VATSA: A LIFE AND DEATH DECISION FOR BABANGIDA (“Judgment day; Dat day na wah”)
 

Over the past few months I have been chronicling the key moments in the life and times of former military president General Ibrahim Babangida. This latest segment (part 6 of the overall series) concludes the examination of the controversial trial of Babangida’s boyhood friend Mamman Vatsa for allegedly plotting to overthrow Babangida.

Babangida was no stranger to the life and death deliberations regarding coup plotters. His nerve would have been steeled by his 1976 experience as a member of the SMC which confirmed death sentences on 40 of their army colleagues.

The case for clemency was convincing. The defendants had not actually carried out a coup, having merely taken preparatory steps toward it. Thus a distinction could be drawn from the February 1976 coup whose culprits were executed. In the 1976 coup, the plotters had physically carried out the coup and murdered the Head of State, a Military Governor and some aides in the process. In the present case, the defendants were sentenced to death for their unperformed intentions.

VATSA THE WRITER

In the early 1970s Vatsa had submitted poems to the editor of a Nigerian arts and culture journal named Okike. The editor was Chinua Achebe. That marked the beginning of Vatsa’s literary career. He eventually wrote and published several books and poems in Hausa, English and his native Nupe language. Vatsa also wrote a poem to commemorate Achebe’s 50^th birthday. He also published picture books for children. Vatsa’s writing received several awards including the first prize in poetry at the North-Central State of Nigeria Festival of Arts in 1974 and the Gold Medal of the Union of Bulgarian Writers a decade later in 1984. Vatsa’s literary accomplishments led the Association of Nigerian authors to appeal for his death sentence to be commuted. 

BABANGIDA THE MERCIFUL?

Nigerian literary giants John Pepper Clark, Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka met Babangida on March 4, 1986 to appeal for clemency and the death sentences to be commuted. After meeting with Babangida the three men left genuinely believing that they had managed to persuade Babangida not to carry out the death sentences. Babangida assured them that he would do his best and would be merciful. After meeting with Babangida the authors gave the press a statement which read as follows:
 

“Our appeal is straightforwardly based on the need for clemency as an essential element in the attainment of that healing process which the present national leader swore to embark upon, on taking oath of office. Without being superstitious, we cannot but observe how a 10 year cycle of blood-letting appears to have become an incubus on the very life of the nation’s armed forces – 1966, 1976 and 1986. You possess the will to break this jinx. You have the moral duty to exercise that will….The truth is unavoidable: the very persistence of this cycle shows only too clearly that death has never proved a deterrent for men determined on seizing power for reasons of patriotism or personal ambition, but against the nation itself. In attempting to redress the situation, therefore, we the offended parties, the would be victims, have a responsibility to ourselves to ensure that we do not also inflict further injuries on our very being.”

Soyinka later gave a synopsis of their meeting with Babangida:

“Chinua Achebe, J. P. Clark, and myself met Babangida that day. He (Babangida) came out, and he gave his pledge. He said: Gentlemen, I’m glad you people came, I’m going to throw my weight on the side of mercy, I promise you, I’ll do my best."[1]

It seemed that Babangida was leaning toward showing clemency and was seriously considering, or had even decided not to carry out the death sentences. Professor Omo Omoruyi was a former Babangida confidant and Director-General of the Centre for Democratic Studies (CDS). According to Omoruyi, in the heat of the deliberations over the convicts’ fate:

“General Babangida told me that after considering the matter, he wanted to give Vatsa a reprieve and asked me, a friend of his, a friend of both of them, that I should search for verses in the Bible and Koran that talk about the quality of mercy. I now flew to Benin the following morning, did my research and produced a statement which he was to use[read].”[2]

DELIBERATIONS BEFORE THE AFRC

The death sentences were sent to the AFRC for review. Babangida’s wife Maryam tried to reach her husband urgently by telephone. However she got no response as Babangida was locked in an urgent session with members of the AFRC to deliberate on the verdicts. Maryam persisted and managed to get a written note passed to Babangida in the AFRC chamber. The note pleaded for Babangida to spare Vatsa’s life. Babangida himself personally favoured a commutation of the death sentences. According to Soyinka:  

“I also received information that Babangida actually fought to save their lives during the Supreme Council meeting.”

