Renowned journalist and cultural figure, Oloye Lekan Alabi has shared a striking incident involving General Murtala Muhammed during the tense days of the 1966 counter-coup, describing it as the first time the senior officer experienced outright insubordination in his military career.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Edmund Obilo on State Affairs, aired on SplashFM 105.5, Alabi narrated how Muhammed who played a central role in the July 1966 coup that overthrew Major General Johnson Aguiyi Ironsi, encountered an unexpected act of defiance from a junior officer.
According to Alabi, Muhammed noticed a soldier moving casually past his window and felt the soldier was not maintaining proper military conduct. Reacting instinctively, he issued a command for the soldier to adjust his bearing.
“A sergeant was walking beside his windows and he thought the sergeant was too lackadaisical and he opened the windows and said, ‘Hey, buckle up,'” Alabi recounted. “The sergeant replied him, ‘Hey Brigadier, I don’t take orders from you.’ That was the first shock in his life.”
Alabi described the moment as a turning point that reflected the breakdown of command and discipline in the military amid the chaos and confusion of the coup. The direct defiance, coming from a lower-ranking officer to a brigadier, underscored the deep divisions and tensions that had gripped the Nigerian Army at the time.
The 1966 counter-coup, which led to the killings of Ironsi and Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, paved the way for Lieutenant Colonel Yakubu Gowon to emerge as Head of State and marked the beginning of a turbulent period in Nigeria’s political history.
Find Verified News At Your fingertips Click The Button Below
