The family of the first military Head of State, Major General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, has demanded an official apology and compensation from the Federal Government of Nigeria during the 60th-anniversary memorial of his assassination

Head of the family, Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi, who is the nephew of the late Major General, made the demand when he appeared as a guest in an interview on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ on Thursday, July 30.

He described the former Head of State as a detribalized, good leader and a man of vision.

He lamented that the late leader occupied the seat for only six months before he was killed.

He said that, since then, there has been no sincere apology from the Nigerian Government for the assassination of their son, who never committed any crime.

“The only crime he committed was that he was the most senior officer at the time. And he was called upon to take over after the coup. He did no take part in the coup. He accepted the call to serve his fatherland before he was gruesomely assassinated.

“After he was assassinated, people moved on. The family needs to be compensated, given a sincere apology, and reconciliation,” he said.

Recall that Aguiyi Ironsi became Nigeria’s Head of State after the 1966 coup, which resulted in the killing of Nigeria’s Prime Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and other senior military officers.