Daga MAHDI M. MUHAMMAD
Daga ranar 15 zuwa 16 ga watan Janairun shekarar 1966, wasu ƙananan hafsoshin soja masu muƙaman manjo sun aiwatar da juyin mulkin soja na farko wanda suka fara kitsawa tun a watan Agustar shekarar 1965.
Waɗannan ƙananan hafsoshin soja, sun yi ikirarin cewa sun shirya juyin mulkin ne a saboda a cewarsu, shugabannin da ke jagorancin ƙasar sun nuna zarmiya, inda suka ce ministocin gwamnati suna sace kuɗaɗen baitul-mali domin amfaninsu.
Sai dai kuma a wani ɓangare, akwai masu ikirarin cewa wannan juyin mulki na ƙabilanci ne a saboda daga cikin sojoji 8 da suka ƙulla wannan juyin mulki, guda 7 ‘yan ƙabilar Ibo ne, ɗaya kuma Bayarbe. A wani gefen kuwa, dukkan manyan shugabannin farar hular da aka kashe, har ma da wasu manyan hafsoshin soja, kusan ‘yan Arewacin Nijeriya ne.
Waɗanda suka shirya juyin mulkin, sune Manjo Chukwuma Nzeogwu wanda ke Kaduna a lokacin, wanda kuma shi ya jagoranci kashe Firimiyan Arewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardaunan Sokoto.
Manjo Emmanuel Ifeajuna, shine ya jagoranci juyin mulkin daga Legas, kuma ya jagoranci kashe Firayim Minista Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, da Birgediya Zakari Maimalari, wanda a lokacin shine hafsan soja mafi girma daga yankin Arewacin Nijeriya.
Shugaban Ƙasa maras iko a lokacin, kuma ɗan ƙabilar Igbo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, ya bar ƙasar a lokacin da waɗannan sojoji suka ƙaddamar da juyin mulkin.
A saboda Azikiwe ba ya cikin ƙasar, kuma an kashe firayim minista, sai mai riƙon muƙamin shugaban qasa a lokacin, Nwafor Orizu, shi ma ɗan ƙabilar Igbo, yayi jawabi ga kasa inda ya ce majalisar zartaswa ta yarda domin radin kanta, ta miƙa mulki ga sojoji.
Manjo Janar Aguiyi-Ironsi tare da gwamnonin da ya naɗa a larduna huɗu na Nijeriya. (hagu zuwa dama) Manjo Hassan Usman Katsina; sai leftana-kanar F. A. Fajudi; leftana Kanar Odumegwu Ojukwu; da leftana Kanar D. A. Ejoor
Daga nan sai babban kwamandan sojojin Nijeriya a lokacin, Manjo Janar Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, yayi jawabin cewa ya amshi ragamar mulki. A ranar 17 ga watan Janairu, sai ya bayyana kafa majalisar ƙoli ta soja, ya kawo ƙarshen mulkin dimokuraɗiyya a ƙasar.
Waɗanda aka kashe a juyin mulkin na farko, sun haɗa da Firayim minista Abubakar Tafawa Balewa; Firimiyan Arewa, Ahmadu Bello; Firimiyan Yamma, Samuel Akintola; Ministan Kuɗi, Festus Okotie-Eboh (shi ne kaɗai ɗan yankin gabas a cikin gwamnatin tarayya da aka kashe); Ahmed Ben Musa; Birgediya Zakariya Maimalari; Birgediya Samuel Ademulegun; Kanar Kur Mohammed; Kanar Shodeinde; Laftanal-kanar Abogo largema; Laftanal-kanar James Pam da leftana-kanar Arthur Unegbe.
Shi ma Saje Daramola Oyegoke, an ce ya taimakawa Nzeogwu wajen kai hari a kan gidan Sardauna, amma a cewar ‘yan sanda, daga baya Nzeogwu ya kashe shi.
A ranar 28 ga watan Yulin 1966, watanni shida bayan wannan juyin mulki, hafsoshin soja daga Arewacin Nijeriya sun shirya suka ƙaddamar da nasu juyin mulkin, wanda ya kai ga kashe Janar Aguiyi-Ironsi tare da laftanal-kanar Adekunle Fajuyi.
