Ohanaeze Demands Apology, ₦10 Trillion Compensation for Igbo Over 1966 Coup Misrepresentation
Following former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s revelation that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo-led coup as widely alleged, the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has called on President Bola Tinubu to issue a formal apology and pay ₦10 trillion in reparations to the Igbo people.
In a statement obtained by The Bureau Newspaper in Abakaliki, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Deputy National President of the Ohanaeze faction, stated that the long-standing misrepresentation of the coup led to disastrous consequences for the Igbo people, culminating in the Nigerian Civil War, which resulted in the deaths of approximately three million Igbo, mostly women and children.
Ohanaeze insists that President Tinubu must seize this opportunity to acknowledge past injustices by issuing a public apology on behalf of previous military administrations, particularly the government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon. The group maintained that the demand for ₦10 trillion in reparations is not arbitrary but serves as symbolic recognition of the immense losses the Igbo have suffered.
Isiguzoro highlighted that even decades after the war, the Igbo people continue to face systemic marginalization, citing their underrepresentation in Nigeria’s state structure, political exclusion from the presidency, economic neglect, and the poor state of infrastructure in the Southeast, including the closure of ports and lack of functional international airports.
While extending forgiveness to Babangida and others involved in the war, Ohanaeze emphasized that his confession should bring about accountability and serve as a step toward justice and national reconciliation.