Every year, Nigeria celebrates the Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 15. But that date represents two epochs in Nigerian history. The first, January 15, 1966, was when junior officers of the armed forces executed a coup, which, though aborted, triggered a chain of events that led to the civil war. The second, January 15, 1970, was when, 30 months later, the civil war ended, but not before over 100,000 soldiers and about two million civilians had died. The armed forces are celebrated on January 15 for the second event: their “bravery and s
Every year, Nigeria celebrates the Armed Forces Remembrance Day on January 15. But that date represents two epochs in Nigerian history. The first, January 15, 1966, was when junior officers of the armed forces executed a coup, which, though aborted, triggered a chain of events that led to the civil war. The second, January 15, 1970, was when, 30 months later, the civil war ended, but not before over 100,000 soldiers and about two million civilians had died. The armed forces are celebrated on January 15 for the second event: their “bravery and s
