The family of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, Nigeria’s first military head of state, is publicly calling on the federal government for an apology and compensation over his assassination in 1966.

In an interview, Imo Aguiyi-Ironsi, the family’s head, stressed the need for genuine reconciliation. He said Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi was a visionary leader who was wrongfully punished for a coup he had no part in.

The late leader’s rule lasted only six months before ending violently following a mutiny. The family now wants acknowledgement of his unjust fate, pointing out that he was targeted simply because he was the senior military officer at the time.