Former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has finally revealed why his childhood friend and classmate, Mamman Jiya Vatsa, along with nine other military officers, was executed in 1986....Read Full Article >>➤
In his newly launched autobiography, A Journey in Service, Babangida detailed the events that led to the tragic end of his longtime friend and the coup plot that sealed his fate.
A Painful Betrayal By A Close Friend: IBB disclosed that Vatsa’ s execution was a personal loss that deeply affected him, but he had no choice but to prioritize the nation’ s security over friendship. According to him, the coup attempt led by Vatsa was not just a minor rebellion but a major plot that could have thrown Nigeria into chaos.
He explained that every soldier knows the consequences of staging a failed coup, and Vatsa, as a seasoned officer, was fully aware of the risks.
” Of course, Vatsa’ s death was a personal loss of a childhood friend. As a human being, I was somewhat depressed to watch him die in such circumstances. However, the nation’ s stability and the cohesion of the armed forces were too high on the scale of priorities to be sacrificed for personal considerations. ”
Babangida admitted that he was initially in disbelief when he heard about Vatsa’ s alleged involvement in the coup plot. He dismissed it as mere rumors and even confronted Vatsa, who vehemently denied it. However, military intelligence continued their investigations, and shocking evidence began to emerge.
The Chilling Coup Plans That Shocked IBB
The former president revealed that the investigation uncovered details of the coup plot that left him feeling betrayed. The coup planners had sinister strategies, including bombing strategic locations and military bases to cripple the government. One of the most shocking revelations was a plan to hijack or destroy the presidential aircraft to eliminate Babangida.
” When the coup plot was first uncovered, I did not quite believe the extent of Vatsa’ s involvement. Even worse were the details of the dastardly plans, including plans to bomb the Eko Bridge in Lagos and possibly hijack the presidential jet to eliminate the President. ”
A History Of Jealousy And Rivalry
IBB further revealed that his relationship with Vatsa, though close, had always been filled with underlying jealousy from Vatsa’ s side. According to him, Vatsa often showed resentment towards his career advancements, dating back to their school days in Bida.
” With the benefit of hindsight now, I recall that a constant part of our relationship as teenagers and young men was a continuous and recurrent peer jealousy on his part towards me. ”
Despite appointing Vatsa as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in a show of friendship, Babangida noted that his old friend still held grudges and allowed envy to push him towards rebellion.
Final Verdict: No Escape For The Coup Plotters
Once all the investigations were concluded, the military tribunal had no choice but to sentence the coup plotters to death. While some individuals had their sentences reduced, Vatsa and the core planners faced the full wrath of military justice.
” Being intermediate and senior military officers, they were fully aware of the consequences of planning a coup and failing. That is one of the most elementary lessons every military officer knows by heart. ”
IBB emphasized that military tradition dictated that coup plotters must face execution to maintain discipline and national security. He added that while he felt deep sorrow over Vatsa’ s fate, he had to make a difficult decision as the nation’ s leader.
The Orka Coup: Another Shocking Betrayal
Babangida also reflected on the 1990 Gideon Orkar coup, describing it as an unexpected act of treachery. Unlike the 1985 Vatsa coup attempt, where his childhood friend was involved, this coup blindsided him even more because he personally knew some of the plotters and had supported their careers. The incident reinforced his belief that no leader is ever truly safe from internal rebellion.
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Conclusion
IBB’ s shocking revelations in his autobiography provide a deeper understanding of the events surrounding Vatsa’ s execution and the harsh realities of military leadership. The decision to execute his childhood friend was a painful but necessary choice to uphold national security.
His book, A Journey in Service, offers more insights into his tenure, major political events, and the difficult decisions he had to make as Nigeria’ s military leader.
What are your thoughts on IBB’ s revelations? Was he justified in his actions, or could he have handled things differently? Share your opinions in the comments!
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