However military officers from Plateau pressed Babangida to carry out the death sentences. In their view, officers from their state suffered disproportionately and were executed in the aftermath of the 1976 Dimka coup, so as far as they were concerned, what was good for the goose, was also good for the gander. If the executions were not carried out, officers from Plateau state may have become a potential future source of coup plots. The Plateau block is an influential and highly represented segment in the Nigerian military. To alienate them would raise the spectre of retaliation akin to the mutiny carried out by northern officer in July 1966 who took the law into their own hands after becoming frustrated by the delay in punishing the January 1966 Majors who violently overthrew Prime Minister Balewa’s government. Plateau officers no doubt also remembered Vatsa’s role as the secretary of the board of inquiry that investigated the 1976 coup. The investigations of that board led to the prosecution and execution of dozens of Plateau officers.

DEATH ROW BLOCK, KIRIKIRI MAXIMUM SECURITY PRISON, LAGOS - MARCH 5, 1986

Between 3pm and 4pm, the Comptroller of Prisons Dan Nshi walked into the condemned prisoners cell and informed all 14 men on death row that they should pack their personal belongings as they were to be transferred. The inmates' hopes were raised as they speculated that the AFRC may have commuted their death sentences. 

By 5pm the weather became foggy and the expert fighter pilot Ben Ekele told his fellow inmates that they were unlikely to be transferred in such weather, as no pilot would want to take risks by flying them in such weather conditions. Within 30 minutes, soldiers arrived at the prison, disembarked and one of them called out the following names:

Maj-Gen Mamman Vatsa
Lt-Col Musa Bitiyong
Lt-Col Mike Iyorshe
Lt-Col Christian Oche
Major Daniel Bamidele
Wing Commander Ben Ekele
Wing Commander Adamu Sakaba
Navy Commander Achukwu Andrew Ogwiji
Squadron Leader Asen Ahura

As soon as they were called out, the men were handcuffed and immobilised with leg irons. Not wanting to be excluded from the transfer, Major Akwashiki began screaming from his cell "What about me? Am I not coming?" He was told to calm down and that he would be transferred with another batch. Akwashiki, West, Uku and Effiong remained in their cells as the 10 others departed. Around 6.30pm the three men heard the unmistakable boom of gunfire within the prison. Uku jumped to his feet and said "did you hear that? Those guys are being shot. These people mean business". 

ABOUT TO FACE THE FIRING SQUAD

 Above: Maj-Gen Mamman Jiya Vatsa

"In the resurrection morning, when the prison bars are broken, we shall rise, Alleluia, we shall rise." 

Iyorshe asked why Effiong, West and Akwashiki were absent. He was lied to and told that they would follow in the next batch. Iyorshe said he was proud to die a soldier. The execution order was read by Peter Ebhaleme and the firing squad was commanded by Lt-Col Lawrence Olorogun. Before facing the firing squad Vatsa removed his wrist watch and wedding ring and asked for them to be given to his wife. His wife later claimed that the ring eventually returned to her was not her original wedding ring. Bitiyong did not die in the first salvo of gunshots, and the firing squad had to reload in order to finish him. 

"IN THE MILITARY, THE PUNISHMENT FOR TREASON IS DEATH"

8pm – March 5, 1986 – National Broadcast by Maj-Gen Domkat Bali

At 8pm, Maj-Gen Bali made a nationwide broadcast confirming the executions:

 
"Fellow Nigerians, the coup plot uncovered in December 1985 has been a shock to the whole nation which rose like one man to condemn the coup plotters and urged the Federal Military Government to deal with those concerned in accordance with our laws. After considering all relevant factors, including the judgment of the special military tribunal, and the recommendations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on those appeals, the Armed Forces Ruling Council, in a meeting held earlier today, has decided as follows:

The case of Brig M.M. Nassarawa is to be further investigated with a view to having a re-trial. Those who heard about the coup attempt and failed to make a report to the authorities are dismissed from the armed forces and, in addition are sentenced to terms of imprisonment as follows:

