic, including Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premiers of Northern and Western Regions, Ahmadu Bello and Akintola amongst others had planned to install Awolowo as President.

The wounds left by the 1966 coup has recently been opened by former military head of state General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.) in his book  ‘ A Journey In Service’ more thant 59 years after.

The magazine reports that some northern leaders had at the time claimed that the coup was meant to wipe out prominent leaders from the region, which in turn led to a counter coup in July 1966.

The counter coup led to the killings of many Igbo military officers and civilians, which propelled General Ojukwu to declare the Republic of Biafra, and in turn led to the Nigerian bloody civil war as the federal government was poised to quell the rebellion of the secessionist forces.

But reacting, Omokri said in his X post on Sunday that the Nzeogwu coup plotters had no intention to release Awolowo from prison, rather, they would have killed him if they had access to him in Calabar where he was serving a prison term for alleged treasonable offence against him by the federal government.

Awolowo “would have been killed by” the coup plotters, Omokri said in the post that is now generating reactions on the social media.

Below, Omokri post on X:

This is the official gazette of the Federal Military Government, which released Chief Awolowo Obafemi Awolowo and pardoned him of all crimes by the Lt. Colonel Yakubu Gowon-led Federal Military Government of Nigeria on Friday, August 12, 1966. Chief Awolowo was actually released on Tuesday, August 2, 1966. This official gazette came ten days later after he had met and negotiated with Yakubu Gowon and Murtala Muhammed.

Upon arrival in Lagos, Chief Awolowo was received by Lt. Colonel Murtala Muhammed, who drove him to Dodan Barracks to be received by the Head of State, Lt. Colonel Gowon.

They had a hard time leaving the airport because Alhaja Asabi Abibat Mogaji, the mother of Nigeria’s incumbent President, Bola Tinubu, had arranged a mammoth crowd to receive Chief Awolowo.

Chief Awolowo was not released by Lt. Colonel Emeka Ojukwu or Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi. That is a lie by Radio Biafra.

Also, after the January 15, 1966 coup, neither Majors Chukwuma Nzeogwu nor Emmanuel Ifeajuna made any attempt to free Chief Awolowo. In fact, the plotters did not make a phone call, send a signal, or send soldiers to Calabar prison.

It is possible that if Chief Awolowo had not been in prison and had instead been active in politics, he would have been killed by Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna or any of his co-plotters.