Inside the 1966 Coup: Discovery of Sir Tafawa Balewa’s Body Near Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway

On January 21, 1966, a police patrol found decomposing remains in a remote bush along the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, close to Ifo and Ota. The victim was Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Nigeria’s first Prime Minister, who had been abducted during the January 15 military coup. His body was recovered alongside that of Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh by a team led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Ahmad Babankowa. Their discovery confirmed the worst fears of a nation in turmoil. The story was first broken on January 23, 1966, by a veteran journalist in the Sunday Times. This tragic event remains a defining moment in Nigeria’s post-independence history.

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