Wing Commander J.B. Uku - 5 years imprisonment

Lt P.O. Odoba - 10 years imprisonment

The category of plotters who did not belong to the hard core but who were on the periphery and took part in the preliminary discussions of the coup attempt are sentenced to life imprisonment. They are:

Lt-Col M. Effiong
Major D.E. West
Major T.G. Akwashiki

The prime movers of the coup attempt who hatched the coup plot, master-minded it, recruited others to join them and took the required military actions to implement it, are sentenced to death by firing squad. The officers in this group are:

Maj-Gen Mamman Vatsa
Lt-Col Christian Oche
Lt-Col M. Iyorshe
Lt-Col Musa Bitiyong
Major D.I. Bamidele
Squadron Leader Martin Luther
Squadron Leader A.Ahura
Wing Commander B.Ekele
Wing Commander A.C. Sakaba
Navy Commander A.A. Ogwiji

The officers who were sentenced to death were executed about an hour ago. The Armed Forces Ruling Council hereby appeals to all Nigerians and officers and men of the armed forces to be vigilant and continue to be patriotic and loyal to the government and the nation. This administration has bent over backwards to give the coup plotters a fair trial and a right of appeal, for reasons of our commitment to human rights and in consideration of the appeal made by various individuals and groups for clemency. Where there was any doubt, the Armed Forces Ruling Council has given the accused the benefit of the doubt and spared his life. In other cases where there was no doubt, the death sentence has been imposed and executed."

Bali grimly added: "In the military, the punishment for treason is death".

Ironically Bali was himself a poet of some repute. He too had written poems including “The Deserted Town”. His wife is also a writer. He was chosen to read the speech because the condemned men came from all three military forces (army, navy, air force) and his post as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Defence Secretary gave him jurisdiction over all three services. 

The executions were carried out within hours of the AFRC confirming the death sentences. The executions were filmed and copies were given to senior members of the regime, including Babangida himself (whether this was done for entertainment purposes or to ensure that the convicts were executed is unclear). Babangida later explained his feelings on watching the footage of the executions:

"While watching the video of his execution, I saw him remove his watch and give to a soldier to take to his wife saying, 'Tell her to take care of my children.' I was so touched I couldn't continue watching. I turned away and that night I couldn't sleep. Vatsa was very stubborn." [3]

It appears that a copy of the tape was also given to Maj-Gen Bali. When asked several years later whether the executions had really been carried out or if it was all a hoax, Bali categorically confirmed that Vatsa was executed “for sure”. The corpses of the executed men were buried in mass acid enhanced graves. Vatsa’s family were not informed prior to his execution. They discovered he had been shot when they heard Bali’s announcement that the convicts had been executed “about an hour ago”. Vatsa was succeeded as Minister for the Federal Capital Territory by Commodore Hamza Abdullahi.

BACK TO KIRIKIRI

The remaining inmates realised that the "transfer" was a hoax and that their colleagues had just been executed. They feared that they too would at some point be brought out and shot. In great agitation, Uku started chain smoking and nervously pacing up and down the cell. When he eventually composed himself, Uku, Sese and Effiong knelt down and began praying. Their hearts sank when later in the night a warder came into their cell. However the warder simply distributed them to different cells by taking Uku and Effiong to join Odoba and Ode. After a sleepless night, the remaining inmates again prayed the next morning and still feared that they would be next to face the firing squad. 

However the next day, the morning shift warders broke the news of what had happened to them. They were told of Maj-Gen Domkat Bali’s national broadcast the previous night. One of the warders smuggled in a newspaper transcript of the full text of Bali's broadcast.

WAS THE COUP REAL?

Evidence

There were two main central planks of evidence against Vatsa. Firstly he gave 10,000 to Bitiyong which the prosecution alleged was to be used to finance the coup. If Vatsa really did intend this sum to be used for coup finance, then it would have been an incredibly low sum to induce senior officers holding prestigious posts to risk their lives in a coup plot. 

