A very chilling account of what happened on that fateful day. It's a shame they failed to stop that evil regime, we're still paying for that failure today.
I can still remember that fateful Sunday as if it was yesterday. Then I was a starry eyed 9 year old. I lived in the Army guest house at Tamadu Naval barracks Apapa. Incidentally, one of the coup plotters was my next door neighbour ( Major Obahor). I had a premonition that something was wrong when my mum was turned back at gun point by a naval rating on her way to church at St Georges Protestant church just outside de barracks. That coup cost my dad his career because it was perceived as a "Benue coup" and many officers from Benue were purged out of service.
Wow bro who are u? I was 8 years old, u were almost my neighbor. I was living at no 3 park lane Apapa. In front of directorate of military intelligence. I used to go to St. Michael's catholic church at tamadu barracks. The whole coup played in my eyes. Cross fires gun shots and light artillery
@@emanuelolowu7007 my friend keep quite. The whole coup played in your eyes. You better be careful what you say ok. At that tender age you already stated to concoct lies. So because you live in apapa you must know everyone? What do you know about DMI?
A Major is in the middle rank of army officers. Junior officer ranks are second lieutenant, lieutenant and captain. Senior ranks commence thus: lieutenant-colonel, colonel, brigadier-general, major-general, lieutenant- general, full general, and ultimately, field marshal. Go and learn.
@KOLLECTIV DRAMA: The pronouncement was probably the main reason the coup failed, one of my cousins said the coup will fail the moment the pronouncement of exiting the 5 northern states from Nigeria was made. His arguement was that, the other remaining northern states will sympathize with the 5 northern states to be exited.
Lol 😂 Typical Nigerian mentality of “I hate oppression unless it benefits me or my people” A coup plotter is a dictator and there’s nothing great about dictators. No matter how he paints it... They all say the same thing!
@@FournovateWebsiteExpert Typical Nigerian rudeness. The coup by The Great Gideon Orkar was unique, it identified a notorious section of that artificial entity known as Nigeria and immediately set about ostracizing it, this was no mere talk, this was action the likes of which had never been seen before or since then...the coup when studied is better termed a revolution. In hindsight it becomes glaringly clear that, so righteous was that attempt at revolution that if it had succeeded, the jihadist uprising that WILL ultimately balkanize that country would long have been halted. Your generalization displays your inability to recognize that there are no absolutes; idiotic jingos like the best dictorship is worst than the worst democracy are repeated by those with a sinister agenda or at best by ignoramuses, you sound like you belong to the latter category.
The failure of the Orkar to end the IBB’s drug baronish, homosexually centered and barbaric administration is the reason for our backwardness. I respect those fallen officers.
The Echendu fellow is a joker. According to him, he saw Babangida being smuggled out but failed to shoot him because he wanted him captured alive, that crazy. How was he planning on arresting and prosecuting someone already making an escape?
I fully agreed that the situation in the country at that time, just like now, warrants a change of government..Some of the problems in Okar’s coup was the notion that it was directed against the NORTH (going by their radio broadcast). If that coup had succeeded, there would have been a counter coup, just like what happened in 1966. Any successful coup in Nigeria without the exclusive inclusion of officers from the CORE NORTHERN PART OF NIGERIA is bound to fail.
@@shehuarc2964 which igbo are you talking about. It seems you cannot read or what. After Babangida Abacha came. So what are you talking about. North is just the problem of Nigeria Take it or leave it
@@shehuarc2964 the problem with you northerners is that you shy away from the truth every igbo man in that tribunal are there to do the Biden of babangida and Abacha your brothers.
@@shehuarc2964 sanda Nwachukwu is not an Igbo man but half Hausa that fought on the Nigeria side during the Biafra genocide. Babangida and Abacha picked the most useful idiot to do their bidding....
Access to power was simply have access to weapons during those times period!!!,it’s happening again I see a coup in max 2/5 yrs in Nigeria happening.we back to the era of the strongman around the world.
