…says he would have survived the coup

Had the coup plotters led by Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka not noticed the door of General Murtala Muhammed’s Mercedes Benz car opened minutes after it was sprayed with bullets from AK-47 assault rifles, triggering another round of firing, perhaps the late Head of State would have survived the brutal attack.

The lone survivor and Orderly to the late Head of State, Staff Sergeant Michael Otuwu, broke his silence in a highly emotional interview with The AUTHORITY Daily, nearly 40 years after the tragic incident.

According to the Orderly, on their way to work on the morning of Friday, February 13, 1976, the Head of State left his personal house in Ikoyi and was headed to work in Dodan Barracks, the seat of government, which he said was being renovated at the time.

Otuwu disclosed that beside the Head of State was his ADC, Lt. Akintunde Akinterinwa, himself (Otuwu) directly seated in the front passenger’s seat, with Sergeant Adamu Michika behind the wheels.

According to the Orderly, as the unsuspecting car of the Head of State stopped before a row of cars at a junction, he noticed a man in a traditional attire, babanriga (he later identified him as Dimka) who approached the car, removed the flowing robe and pulled out an AK-47 rifle, shooting the driver in the head point blank.

According to the Orderly, having disabled the car by killing the driver, other soldiers clad in robes, ran towards Murtala’s car and opened fire.

“The Head of State, his ADC and I all ducked while the shooting lasted,” narrated the Orderly, sobbing uncontrollably as he recalled the traumatic incident. After the shooting, Otuwu continued, he heard the gunmen running towards the Radio House.

A few minutes later, he continued, he noticed that the injured ADC opened his door, apparently to come to the aid of the equally injured Commander-in-Chief.

According to the Orderly, the opened door alerted the assailants that the occupants of the vehicle were not dead – and this prompted the coup plotters to return a second time to, again, open fire on the car in order to finish them off. He passed out.

According to Otuwu, Generals TY Danjuma and Olusegun Obasanjo were lucky because they were also targets but escaped because they did not leave for their offices as early as Murtala did and they heard the radio announcement which may have fatefully altered their movement plans.

According to Otuwu, who enlisted in the Nigeria Army in 11 September, 1967, he had moved early that morning with the late Head of State from his Ikoyi residence to Dodan Barracks because the overthrown General Yakubu Gowon had not evacuated the official residence and it was not yet renovated.

His words:

“I was his Orderly throughout to his last day during the Dimka coup. I was inside the car with him when he was killed.

“On the morning of that February 13, we were going to the office. Sergeant Adamu Michika was the driver; Sergeant Akintunde Akinterinwa, his ADC, sat behind the driver. As an Orderly, I was in front with the driver.

“While the Head of State sat behind me – I was the one who opens the door for him. That fateful day I came up in the morning to carry him to the office in Dodan Barracks. We got to the former Secretariat, now at Ikoyi, which was under construction.

Before the place they call Alagbon junction, near the labour office. The official car was a Mercedes Benz 600. It is still at the National Museum. There were about four or five vehicles in front of us. You know at that junction there was traffic. We didn’t go with sirens. During his time we didn’t go with escorts with the accompanying out-riders, road-closed signs and all that.

So when we got to the Alagbon junction, the traffic warden stopped the vehicle and we were in the queue. We were the fifth or sixth vehicle behind the forward vehicles that were stopped. That secretariat was under construction.

They put zincs around the compound behind that secretariat. Then some soldiers came in Agbada carrying AK-47 rifles. “They wore uniforms but covered them with Agbada. They had their Kalashnikovs with Agbada cover-up in form of camouflage. We never knew they were even waiting for us. Then one soldier from Golf Road shot and got our driver, Sergeant Michika. Our motor was neutralized.

“Between me and the driver was an arm-rest. On that arm-rest was Oga’s brief case. In this brief case he puts civil dress he could use as needed. When he wants to go to Mosque, he does not like going back to Ikoyi to change.

“Then some other soldiers converged on us. I can’t recall their number. They began to spray us from the back. All of us took cover. I fell on top of the driver; the blood of the driver covered my head. They thought the bullet got my head.

“After the first shooting and without return of fire they must have assumed that we were all dead. The shooting was actually in two phases. They ran to the NBC to announce the assassination. They shared themselves into three.

“There was a group waiting for Obasanjo when he was about to go to the office. Also another group was waiting for TY Danjuma at Bourdillon – our own was at Ikoyi Road. It happened we were the first target that moved early from the house to the office.