Secondly it was claimed that Vatsa issued certificates of occupancy to the plotters as an inducement to participate in the coup. However Vatsa also issued certificates of occupancy to other members of the armed forces – including at least one member of the tribunal that sentenced him to death, and to members of the government as well. Although Vatsa gave money to Bitiyong, there was no other direct evidence linking him with the plot, nor did he ever attend any of the plotters’ coup meetings. Therefore a lot of time was spent on proving that Vatsa had an axe to grind with Babangida. In the absence of incontrovertible evidence against Vatsa, the best the prosecution could hope for was to show he had a motive, or grievance against Babangida. For example it was alleged that during the predecessor regime of Maj-Gen Buhari, Vatsa had lobbied Buhari to remove Babangida from the position of Chief of Army Staff. 

Domkat Bali later revealed his doubts about the extent of Vatsa’s involvement. Bali said that Vatsa’s:

“main sin was that he used…he gave money to some of those who took part in the coup and that was supposed to be he sponsored and financed it. But they never linked him with actual meeting with these boys and discussing it, except that he was linked financially. I think evidences such as that should not warrant death.”

WAS THE EVIDENCE EXAGGERATED?

Some of the other allegations against the plotters seemed far fetched. For example, the government alleged that the plotters planned to bomb Dodan barracks in Ikoyi. Pertinent questions are whether Vatsa would really have sanctioned such a plan given that he and his family lived in the neighbourhood to be bombed. Additionally, where would the plotters operate their new government from if (as alleged) they intended to destroy the seat of government and Ministry of Defence? In a 1991 magazine interview, Domkat Bali was uneasy and non-committal when asked whether the government exaggerated or invented some of the stories regarding alleged plans to bomb Lagos. However Bali quashed any rumours that Vatsa was not really killed by categorically stating that of the convicts, he knew for sure that Vatsa was executed. 

None of the defendants commanded a major body of troops sizeable enough to overthrow, or even threaten the government. In fact, most of them had no troops under their command. A naïve and unquestioning public did not ask how for example, a navy officer like Ogwiji could execute a coup that required the movement of troops by land and the disruption of, or destruction of land infrastructure.  No General Officer Commanding (GOC) was within the plot. Since July 1966, no military coup in Nigeria has succeeded without the support of at least one GOC. Vatsa was serving as a Minister and had no body of troops at his disposal and many of the other condemned men held training appointments. Vatsa’s son later sarcastically asked:

“How could my dad, a General with no command of troops, dream of taking over?  Was he going to lead the permanent secretaries from Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA to go and roll armoured tanks to Dodan Barracks?” 

THE DIMKA COUP: THE GENESIS OF VATSA’S TROUBLE?

Some sources allege that Vatsa made powerful enemies during, and that there was residual bad blood arising from his role as a member of the board of inquiry that investigated the 1976 Dimka coup. According to Vatsa’s son Haruna, people told him that “e be like say na because of that ’76 coup wey your papa be secretary, na him make dem kill your papa.”

BABANGIDA AND VATSA; FRIENDS AND RIVALS?

 Above: General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida

So why would Babangida authorise the execution of his friend in the absence of incontrovertible evidence? Babangida alleged that Lt-Gen T.Y. Danjuma made him aware of an unconscious but ever present rivalry between Vatsa and Babangida. The rivalry allegedly went back to their days as young officers as the two men seemed to pursue and achieve the same goals and rank. How true are the allegations of a rivalry between Vatsa and Babangida? According to Babangida’s former aide Professor Omo Omoruyi:

“Vatsa didn't hate him [Babangida]. If you saw the way they joked. You know that Vatsa was a

humorous person, Babangida is not. But Vatsa can tease you and tease you up to death. He can tease anybody, he can make fun of anybody, and when he is getting too much Babangida will say “Mamman that is enough”. He will simply say “you don make everybody laugh now, we are all losing our head, e do.” Mamman can make everybody laugh, and so he can entertain, but he is a very serious person.”[4]

Whatever the truth of the rivalry theory, Babangida subsequently claimed Vatsa’s execution was justified:

"he tried to escape through the air condition hole. I couldn't understand why he was trying to escape if he was not involved in a coup plot…When I was told Vatsa was planning a coup I dismissed it immediately. But when I later saw the evidence, I sanctioned his arrest but said he should be detained in his house. However he tried to escape through the air conditioner hole. Then I asked myself if he was not planning a coup why was he trying to escape? Despite the fact that he was my friend, play mate and course mate, he had to be executed. Vatsa was like a scorpion in one's pocket. If he had been retired he could still have planned a coup from outside. At the time Jerry Rawlings did it in Ghana.”

LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES

As Babangida was still in his honeymoon period, the executions were accepted and there was no groundswell of opposition against them. Bamidele's execution established that as well as performing their professional duties, military personnel were also expected to be informants against their colleagues. The execution of air force personnel robbed the country of some of its best pilots.  These included the commander of Babangida's presidential air fleet Squadron Leader Martin Luther. It was the first time that air force officers were convicted of coup plotting. Babangida retaliated against the air force by starving it of funds and allowing its equipment to fall into severe disrepair. By 1993 the air force had less than 10 serviceable air fighter jets.

The executions ALSO sent a chilling and unequivocal message to all branches of the armed forces: death awaits any would be coup plotter or any officer that fails to report information regarding a coup plot. Coup plotting was serious business.

2006 – GENERAL BALI OPENS A CAN OF WORMS

The Vatsa affair remained obscure and forgotten until a 2006 interview with Lt-Gen Domkat Bali revisited the issue. In that issue Bali cast serious doubt on Vatsa’s guilt and whether he should have been executed. Bali said: 

“My regret is that up till now, I am not sure whether Vatsa ought to have been killed because whatever evidence they amassed against him was weak. My only regret is that I cannot say, don’t do it. I am not so sure whether we were right to have killed him.”[5]

Bali's statement opened a can of worms and caused a media storm.  Protagonists and advocates of Vatsa’s guilt and innocence came out in droves to voice their opinion. Serious questions were asked about the strength of the evidence that led to Vatsa’s conviction and Vatsa’s family accused Babangida of conducting a flawed trial which led to the death of his friend. The media storm emboldened Vatsa's wife Sufiya to speak out, claim that her husband was innocent and demand for his body to be exhumed and returned to the family for a fitting burial. Vatsa’s wife was originally from Calabar, had the maiden name Nwaeza Onwuka, but changed her name to Safiya after marrying Vatsa. The Vatsa family urged then President Obasanjo to re-open the files on Vatsa, pardon his posthumously and claimed that Babangida himself should be in the dock. The family also blew the lid open on allegations that some of Vatsa’s property had been illegally appropriated by Sani Abacha and appealed to then President Olusegun to facilitate the property’s return to them. Babangida remained cool throughout the storm, and unremorseful. He maintained that having re-reviewed his notes of the Vatsa trial, he was still convinced that the executions were justified.

2006: “OUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER”

In an interview in the Sunday August 27, 2006 edition of the Sunday Sun newspaper, Vatsa’s son Jubrin alleged that since going public with their allegations of his father’s innocence and accusations against Babangida, his family had been receiving death threats. According to Jubrin:

"Ever since we started this campaign to get justice on the killing of our dad, we have been receiving death threat on our telephones endlessly from unknown persons. To reinforce their determination to eliminate us, their messages have been the same: 'A stubborn fly always follows the corpse to the grave. We did it to your father, we are ready to do it to you.”

Less than one year later, Mrs Vatsa suddenly died on Monday May 21, 2007. Former Head of State Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari called the Vatsa family to offer his condolences when he heard of Sufiya’s death. He sent a representative to attend her funeral on his behalf. Umaru Nasko (the son of Vatsa’s former classmate Lt-General Gado Nasko) also called the Vatsa family to offer condolences. The Vatsas remain close to Gado Nasko and Lt-Gen Wushishi.  Mamman and Sufiya Vatsa’s children Jubrin, Haruna and Fatima are still alive.

IMPRISONED DEFENDANTS

 
*Released in 1993.

**Released on January 8, 1998.

14 defendants were sentenced to death. 10 death of the sentences were confirmed, and 4 were commuted.  Although he was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment for concealment of treason, Brigadier Nassarawa was released early on September 1, 1986, but was dismissed from the army. Effiong’s wife died while en route to visit him in prison. Effiong was released after 7 years in prison. 

