The family of Nigeria’s first military Head of State, Major General Johnson Thomas Umunnakwe Aguiyi-Ironsi, has called on the Federal Government to formally apologise and pay compensation over his assassination during the 1966 counter-coup.
The demand was made by the head of the Aguiyi-Ironsi family, Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi, a nephew of the late military leader, during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Thursday.
He described the former Head of State as a patriotic and detribalised leader who accepted the responsibility of leading Nigeria during one of its most turbulent periods, insisting that his family has never received justice or a sincere apology for his killing.
According to him, the late military leader’s assassination left a painful scar on the family that has remained unaddressed nearly six decades after the incident.
Family seeks apology and reconciliation
Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi said the Federal Government should acknowledge the circumstances surrounding the former Head of State’s death by offering a formal apology and compensation to his family.
He argued that Aguiyi-Ironsi did not commit any offence that warranted his assassination, stressing that he merely answered the nation’s call to leadership following the January 1966 military coup.
“The only crime he committed was that he was the most senior officer at the time. And he was called upon to take over after the coup. He did not take part in the coup. He accepted the call to serve his fatherland before he was gruesomely assassinated.
“After he was assassinated, people moved on. The family needs to be compensated, given a sincere apology, and reconciliation,” he said.
He maintained that while Nigeria has continued to move forward politically and democratically, the family has continued to live with the pain of losing its son without any official effort at reconciliation.
Ironsi remembered as a patriotic leader
The family head described Aguiyi-Ironsi as a visionary leader who believed in the unity of Nigeria and was committed to building an inclusive nation despite the political tensions of the period.
He said the former military ruler was widely regarded as a detribalised Nigerian who sought to hold the country together at a time when it faced serious political uncertainty.
According to him, Aguiyi-Ironsi occupied the office of Head of State for only six months before his administration was violently brought to an end.
He added that history should remember the late military leader for his commitment to national service rather than the controversies surrounding the events that followed the January 1966 coup.
Background to the 1966 military takeover
Aguiyi-Ironsi became Nigeria’s first military Head of State after the January 1966 coup, which overthrew the country’s First Republic and brought an end to the parliamentary system of government.
The coup resulted in the deaths of Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premier of the Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello, Premier of the Western Region Chief Samuel Akintola and several senior military officers.
Although Aguiyi-Ironsi did not participate in the coup, he emerged as Head of State as the most senior serving military officer after the political leadership collapsed.
His government introduced a number of reforms aimed at stabilising the country, but growing political tensions and dissatisfaction in parts of the country continued to deepen.
Assassination remains historic turning point
On July 29, 1966, Aguiyi-Ironsi was assassinated during a counter-coup led by a group of military officers. He was killed alongside the then Military Governor of the Western Region, Lt. Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, in Ibadan.
His death marked a major turning point in Nigeria’s political history and paved the way for another change in military leadership, deepening the political and ethnic divisions that eventually culminated in the Nigerian Civil War.
Nearly six decades after the assassination, the Aguiyi-Ironsi family believes the time has come for the Federal Government to officially recognise what it describes as an injustice by offering an apology, providing compensation and promoting national reconciliation in honour of the late Head of State’s sacrifice and service to Nigeria.