The coup plotters were moved to their various locations on j5 Peugeot buses. You never mentioned about the officer killed by the coup plotters on duty that day at ikeja cantonment main Gate. My unite 123 Guards battalion and other battalion soldiers fuelled the coup led by Late major Madaki, Bamiyi of 9brigade and Raji Rasaki the then Lagos Governor. Most of the coup plotters were drunk and too much money was giving to them by Great Ogboru. Some of the coup plotters arrested in ikeja cantonment were drunk. The j5buses were impounded. I will never forget that day as a young Soldier. The coup failed because of the announcement of major Gideon for asking the northern army officers to return to the north within 24hours, the northern officers in Lagos the likes of Brigadier Bamiyi of 9 Brigade Late major madaki of 123Gds and co have to mobilize themselves to counterattack the coup plotters . The reason major Gideon gave then is what is happening in Nigeria today, Gideon saw it coming. His asking the senior Army officers to return to the north was the failure of the coup. You all can see what is happening in Nigeria with what the fulani are turning the country into. The president today is the dullest Army officer i have ever knew he is paying Nigerians back with what IBB did to his military regime jailing him, not allowing him to attend his mother funeral all this are the reason Buhari don't care about fulani herdsmen killing. I was enlisted into the Army when he was the military president he is avenging what IBB did to him by allowing his fulani to be killing Nigerians. The truth has to be said Buhari played on the intelligent of all Nigerians to become the president for him to revenge. The last thing the northerners will agree on is for the country to divide but it will surely happen. The northerners has never been fair to other tribes in that country it's better everybody goes their separate ways, with peace and not blood shared. During my days in the Army was when the Army was full with morals not this politicians Army boys of today that can not tackle Boko Haram and herdsmen. Thanks for reading this article.
Dakola was not the officer killed at the Ikeja Cantonment gate. He was an Intelligence Officer who unfortunately happens to be a course mate and a friend of Captain Empere both of Ijaw tribe. Dakolo was arrested, tried and acquitted. When the powers that be saw the coupe a tribal/sectional, he was re-arested and executed even he was not known to be a part of the coup. Their believe was that since he and Empere were good friends and from same Ijaw tribe, he must have know or heard of it.
Captain Dakolo was the officer on duty that day he was killed at the cantonment gate. He is an officer from 123Guards Battalion i know what am talking about. Captain Dakolo was never involved in the coup.
@@franklewis164 Captain Dakolo on the other hand was reportedly an instructor at the Army Depot in Zaria. However, he had only just been posted there from the 123 infantry battalion at Ikeja cantonment. Thus he was quite familiar with many of the soldiers in the battalion. On the night of the coup, therefore, he was able to approach the cantonment gate without suspicion whereupon he allegedly opened fire on the guard detail. Some soldiers reportedly fell, dead or dying, while others fled. The bus (or buses) carrying other conspirators thus drove into the cantonment without resistance. Incidentally, an innocent officer (of similar ethnic/state background) who just happened to be passing by got into an argument over what had just transpired and was also allegedly summarily shot.
@@fimsampson6190 I dont know where you got your information from. Late Captain Dakolo was my officer at 123 Gds he was the only person shot at the cantonment Gate. No other Soldier or officer dead at the cantonment gate. Late Captain Dakolo was shot by the coup plotters he was the officer on duty that faithful day.He has been an officer with 123 Gds for years before the coup took place. The only officer that really participated in the coup you mentioned from 123Gds was Lt Emma Okekumatalor. He successfully fled the country he is presently in one of the European countries which i will not talk about.Pls we should Educate the public with facts. Am telling you as someone that saw it all, and did not read about it from the pages of newspapers. With all this information you should know that i know what am talking. All the soldiers recruited for this coup from the cantonment was recruited during a birthday party of one young Lt from 242 Recce Battalion in ikeja which I will not mention his name. I will want you to do a research on the young officer from 242Recce Battalion that was on duty with Lt Emma at FRCN. The young officer was killed during the operation.The only officer arrested and tried and released from 123Gds was Capt Edeh the then Adjutant of 123Gds Late Captain Dakolo was never tried and released he was killed by the coup plotters. Those found guilty of plotting the coup were executed at Abeokuta firing range.Among them are s/sgt Solomon Atiga alias Hello babe from 9 Brigade and others.
The officer killed at the gate was captain NDELE from a village called ndele in Rivers state. When his corps was found he was wearing a Majors uniform. Captain Dakolo was fully involved in the coup and executed.