“JUDGMENT DAY”

The following lines are from Vatsa’s poem entitled “Judgment Day”:

“Judgment day; Dat day na wah; I go bi poor man; to tok as rich man;…….Argument no go dey; People way no chop. Sofri-sofri for dis world; Dat day dem no go see chop lai lai; Judgment day; Dat day na wa a. Na wa a.” (Judgment Day by Mamman Vatsa – From Tori for Geti Bad Leg)

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http://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/

Robot  Villager

# 1 General Babangida told me that after considering the matter, he wanted to give Vatsa a reprieve and asked me, a friend of his, a frie...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 07.10.2008 19:09

Solid  Villager

# 2 ....Nigerians watch keenly how his own life will end! Thanks, SOLID Posted by Solid| 07.10.2008 21:15

emj  Villager

# 3 The day they were executed was a very sad day for us...WS and others gave a press statement to the fact that Babangida will do something...we all thought that he will convince the AFRC to commute the death sentence to life imprisonment...bt inaa...hmm.:arrow: Posted by emj| 07.10.2008 21:33

Agidimolaja  Villager

# 4 In the military, each day is a busy day. You must always sleep with one eye opened. Be suspicious of every other soldier be he Officer or Other Ranks. Anyone of them can do you harm. Perform your military duties as best as you can but look after yourself very well. Love all but trust no one. Always be security conscious especially when you are invited out of your house/quarter,an ambush party may be waiting to recieve you. Military life is not a good life but I did not regret being there for over ten years because it was service to my country. There are few schools of thought about Vatsa/IBB case. The sad thing is that most of us{the general public} may never know the whole truth and the clique who knew may never tell us until the grave is closed up on them. I was in the military when the coup of Muritala took place.Everyone of us who were a little closer to the centre scene then knew and still remember the active roles played by Vatsa, starting from his boldly denouncing the coup while it was still going on to hunting down and investigating the plotters. His roles {although justified} helped so much in the arrest,prosecution and eventual executions of a large number of the arrested plotters. Most of those executed were from the then Benue/Plateau State including the former Governor. It was a sad period for the people of BP State.Trust me,they never forgot. It may be true therefore that servicemen from that segment of the country did not forgive Vatsa for his roles which which is a recipe to the fate suffered by their loved ones. They saw to it that Vatsa suffered the same fate as their homeboys when such opportunity arrived. Looked exactly like "what goes around comes around". It may be true also that between IBB and Vatsa,it was a case of "Macbeth!Macbeth! beware Macduff!" In the military you have to keep eye on your best friend{s} too and take no chances. It was evidenced that there were such rivalries between those two friends.IBB may have founded Vatsa to be too close for comfort.IBB may be fearing the inevitable as a result of which he reduced Vatsa's threat by removing him from command post where several troops were under him to ministerial appointment where he became like a "lone ranger". Such is not an uncommon excercise in the military. Also,Vatsa as writer was becoming too popular for IBB considering the books he published,awards he recieved and the calibre of folks he is associating with like Chinua Achebe,Wole Soyinka etc. Possibly IBB fell threatened by the giant strides of his friend. But why was Vatsa executed? Like I said ,we may never know the whole truth except IBB and his loyalists. The only sad thing was that the man was never linked directly to the plot if in truth there was any.The coup was never allowed to take place neither were they caught red-handed doing the coup. They were executed as what the court of law would call "suspects". It is sad though! Domkat Bali's heart is beating so fast today because his fingerprint remained forever indelible in the death of people whose involvements in percieved crime was never proved beyond reasonable doubt. Has he told the whole truth?I don't think so. Did IBB try to save his friend from execution?I also doubt it much.He probably was happy that his great threat is going away. IBB according to himself concluded that Vatsa was indeed plotting coup hence he{Vatsa} wanted to escape out from air-conditioning hole. But who wants to believe Maradona? Vatsa would not have made any attempt to escape knowing fully that his residence was surrounded by armed military guards. The rest is history! Posted by Agidimolaja| 08.10.2008 02:07

