BREAKING: 1966 Coup: We Saw When Babangida Launched His Autobiography And Said It Was Not Igbo Coup – Tony Nnadi
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Tony Nnadi, Secretary-General of the Lower Niger Congress (LNC) and Co-Founder of NINAS, has renewed criticism of former Nigerian Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, over his rejection of allegations of genocide during the Nigerian Civil War, arguing that even key figures from Nigeria’s military era have acknowledged flaws in narratives that fueled the conflict.
Nnadi made the remarks during an interview on Afia News, on Wednesday, 3 June, 2026, while discussing the legacy of the 1967-1970 civil war and the lingering controversy surrounding the events that led to the conflict.
The LNC leader accused Gowon of attempting to rewrite history by denying claims that the war involved acts of genocide against the people of Biafra. According to him, subsequent admissions by prominent military leaders have challenged some of the long-held justifications for actions taken before and during the war.
“We saw when Ibrahim Babangida launched his autobiography and saying that it was not an Igbo coup,” Nnadi said.
The comment was a reference to revelations contained in the memoir of former military president Ibrahim Babangida, in which he addressed the January 1966 military coup and disputed the characterization of the mutiny as an exclusively Igbo plot.
Nnadi argued that such acknowledgements undermine narratives that were used to stigmatize the Igbo ethnic group and contribute to tensions that preceded the outbreak of the civil war. He maintained that historical facts should be confronted honestly rather than dismissed for political convenience.
According to him, efforts to deny the suffering experienced during the war or to downplay the circumstances that led to it only deepen grievances among communities that were directly affected by the conflict.