Thank God is not igbo coup again yet no tomorrow or hope for in evil Nigeria without meaning this is just the beginning evil Nigeria will not see development of any kind until all tribes go their way and developed their people and their land according to their own way and like
The 1966 coup actually caged the ibos to make any move especially in the military, even if is a "good one". Haven't observed that after 1966 coup all other coup has been done by the northerners,because any coup then will be tagged anti north. The 1990 coup was partially middle belt I think
the 1966 coup the british lied and called igbo coup was led by kaduna nzeogu who was born in kaduna, speaks hausa mostly, his mother is hausa, his father is from delta but they say he's igbo but when it's time for biafra, they say biafra is not igbo... more than 18 northern officers participated in the coup, also yoruba officers participated in the coup... igbo ironsi stupidly stopped the coup & paid dearly for his foolishness... nigeria was never one country... zik agreeing to include north in nigeria even though north didn't want independence & killed igbos & yorubas for it, has to be the biggest mistake of the century
@@juicysmoye4758 Dictatorships start with ethnic issues and selfish interests. Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Ohamadike is not worth what you think he is. Ojuku was misled by Frenchman if not Biafra would have been a strong country. Ojuku knows only the northern leaders enjoyed the wealth of Nigeria. Non of Northern middle class and low-class citizens enjoy the wealth that provokes ojuku. don't let Mazi Nnamdi Kanu Ohamadike deceive you. All e wanted is to be a dictator and Supreme leader that's why he's acting alone. so he can say I did it alone.
31 years after the aborted Orkar coup, Nigeria ie North and South are still divided as ever or even worse now in 2021. The Herdsmen/farmer clashes, unfair distribution of power in high places ie North vs South and many other unfairness have all given rise to the present in security/ agitation to divide the country in half still persist to this day. Since the Orkar attempted coup, subsequent governments have refused to address these and other problems causing the North/South division in Nigeria. As uncomfortable has it sounds to the government, Nigeria is not a United country due to its size and the North/South issues. Many eminent Nigerians today think like Orkar, that the country should divided but they are to scared to voice their opinion🇳🇬
Middle belts fought for one Nigeria and help the North to achieve what they want , now middle belts want to go home 'coz Northern Fulansi and Bandits are killing them in Taraba , Benue , Southern kaduna and Jos etc Where is Danjuma and Gowon ?
Nigeria has seen more military rule than civilian rule. Almost every retired General who held a ministerial portfolio is now a millionaire. The oil rich regions are mostly still impoverished with their rivers polluted with crude oil whilst their leaders turn a blind eye. So without ECOMOG, IMF, and other external deterrents, that trend of coup after coup would still be carrying on now.
They are all the same. They always have reasons to plan couple and when they get there, they start singing another song. They initially uses the press to convince Nigerians, the same press later become their worst victim.. The worst and most brutal military government is the one that's led by young and Junior officers especially MAJORS, FLIGHT CAPTAINS. They are mostly rebels in the barracks and if they survived planning couple, they hold on to power as long as they believe that they are still young and they do this in such a brutal way to avoid being overthrown.
Most people think IBB moved the capital to Abuja out of patriotism not knowing that it's in the spirit of selfishness. Even if the Gideon coup succeeds in Lagos, however, without capturing other key cities in the north, the coup will still face an ample rebellion. Let's assume the coupist capture strategic cities, it will still short lived because they will face mutiny from northern soldiers. In each case, the coup depict no one is infallible not even the evil genus himself. It demoralised IBB that he allow fresh elections to take place in 1991 for governors and other parliaments
IBB said recently that he sent him abroad, he returned home, went to see IBB to discuss his experiences about the training and the next thing he orchestrated a coup against him. If that's true can anyone then blame a President who decides to surround himself with people he can trust even his own kin men? You learn from experience. l will do the same thing.
The main thing that differentiates Orkar's coup from any other in Nigeria and being the most shocking was his decision to drive out some northern states and their citizens from Nigeria. He said they (the coup makers) have reached, "... a temporary decision to excise the following states namely, Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kano and Bauchi states from the Federal Republic of Nigeria comes into effect..." I had hoped to hear more about how that step affected the coup attempt and the atmosphere in the country, at least at the time.
Now decades later, we are all witnessing what we should have seen all those years that, drastic changes that will shake and REMAKE our Nation is urgently needed.Failure to do this, means Nigeria (the way it is being run today), is only existing on borrowed time.....
Gideon Orka was totally wrong to have said that the middle belt (north central) was marginalized. Babangida himself isy a middle belter and 80 percent of cabinet were dominated by the middle belters.