“Before Obasanjo and TY Danjuma moved to their offices they have already heard the radio announcement. By the time of the first shooting, we being the target and their running to NBC to go and announce that they have already finished their assignment, the ADC who was still alive, thinking they were gone, opened the door of the Benz.

“In the first spraying of the car, except the driver who was killed, the three of us were injured but not dead. On observing the car door opening, one of the attackers, still within range, a Major, called to the others: “he never die, he never die.” He was calling his group to return.

“This time around when they came back they finished their entire magazines. That was what happened. They carried everybody to the mortuary at Igbosere Hospital, not far from Kam Salem Police Headquarters. Because of the extreme cold of the mortuary, my left hand started shaking and one of the attendants saw it and called the nurses or doctors and said somebody was still alive.

“From there they checked and confirmed I was still breathing. So they had to look for a vehicle to carry me to Dodan Barracks. From Dodan Barracks they looked for an ambulance and carried me to a hospital, Awolowo Road hospital, a military hospital.”

Otuwu, who hails from Kogi State, spent six months in the hospital after his miraculous survival. He has not been recognized by the army or the state.

Presently, he does a few jobs for late General Murtala’s son, in Abuja.

Credit: The Archives.

Following the revelation by former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida during the launch of his book “A Journey in Service” that the 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup as alleged, the Igbo apex group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, on Sunday demanded an apology and N10 trillion as compensation from President Bola Tinubu to the Igbo.

The group noted that the coup unleashed disastrous repercussions on the Igbo people, among other factors, which ultimately led to the cataclysmic horrors of the Biafra War.

In a statement obtained by The Guardian in Abakaliki, the Deputy National President of the Ohanaeze faction, Okechukwu Isiguzoro, noted that the apology and compensation had become necessary due to the staggering loss of life, with approximately three million Igbo—predominantly innocent women and children—slaughtered during the conflict, an event that continues to reverberate through the collective consciousness of the Igbo people.

He stated that the revelations would compel Nigerians to confront the stark injustices perpetrated against the Igbo people, insisting that President Tinubu must recognise this moment as an opportunity to extend a public and unequivocal apology on behalf of previous military regimes, particularly General Yakubu Gowon’s administration.
He added that such an apology was long overdue for the myriad wrongdoings inflicted upon the Igbo nation, which continue even decades after the conclusion of the Biafra War.

He noted that the demand for ten trillion naira in reparations remained steadfast, stressing that the figure was not arbitrary but a symbolic recognition of the indelible losses the Igbo people had endured.

He further stated that the Igbo people extended forgiveness to General Babangida and all others involved in the atrocities committed during the Biafra conflict, stressing that the confessions brought forth by Babangida should warrant accountability for those who participated in the tragic events that decimated the Igbo populace.

The statement read: “The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, extends its profound appreciation to General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) for his remarkable courage in officially declaring that the January 1966 coup was unequivocally not an Igbo coup.

“This pivotal acknowledgement is not merely a correction of historical nomenclature but a significant moment in our collective pursuit of justice and reconciliation, signalling a potential end to the historical vindictiveness and cruelty that have been pervasive in Federal Government policies towards the Igbo Nation.

“His forthright exemption of the Igbo from the egregious classification as enemies of the Northern region in the aftermath of the coup is both timely and necessary, even if it arrives decades later.

“The mislabeling of the January 1966 coup has unleashed disastrous repercussions upon the Igbo people, most tragically culminating in the July 1966 counter-coup, which decimated a military Head of State of Igbo descent.

“The staggering loss of life, with approximately three million Igbos—predominantly innocent women and children—slaughtered during this conflict, continues to reverberate through our collective consciousness.
“Furthermore, even in the post-Biafra era, the Igbo Nation continues to grapple with systemic injustices, evidenced by acute marginalisation that leaves us with the smallest representation of states within the Nigerian federation.

“The political conspiracies designed to deny the Igbo the rights to ascend to the highest office in the land—Nigeria’s Presidency—the chronic economic neglect symbolised by the closure of the Calabar seaport, the inoperative state of several ports in Igbo land, the implementation of a discriminatory quota system, and the conspicuous absence of functional international airports in the Southeast starkly illustrate the Federal Government’s long-standing policy of exclusion.

“In light of these egregious injustices and the deliberate neglect exhibited by successive administrations, Ohanaeze Ndigbo hereby restates its demands, as articulated previously during the Justice Oputa-led Judicial Commission for the Investigation of Human Rights Violations Panel in 1999.

