After the coup that began on January 15, 1966, Aguiyi-Ironsi, who was an Igbo, became the military head of state. Ironsi, who joined the military at age eighteen, was trained in England and upon return, worked as an aid to the Governor General of Nigeria, John Macpherson. He served as the leader of the 5th battalion of the Nigerian Army during the 1960s Congo crisis and was subsequently appointed the Force Commander of the UN Operation in the Congo. However, after serving as head of state for 194 days, Ironsi was killed in late July 1966 after a counter-coup by northern Nigerian soldiers were who rebelled against his government.
See Also:
Video: “Major-General Aguiyi-Ironsi becomes Head of State, 1966.”
Video: “The Burial of Major General Aguiyi Ironisi 1966”
Article: “Aguiyi-Ironsi: The Murder that Birthed Nigeria’s Northern Hegemony”