Babatunji Olowofoyeku - 1966 Military Coup

1966 Military Coup

In the aftermath of the December 1965 elections, there was a bloody military coup on January 15, 1966, establishing a National Military Government. This coup that toppled the first democratically elected Federal Government of Sir Tafawa Balewa also ended the political careers of most of the politicians of the first republic. The Prime Minister was assassinated with his Finance Minister, Chief Okotie-Ebo. Also assassinated were the Premier of the North, the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, and the Premier of the West, Chief S.L. Akintola.

After this coup that assassinated the Premier of the Western Region, Chief S. L. Akintola, the Military Government then went after all the surviving political leaders including Chief Olowofoyeku and Chief Fani-Kayode. Other politicians were arrested and detained. Chief Olowofoyeku was arrested and taken into custody by the Military Government on January 30, 1966 and detained for six months. He was first detained at Agodi in Ibadan and later transferred to KiriKiri in Lagos. He was allowed very limited family visitation rights throughout his political incarceration at KiriKiri.

Chief Olowofoyeku was released after the second counter coup on July 29, 1966 that was carried out by soldiers of Northern Nigerian extraction who replaced the old military regime of Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi. This Coup D’etat was led by a northerner, Col. Theophilus Yakubu Danjuma who plotted the counter coup on behalf of Northern Nigerian soldiers that installed Lt Col. Yakubu Gowon, (a young, intelligent 32 year old officer) as the second Military Head of State to power in 1966. This second coup finally led to the Nigeria-Biafran Civil War of 1966-1970. Over 1 million civilians, mostly of Ibo extraction died in the fratricidal duel motivated more by greed, reprisals and revenge against Igbo soldiers. After being set free to go home, and having learnt a hard lesson from his experience, Chief Olowofoyeku vowed never to get involved in partisan politics again.

By the time the Nigerian Civil War broke out on July 6, 1967 over the secession of the South-eastern Region of Nigeria desiring to become Biafra, as a separate nation, Olowofoyeku was no longer involved in politics, and was in fact temporarily out of the country. Within weeks of his release in July 1966, he had left Nigeria and departed for Paris, France, to seek rest and refuge.