Counter-coup: A counter-coup, which may have been planned, was sparked on the night of July 29, 1966, when northern soldiers at the Abeokuta barracks mutinied. A faction of the officers favored breaking away, leading them to call the coup code name “A raba” (secession in Hausa). But following the countercoup’s victory, a group of civilians—chief justice Adetokunbo Ademola, head of the Federal Public Service Sule Katagum, and permanent secretary of defense Musa Daggash—convinced the conspirators, including Muhammad, of the benefits of a union.
Despite Murtala Ramat Muhammad’s insistence on keeping the position for himself, the countercoup resulted in the installation of Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon as the Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces. But because Gowon was militarily stronger than he was, and because he was receiving little help from American and British advisors,he gave in. Gowon honored him by announcing his appointment as Inspector of Signals and validating his ranking (he had been an acting Lieutenant Colonel prior to then).Not all prominent military figures, most notably the military governor of the Eastern Region, Odumegwu Ojukwu, agreed with Gowon’s designation as the Head of State.