Ifeajuna is the reason that coup went like that. The plan was to kill all political leaders but Ifeajuna tipped Zik off and spared the life of Ironsi. Leaders from the rest of the country were killed except for Igbos - and that made everone think it was an Igbo coup. That had not been the plan.
@@titi9238 "they have been neutralized." Fortunately, they have just one more, "final" chance to be free. If they let this last boat pass them by without getting onboard, they will, definitely, become manure - forget "neutralized."
Orka's Tribalistic input into the speech failed the coup. Military regime is for the officers not for a region. They died in vain & made no meaningful impact to the future of the country.
Because you the Northerners are the one that make this country worst seriously, because of you people selfishness, now this where we find ourselves now, that's why see the Igbos want to divide Nigeria country, because nothing like one Nigeria, because you the Northerners failed to tell yourself the truth seriously,
For this reason; Benue, Taraba and Plateau are being punished severely by the Hausa Fulani conglomerate today. Just as they continue to marginalize Igbos till date. I'm really pained that the coup did not succeed.
I remember that day and listening to the bizarre justifications given for a coup. I traveled by car after church from Anambra to AKS. No one appeared to take the matter seriously and went about their business as if nothing happened. Only when we saw 3 soldiers relaxing by the radio tower in Abak did we believe the earlier broadcast. It was over before it began.
This was the opportunity Nigeria missed. I was so happy about the coup, then heard it failed we were upset. It was a missed opportunity to have a Nigerian Thomas Sankara.
Mr commenter, let truth be told,I was 14 years old then,the announcement on radio by Major Gideon Orkar that"the whole Northern Nigeria's is not in our midst....."signifies,justify a deep rooted hatred,animosity towards the whole Northern Nigerian population, or are we Military Men & Women too?
IBB stepped aside for Abacha. MKO lost out of that deal bcus he wasn't meant to truncate the transfer of power from IBB to Abacha regardless the election results. And the C130 plane crash? A generation of brilliant and most educated sets of officers perished in one swoop.
As a student of history, I am always afraid for this country and the future generations when I recalled these gory events of the eighties and the nineties. It was trying times for anyone who grew up in that era.
Very good documentary. Just some corrections though. It is 26 Gaurds battalion Bonny camp and not 126 Gaurds. Also, the commanding officer was Col. Ocheido not Col. Zidon. And the major mistake by the coupist was failure to take down Nitel. Major Okar was so drunk that night that he forgot to take down army signals earlier and had to do that after the radio announcement, unfortunately he was apprehended in the act of cutting army signal wires in Bonny camp. There is still lot to it..... and it includes why 123 cantonment ikeja went down without a bullet from the coupist and may explain why they had to be used as the sacrificial lamb as NIBAT 1 of ECOMOG. Also, you will wonder why the involvement of Great Ugboru. I lost my best friend in the C130 Plane crash 😪. Looking forward to your documentary on that as well. Good job.
hmmm we refer to it as 123batallion. They have a special building in the Ikeja Cantonment . As soon as you enter via the Maryland entrance. It is a popular unit in the Barack called 123. May their souls rest in peace
I really wish I could gather together you brilliant minds that witnessed these events and we keep dishing out videos like this. We need to teach these new generations our history. We are likely to make the same mistake if we don't learn from the past. It seems Nigeria has not learned anything from the horror past we went through.
@@seuna.8438 Soo Truueeee!!! You read my mind. Please @Andrew Onu, write a book, a blog post, or even just speak it all into an audio recording and post it online or send it around. Please don't go to the great beyond without sharing. 🙏🏿🙏🏿
What I don't understand is how they make primary mistakes like failure to cut off comms, getting drunk before a life & death situation. Too many mistakes. I salute their bravery, however, they just weren't ready
Good content,but speaking in a monotone,quick reading of script and heavy accent wastes otherwise nice choice of contents, unless this is meant for West Africans. From East Africa regards
So this Gideon Orkar Coup is opening our eyes to the fact that both Buhari and IBB has same islamisation agenda,..... So who are we to fight the fight alone, father we call on you to save this country, for your love sake
I remember where I was . ‘ The situation is under control as directed by God’ . He was determined to succeed but was let down by cowards, who failed to play their parts. I knew it failed, when telephone lines were still working, giving abacha & his clique, the chance to communicate, re group & plan a counter attack. The coup spooked IBB & resulted in his relocation to Abacha. God, he nearly got him.