Rodena  JJC

# 5 A touching piece indeed. If IBB sanctioned the execution of those men without incontrovertible evidence, then he has erred. Accepted that coup plotting is serious business in the military but any life-and-death situation must be resolved only on fair terms and not on the alter of one man's whims and caprices. Sheer stupidity it is if, indeed its true that Mr. Babangida starved the Airforce of funds because some of them were involved in the coup.It only goes a long way in confirming the barbaric & vindictive nature of the hooligans that have been prowling the corridors of power in Nigeria for years. Today,its our collective shame - i doubt if our armed forces will be able to cope in case of external aggression. Nigeria cuts a pitiable picture. For her to be brought back on her feet, Babangida and his ilk must pay.Remember what Rawlings did in Ghana? Posted by Rodena| 08.10.2008 02:24

Big-K  Villager

# 6 Max, Major Bamidele was, I believe, from Kogi State. Please check. Posted by Big-K| 08.10.2008 04:02

Jagunlabi  Villager

# 7 :sad::sad::sad::mad::mad:, To believe that in matter of life and death,men would abograte power to themselves not only to decide, but ultimately extinguish such a life reflect sadly on our level of development and value for life. Agreed this happened some years ago, our pyshic and the way we handle life in general has not relected that we value life. What the these guys(Babaginda, Bali) and other should know is that there is none of us immune from death, What they done is just send some people earlier than themselves. I wrote an article on the day that Ken Saro-Wiwa was murdered, that Abacha had just sent Ken ahead of himself, 3yrs later he headed for the great beyond. Maybe if we are reflect more on our tenure here on earth, the report other we say of us and the account we would have to give to that who brought here, we might all leave this place, a better place. Posted by Jagunlabi| 08.10.2008 08:04

akulaboy  JJC

# 8 Good piece, you know what I strongly believe that Nigeria needs to addrss these issues. Having read the story of Vasta and those convicted for that coup, we knew it was another phantom coup. What is important is that their families need to be rehabilitated. But more importantly, Babangida , Bali and all their cohorts should be brought to justice for the harm they have caused this country. It is never to late. 2 months ago in Argentina, former generals in the 70s and 80s were sent to jail for the atrocities they committed in the early 70s. Same in Chile where Augusto Pinochet was hoarded to death for atrocities during the 1973 coup. Another remedy to the families is to sue these military leaders in International courts. Pinochet arrest was ordered by a Spanish judge and effected in London by British police. Let's stop being victim of this rich Cabal and stand up to them through internal law. What's more, if they can't trravel to London & US for fear of arrest , maybe they will improve our country. Posted by akulaboy| 08.10.2008 08:06

Pa Bj  Villager

# 9 Nice article, but I think the stroyline belongs to the history of the "dark days of military rule in Nigeria". The military have a "peculiar creed" which they live and die by. I am sure Vatsa throughout his stay in the military was aware of the creed. The unfortunate thing, is that the military (including Vatsa) by taking over Government, roped the rest of Nigerians into what would typically had been - a military story. :icon_ques:icon_ques:icon_ques:icon_ques Posted by Pa Bj| 08.10.2008 09:23

Solid  Villager

# 10 Country men & Women: The main lesson and possibly "ISSUE" here is our collective failure to upheld our laws beyond "personalities" and "institutions" When laws are broken in the streets, we send authorities after perpetrators, prosecute them according to the laws of our land but when "institutions" err we turn our backs and let go of the legal steps necessary to correct things. The army as a whole must be subjected to legal redress. It is still not too late to call the institution to order. The sooner we tackle this reoccurring power crisis the better for the country. Today, we are foolishly still following a "kitchen" table constitution drafted by General Abubakar & co. Because we fail to address such errors, we continue to suffer lopesided judgement and other matters of grieve consequences. People like IBB take advantage of such lapses, inflict damage on fellow citizens and get away with crime. Saro-Wiwa, Abiola & his wife, Rewane, Dele Giwa, etc. all suffered such fate because we fail to enact and defend genuine national laws to protect ourselves. If laws do not wall a leader, he/she will become power drunk and use the position to revenge old scores with true and 'percieved' enemies. We owe ourselves the duty to make a clear separation between self-interest and our national interests. Because we failed to do that, today; we cannot hold a true national census, or hold a true and fair election, or throw all treasury looters to jail. We FAILED ourselves as a people! SOLID Posted by Solid| 08.10.2008 10:01

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