1966 Nigerian coup d'état

1966 Nigerian coup d'etat
Date	15–16 January 1966
Location	Nigeria
Result	Coup failed but government was still overthrown End of the First Nigerian Republic; Assassination of 11 senior politicians; Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi seizes power; Coup conspirators arrested; Beginning of the Supreme Military Council of Nigeria (1966–1979); Beginning of the 1966 anti-Igbo pogrom; 1966 Nigerian counter-coup six months later;
Belligerents
Government of Nigeria	Rebel Army Officers
Commanders and leaders
Nnamdi Azikiwe; Nwafor Orizu; Abubakar Balewa X; Ahmadu Bello X; Samuel Akintola X; Festus Okotie-Eboh X; Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi	Kaduna Nzeogwu; Adewale Ademoyega ; Emmanuel Ifeajuna;
Strength
Unknown	Unknown
Casualties and losses
22 dead	0

On 15 January 1966, rebellious soldiers led by Kaduna Nzeogwu and 4 others carried out a military putsch, killing 22 people, including the prime minister of Nigeria, many senior politicians, senior Army officers and their wives, and sentinels on protective duty. The coup plotters attacked the cities of Kaduna, Ibadan, and Lagos while also blockading the Niger and Benue River within a two-day timespan, before being overcome by loyalist forces.

Although the coup was considered a failure, it still resulted in a change from an elected government to a military government, albeit led by a different set of senior officers. It also marked the start of a succession of military coups in Nigeria.