Waɗanda suka shirya wannan juyin mulki sune Laftanal-kanar Murtala Mohammed; laftanal-kanar Joseph Akahan; Manjo T.Y. Danjuma da dai sauran ƙananan hafsoshin sojan Arewacin Nijeriya cikinsu har da Laftanal Ibrahim Babangida da Laftanal Muhammadu Buhari.
Matsalar da juyin mulkin farko ya janyo da yadda ya sauya Nijeriya a yau:
Bayan samun ’yancin kai a shekarar 1960, saɓani kan tsarin gudanarwa, matsalolin da suka shafi ɓangaranci tare da ƙabilanci sun fara tasiri a tsakanin sojojin ƙasar nan, Nijeriya, wanda hakan ya kai ga tawayen sojojin ta hanyar juyin mulki na farko a 15 ga watan Janairun 1966, wato shekara 6 kacal bayan samun ’yancin.
Kafin hakan, an yi zaɓe a 1964/65. Zaɓen shima ya zo da tarnaqi, wasu masana tarihin ma sun alaƙanta wannan juyin mulkin na farko da matsalar rashin kyawun sakamakon wannan zaɓe. A taƙaice, Manjo Chukuma Kaduna Nzeogwu, matashin soja ɗan ƙabilar Ibo, tare da wasu Manjoji huɗu, su suka tsara wannan juyin mulki da ya fara dasa fitina mafi girma a ƙasar nan wadda ta kai ga yaƙin Basasa.
Cikin daren farko da yinin da ya biyo bayansa da a ka fara juyin mulkin, ƙarƙashin kulawar waɗannan Manjo-Manjo guda biyar, an kashe fira minista Abubakar Tafawa Ɓalewa; an kashe firemiyan yankin Arewa, wato Ahmadu Bello Sardauna; an kashe firemiyan yankin Yamma, yankin Yarabawa, wato Ladoke Akintola; kuma an kashe ministan kuɗi, Festus Okotie-Eboh, tare da wasu manyan sojoji kamarsu Brigadier Zakari Maimalari!
Amma cikin wani yanayi da har yau wasu suke zargi ba a kashe shugaban ƙasa Nnamdi Azikiwe ba, hakana ba a kashe shugabannin yankin Inyamurai ba, da na sabon yankin da a ka ƙirƙira, Mid-West, a tsakanin East (yankin Inyamuran) da West (yankin Yarabawa).
Hakan ya sa mutane suka fara raɗe-raɗin cewa Ƙabilar Ibo ne suka shirya wannan juyin mulki, duk da dai shi shugaban ƙasar, Nnamdi Azikiwe wanda ba ya ƙasar a lokacin, ya yi tir da wannan juyin mulki da ya lashe rayukan mai gudanar da mulkin ƙasar da kuma na shugabannin yankunan ƙasar.
A birnin Ikko, wato babban birnin ƙasar a wancan lokacin, “General Officer Commanding (GOC)” na sojojin Nijeriya, wato Jenaral Johnson Aguyi-Ironsi, ya yi ƙoƙarin riƙe jagorancin sojojin ta yadda ya iya tsayar da tawayen a babban birnin. Majalisar ƙasa ta lokacin ba ta yi ƙasa a guiwa ba, sai ta miƙa mulkin ƙasar ga Jeneral Ironsi don ya kwantar da tarzoma, kuma tunda, zuwa wannan rana ta 17 ga Janairu da a ka bashi mulkin, ba a ga gawar fira minista Ɓalewa ba.
Bayan shigarsa ofis ba jimawa, Manjo Chukuma Kaduna Nzeogwu tare da ragowar ’yan tawayen sojoji sun miƙa wuya tunda ba su kama babban birnin ƙasar ba, kuma sojojin ƙasar ba sa tare da su. Sai dai kuma fitina ta ɓalle ba jimawa bayan hawan Ironsi. Saboda wannan tunanin na cewa Ibo ne suka tsara wannan juyin mulki tunda manyan Arewa a ka fi kashewa, sai zanga-zanga ta varge a Arewa, kuma a ka kashe Inyamurai da dama, wasu kuma suka tsere.
Bayan wata shida daga juyin mulkin farko, sai manyan sojojin Arewa suka yi wani juyin mulkin dan ɗaukar fansa. A nan a ka kashe Jeneral Johnson Aguyi-Ironsi a ranar 26 ga watan Yuli na 1966, sannan suka ɗora “Chief of Staff” na wannan lokaci, wato Leftanal Kanal Yakubu Gawon.