Nigerian Counter-Coup of 1966

The Nigerian counter-coup of 1966, or the so-called "July Rematch", was the second of many military coups in Nigeria. It was masterminded by Lt Colonel Murtala Muhammed and many northern military officers. The coup started out as a mutiny at roughly midnight on July 28, 1966 and was a reaction to the killings of Northern politicians and Officers by mostly Igbo soldiers on January 15, 1966 (see 1966 Nigerian coup d'état.) The July mutiny/counter coup resulted in the murder of Nigeria's 1st military Head of State General Aguiyi Ironsi and Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi (who was hosting a visiting Ironsi) in Ibadan by angry northern Non Commissioned Officers (NCOs). Upon the termination of Ironsi's government, Lt Colonel Yakubu Gowon was appointed Head of State by the July 1966 coup conspirators.

According to historian Max Siollun northern soldiers had a list of grievances following the aborted January 15, 1966, coup which led to the planning of the counter-coup. A list of their grievances were:

The principal coup plotters are listed below:

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