“We assert that the Nigerian Federal Government, under General Yakubu Gowon, conducted indiscriminate and unjustified bombardments in Igbo territory during the Nigeria-Biafra War, resulting in overwhelming loss of life. These historical realities establish an irrefutable case for the reparations we seek.

“The present Federal Government, led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, must recognise this moment as an opportunity to extend a public and unequivocal apology on behalf of previous military regimes. Our demand for ten trillion naira in reparations remains steadfast.

“This figure is not arbitrary but a symbolic recognition of the indelible losses the Igbo people have endured. The time has come for true acknowledgement of these historical wrongs, which can only be rectified through both reparations and sincere apologies.”

Residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have praised the ongoing construction of 12 divisional police stations and six-unit police staff quarters across the six area councils, describing it as a transformative step for community security.

The initiative, spearheaded by FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, is part of the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s (FCTA) broader security infrastructure plan. Beyond enhancing security, the project has also created job opportunities for local residents.

With the construction nearing completion, Nuhu Musa, the architect overseeing the project in Saburi, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), revealed that work began on November 19, 2024.

“The groundbreaking was on November 19, and the next day, we started clearing the site. By the following week, excavation was completed,” Musa said.

According to him, the project has reached 70% completion, with roofing currently in progress and work progressing ahead of schedule.

The project consists of two major structures: a police station and a residence for police personnel.

“We have a program of work. The schedule of work submitted was for one year, but we plan to be done in six months. If today marks the third month, it means we have roughly three months more, which is too much for us to finish up this project.

“This project is a police station, and the one at the back is the residence for the police staff, which is six units of two-bedroom flats. It’s a block of flats, two on each level, making it six because it’s two floors,” Musa added.

He emphasized that the project has positively impacted the local economy by providing jobs for the residents of the community.

“So far, so good. The people of the community are all cooperating. We employed so many of them. The artisans from here also work for us. The security personnel is also from the community,” he said.

Also speaking, Engineer Ahmed Yahaya, the site engineer for Armodris Nigeria Limited, the contractor handling the project, also highlighted the progress.

“We have been here since November, that is three months now. So far, so good. Work has been moving on. We are moving at a lighter pace. As God would have it, there has been no casualty,” he said.

He expressed gratitude for the project, describing it as a great intervention for the community.

“We thank the minister for bringing this kind of project to this community. Ever since we started this project, people usually come here, and all they say is, ‘God will bless the Minister,’” Yahaya said.

The contractors also commended the residents of the community for their continued support for the project, even as they anticipating its full benefits once it is commissioned.

Prince Yahaya Mohammed, a resident of Saburi 1 who was employed as a supervisor on the project, expressed excitement about the employment opportunities created.

“I am very happy that I have been employed here as a supervisor. I’m from this village, Saburi 1.

“Through this project, many people from this village have been employed, and they now have a source to earn a living,” he said.

While commending the FCT Minister for choosing Saburi for the project, he also urged the government to consider Saburi youths in future police recruitment.

On his part, the Village Head of Saburi, Alhaji Muhammad Yamawo, lauded the FCT Administration for the police station project and other infrastructure developments in the area.

He noted that the newly constructed Saburi-Dei Dei road has also improved security in the area.

“We have suffered a lot due to the absence of a good road in Saburi, but we are happy that Wike has finally wiped our tears,” he said.

“I am very happy with this road project. Security in the area has been improved. Police now patrol the area without hindrances,” Yamawo added.

Meanwhile, the Director of Security Services at the FCTA, Adamu Gwari, has explained that the police station project is part of the administration’s broader strategy to improve security across the FCT.

He said the idea was conceived after the Minister toured the six Area Councils and engaged with residents.

“At that interface, he was made to understand that security is first and foremost. As we usually give him the acronym ‘talk and do,’ he looked at it from the perspective of providing infrastructure that will bring security closer to FCT residents,” Gwari explained.

According to him, the FCT Minister secured presidential approval for 12 divisional police headquarters, each with six-unit staff quarters, across the six Area Councils.

“We started with nine such facilities, and later, the Minister provided three additional ones so that each Area Council will have two, making a total of 12,” he said.

He noted that since the implementation of the security infrastructure projects, crime rates in the FCT have reduced significantly.

“From the time the Minister visited the Area Councils to date, every blessed month, our statistical information about insecurity is dropping. We can beat our chest to say that security has greatly improved beyond even our expectations,” he said.