Retired General Okonkwo Okoloagu has recounted his experience during the January 15, 1966 military coup, saying he and some of his colleagues had no involvement in the plot and were instead escorted from their barracks to their homes.
Speaking in an interview with Signature TV on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Okoloagu said many military officers who were not part of the coup were caught up in the confusion surrounding the takeover and were neither informed of the events nor assigned operational roles.
“We were bundled overnight to be guided to our respective homes. We didn’t know the areas. We were not involved,” he said.
The retired general said his experience illustrates the uncertainty faced by some military personnel during the coup, which resulted in the assassination of several political and military leaders and marked the beginning of military rule in Nigeria. According to Okoloagu, some officers were hurriedly escorted to their residences without being told what was happening or where they were being taken.
