Chapter Four: Whispers of Treason and June 12 – Coups, Real and Phantom
By Biodun Durojaiye
The period spanning the regimes of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) and General Sani Abacha was a tumultuous epoch in Nigeria’s political history, characterized by an undercurrent of fear, suspicion, and often, brutal crackdowns. The military’s grip on power, while seemingly absolute, was perpetually challenged by internal dissent, leading to a series of actual coup attempts and alleged plots that served to consolidate the power of the ruling juntas while simultaneously eroding trust and deepening the nation’s political wounds. These events, whether real or conjured, profoundly impacted the trajectory of the nation and directly shaped the environment in which the June 12 saga unfolded.
The Orkar Coup: A Seismic Shock to Babangida’s Rule
General Ibrahim Babangida, the self-styled “Maradona” of Nigerian politics, seized power in a palace coup in August 1985, ousting Major-General Muhammadu Buhari. Known for his cunning and strategic brilliance, Babangida initially presented himself as a benevolent dictator, promising a transition to civilian rule. However, his hold on power was severely tested on April 22, 1990, by a brazen and audacious coup attempt led by Major Gideon Orkar.
Orkar, a relatively unknown officer, and his co-conspirators launched a pre-dawn attack on the Dodan Barracks in Lagos, then the seat of military power and Babangida’s official residence. The assault was fierce, and Babangida himself narrowly escaped capture, reportedly fleeing through a back route as bullets shattered windows. The rebels seized key installations, including the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) station, from where Major Orkar made his infamous broadcast.
In his coup address, Orkar articulated a radical agenda that shocked the nation. He accused Babangida’s government of corruption, despotism, and, most controversially, of marginalizing certain sections of the country, particularly the South and Middle Belt. He declared: “Our history is replete with numerous and uncontrollable instances of callous and insensitive dominatory repressive intrigues by those who think it is their birthright to dominate till eternity the political and economic privileges of this great country to the exclusion of the people of the Middle Belt and the south.” Most controversially, Orkar announced the “excision” of five northern states – Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kano, and Bauchi – from Nigeria, a move that sent shivers down the spines of many and highlighted the deep ethnic and regional fault lines within the military and the nation. He further stated, “Anything that has a beginning must have an end. It will also suffice here to state that all Nigerians without skeleton in their cupboards need not to be afraid of this change. However, those with skeleton in their cupboards have all reasons to fear, because the time of reckoning has come.”
The Orkar coup was quickly and brutally suppressed by loyalist troops, led in part by General Sani Abacha, who would later emerge as a central figure in Nigeria’s political drama. The swift counter-operation saw intense fighting, and within hours, the rebellion was crushed. The aftermath was grim. Hundreds of soldiers and civilians were arrested, and a series of secret military tribunals followed. On July 27, 1990, Major Orkar and 41 of his co-conspirators were executed by firing squad, marking one of the bloodiest purges in Nigeria’s military history. The executions served as a stark warning to any who dared challenge Babangida’s authority.
While the Orkar coup was a clear and present danger, it also inadvertently strengthened Babangida’s grip on power. It allowed him to identify and eliminate perceived enemies within the military, further centralizing his authority. The rhetoric of national unity, often invoked by the regime, gained a new resonance in the face of Orkar’s divi1sive pronouncements.
Read Also: Witness to June 12: The Story of Nigeria’s Annulled Election (CH 3)
Other Whispers: The Vatsa Conspiracy and Beyond
The Orkar coup was not the only instance of internal challenges to Babangida’s rule. Even earlier, in December 1985, just months after he seized power, Babangida announced the foiling of a coup plot led by Major-General Mamman Vatsa, his childhood friend and a respected military officer and poet. The “Vatsa Conspiracy,” as it became known, led to the arrest and trial of Vatsa and several other officers. Despite appeals for clemency from prominent Nigerians, including Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka, Vatsa and nine others were executed in March 1986. The swift and decisive action against a close associate underscored Babangida’s ruthlessness in dealing with perceived threats.
