Anti-Igbo Pogrom in Northern Nigeria

Between September and October 1966, systematic massacres of Igbo people swept across Northern Nigeria in retaliation for the January coup (perceived as an “Igbo coup”) and the July counter-coup. September 29 became known as “Black Thursday” — soldiers and civilians attacked Igbo communities in cities across the North, killing an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 people.

Over one million Igbo fled back to the Eastern Region, creating a humanitarian and political crisis. The pogroms shattered any remaining trust between the East and the rest of the federation. Eastern Region Governor Odumegwu Ojukwu declared that Igbos could no longer live safely in Nigeria, setting the stage for Biafra’s secession and the civil war that would follow.