Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has revealed that the plot to overthrow and assassinate former Head of State, Major General Murtala Muhammed, started the moment he assumed office in 1975.
In his newly launched autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida detailed how Murtala’s refusal to accept a power-sharing arrangement after the coup that ousted General Yakubu Gowon created tensions within the military.
According to IBB, younger officers had expected Muhammed to govern as part of a triumvirate with Brigadiers Olusegun Obasanjo and Theophilus Danjuma. However, Muhammed rejected the idea outright, choosing to lead without constraints.
His leadership, marked by sweeping reforms, mass retirements, and decisive governance, won public admiration but also stirred unrest within military ranks. Babangida reflected on the unintended consequences of Murtala’s bold actions, including the controversial mass sack of civil servants in 1975.
Despite his popularity, Murtala Muhammed’s tenure was cut short when he was assassinated on February 13, 1976, in an attempted coup led by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka.
Babangida’s account sheds new light on the internal power struggles that shaped Nigeria’s history, emphasizing that the seeds of the tragic event were sown from the very first day of Murtala’s rule.