Throughout his eight-year rule, Babangida navigated a complex web of loyalty and suspicion. While no other major coup attempts reached the scale of Orkar’s, there were constant whispers of plots, intelligence gathering, and the strategic redeployment of officers to prevent potential challenges. The Babangida era was characterized by a deep paranoia within the military, where trust was a rare commodity and loyalty was constantly being tested. This atmosphere of fear and uncertainty contributed to the regime’s increasing isolation and its eventual annulment of the June 12 election.
Abacha’s Reign of Terror: The Phantom Coups and the Crackdown
General Sani Abacha, who initially served as Babangida’s loyal number two, masterminded the “palace coup” that ousted the Interim National Government (ING) of Chief Ernest Shonekan on November 17, 1993, just months after the annulment of the June 12 election. Abacha’s rule ushered in an era of unprecedented repression, marked by an iron fist and a chilling disregard for human rights. Under Abacha, the concept of “phantom coups” became a tool of political persecution, used to eliminate perceived opponents and consolidate his totalitarian grip on power.
The most infamous of these alleged plots was the “Diya Coup” of December 1997. General Oladipo Diya,General Oladipo Diya, Abacha’s Chief of General Staff and de facto Vice President, along with several other senior military officers and civilians, was arrested and accused of plotting to overthrow the regime. The government released a video broadcast allegedly showing Diya confessing to the plot, though many viewed it with extreme skepticism, believing it to be a coerced admission.
At the Special Military Tribunal convened in Jos in February 1998, presided over by Major-General Victor Malu, Diya famously declared: “This is the first time a case of setting up is becoming a coup case. I’m not going into details of that now because this is a clear case of set-up. I’m the target and it is organised right from the top.” This explosive statement, made in open court, echoed the sentiments of many Nigerians who believed the plot was fabricated to remove potential rivals and critics from Abacha’s path, especially as he began maneuvering to transform into a civilian president.
Diya’s defense highlighted the absurdity of the allegations, pointing out that his personal security detail, including those charged with him, were all loyal to Abacha. “How do you plan a coup when the soldiers guarding you are from the Head of State? It is not done. That was enough to show that it was a phantom coup.” Despite these arguments, the tribunal, widely seen as a kangaroo court, convicted Diya and others of treason. On April 28, 1998, Diya, along with Major-General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, Major-General Abdulkareem Adisa, and others, was sentenced to death.
The international outcry was immense, and human rights organizations condemned the trials as a travesty of justice. The death sentences, particularly against high-ranking officers, sent a chilling message across Nigeria. The alleged plot involving General Oladipo Diya was largely seen as a cynical ploy to eliminate potential challengers to Abacha’s rule and to further tighten his control over the military.
Beyond the Diya plot, there were other alleged conspiracies and arrests, often targeting prominent civilians, journalists, and pro-democracy activists. Olusegun Obasanjo, a former head of state, and Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua were among those arrested and imprisoned in 1995 for an alleged coup plot. While Obasanjo was eventually released after Abacha’s death, Yar’Adua died in Abacha’s custody, a death that many attribute to the harsh conditions of his detention. These arrests further demonstrated Abacha’s readiness to use the machinery of state security to crush any form of dissent, real or imagined.
The era of coups, both real and phantom, under Babangida and Abacha, was a period of profound uncertainty and fear. These events not only destabilized the nation but also left deep scars on the psyche of the Nigerian military and the populace. The fear of a coup, or being implicated in one, became a potent tool for control, allowing the military strongmen to rule with an iron fist. The annulment of June 12 and the subsequent imprisonment of M.K.O. Abiola occurred against this backdrop of political paranoia and ruthless consolidation of power, ultimately defining the tragic narrative of Nigeria’s thwarted democratic aspirations. The echoes of these “whispers of treason” would continue to reverberate long after the regimes themselves had passed into history.
