Date of Publication: Wednesday, August 2, 1967‎Source: Daily Times (Nigeria) – Issue No. 18,405‎Headline: Nzeogwu Killed

‎NZEOGWU’S DEAD
‎
‎Date of Publication: Wednesday, August 2, 1967
‎Source: Daily Times (Nigeria) – Issue No. 18,405
‎Headline: Nzeogwu Killed
‎
‎On August 1, 1967, Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, a key figure in Nigerian military and political history, was reported killed by federal troops near Enugu during the early stages of the Nigerian Civil War. His death marked the end of a controversial and influential life deeply intertwined with Nigeria’s post-independence turbulence.
‎
‎Nzeogwu rose to national prominence as the leader of Nigeria’s first military coup on January 15, 1966. Then a Major stationed in Kaduna, he led the Northern operation of what would later be labeled the “Nzeogwu Coup.” The coup, which was initially claimed to be aimed at curbing corruption and restoring order, resulted in the assassination of several key political figures including Prime Minister Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Premier Ahmadu Bello of the Northern Region, and other senior officials. Although the coup ultimately failed, it paved the way for a period of military dominance in Nigerian politics.
‎
‎Following the coup, Nzeogwu was arrested and imprisoned by the new head of state, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, who himself would later be overthrown and assassinated in a counter-coup led by Northern officers in July 1966. These events deepened the country’s ethnic divisions and contributed to the outbreak of civil war.
‎
‎After his release from prison by Biafran leader Colonel Odumegwu Ojukwu, Nzeogwu joined the Biafran military forces, aligning himself with the secessionist cause of the Eastern Region, which declared itself the independent Republic of Biafra on May 30, 1967.
‎
‎Nzeogwu was reportedly involved in military operations for Biafra and was leading a rebel unit during a clash with federal troops near Enugu. It was in this engagement, approximately 22 miles from the city, that he was killed by Nigerian federal forces.
‎
‎According to the Daily Times report dated August 2, 1967, Nzeogwu died in battle, and federal troops later recovered his body. Official accounts indicated that the encounter was part of a larger military offensive aimed at reclaiming rebel-held territory in the eastern region.
‎
‎A photograph in the publication showed federal troops inspecting seized weapons following the battle, signifying a successful operation against the Biafran forces. Additionally, the paper mentioned that rebel aircraft were also shot down during recent air raids, highlighting the intensification of the conflict at that time.
‎
‎Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu remains one of Nigeria’s most complex historical figures. To some, he was a patriotic revolutionary who sought to rescue Nigeria from political decay; to others, he was part of a divisive force that contributed to the nation’s descent into civil war.
‎
‎His death in 1967 symbolized not only the fall of a revolutionary soldier but also the deepening tragedy of a war that would claim over a million lives before its end in January 1970.
‎
‎This story is based on the Daily Times front page published on August 2, 1967, a contemporaneous and primary source that captured national sentiment and official military reports shortly after the incident.
‎

Stories Of Old Nigeria