The 1966 Nigerian coup d'état began on January 15, 1966, when mutinous Nigerian soldiers led by Kaduna Nzeogwu and Emmanuel Ifeajuna killed 22 people including the Prime Minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, many senior Army officers (including their wives), and sentinels on protective duty. The coup plotters attacked the cities of Kaduna, Ibadan, and Lagos while also blockading the Niger and Benue River within a two - day span of time before the coup plotters were subdued. The General Officer Commanding, of the Nigerian Army, Johnson Aguiyi - Ironsi then used the coup as a pretext to annex power, ending Nigeria 's nascent democracy. It was one of the events that led to the Nigerian Civil War.
who led the first coup d'etat in nigeria
Kaduna Nzeogwu Emmanuel Ifeajuna