THE FALSE PHONE CALL THAT LED TO THE DE@H OF LT. COL. ABOGO LARGEMA — 15 JANUARY 1966

THE FALSE PHONE CALL THAT LED TO THE DE@H OF LT. COL. ABOGO LARGEMA — 15 JANUARY 1966

THE FALSE PHONE CALL THAT LED TO THE DE@H OF LT. COL. ABOGO LARGEMA — 15 JANUARY 1966

Shortly before 4:00 a.m. on 15 January 1966, Lagos was already caught in the violence of Nigeria’s first military coup.

At the Ikoyi Hotel, Lieutenant-Colonel Abogo Largema, the commander of the 4th Battalion in Ibadan, was asleep in Room 115. He had no idea that armed soldiers were already inside the hotel looking for him.

Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna, accompanied by another officer, forced the hotel receptionist to lead them to Largema’s room. The receptionist was ordered to knock and tell the sleeping officer that he was urgently wanted on the telephone.

There was one problem: there was no telephone inside Largema’s room. The hotel telephone was located in an alcove along the corridor.

Still unaware of the danger, Largema came out of his room in his pyjamas, walked to the telephone and picked up the receiver.

At that moment, the two armed soldiers stepped out from their hiding place near the lift and opened fire with submachine guns.

Lieutenant-Colonel Abogo Largema fell daid in the corridor.

His body was later carried downstairs and taken away in a car.

The tragedy did not end there. Another senior officer staying at the Ikoyi Hotel that night was Lieutenant-Colonel David Ejoor, commander of the 1st Battalion in Enugu. He survived the night and, as events unfolded, became one of the officers who helped restore military control in Enugu and resist the coup there.

The kil££ng of Largema was one of the many violent episodes of the January 1966 coup—a night that would permanently alter Nigeria’s political and military history.

One false telephone message. One unsuspecting officer. One deadly corridor. And a nation about to enter a completely new chapter of its history. 🇳🇬

History should be remembered, not forgotten.