Former Military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has revealed that the failure of General Yakubu Gowon to uphold his commitment to protecting Igbos in northern Nigeria contributed to the events that led to the Nigerian Civil War.
In his newly launched book, Journey in Service, Babangida provided a detailed account of the political tensions that preceded the war, highlighting how Gowon’s emergence as Head of State in 1966 and the subsequent massacres of Igbos in the north escalated the crisis.
Gowon vs. Ojukwu: The Leadership Crisis
Babangida explained that the crisis deepened when Lt-Col. Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu rejected Gowon’s appointment as Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, following the assassination of Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi.
Ojukwu argued that in the absence of Ironsi, the most senior officer, Brigadier Babafemi Ogundipe, should have taken over. However, Gowon, being a northern officer, was favored by the military establishment, leading to heightened ethnic and political tensions.
The 1966 Massacres and Broken Promises
In an attempt to stabilize the country, Gowon assembled regional leaders, known as the Leaders of Thought, to discuss a way forward. He also secured the support of the Yoruba political class by releasing Chief Obafemi Awolowo from prison.
However, Babangida pointed out that Gowon failed to protect Igbos in the North, despite assurances of their safety.
“Unfortunately, Gowon’s commitments to the Igbos—that their lives were safe in northern Nigeria—were unfulfilled,” IBB wrote.
On September 29, 1966, widespread killings of Igbos and easterners erupted across northern Nigeria, leading to a massive influx of refugees into the Eastern Region. In response, Ojukwu withdrew from Gowon’s peace talks, insisting that Igbos were unsafe outside their homeland.
The Aburi Accord and the Final Trigger for War
As tensions escalated, Ghana’s Head of State, Lt-General Joseph Arthur Ankrah, brokered a peace conference in Aburi, Ghana, in January 1967.
Babangida noted that both Ojukwu and Gowon reached an agreement at Aburi, but its interpretation became a subject of dispute.
While the Eastern Region claimed the accord endorsed a loose federation, the Federal Government insisted that Nigeria would remain united. In response, Gowon promulgated Decree 8, which Ojukwu rejected, arguing that it violated the spirit of the Aburi Accord.
“These differences in interpretation were the final trigger for the outbreak of the Nigerian Civil War,” Babangida concluded.
The war, which began on July 6, 1967, lasted for 30 months, resulting in massive destruction and loss of lives, particularly in the Eastern Region.
