1985 Coup: Mistakes That Led To Overthrow Of President Buhari

With reference to Gabriel Akinadewo report, a founding editor of the New Telegraph newspaper which elaborates on the mistakes Buhari made as the then-leader of the nation.


Buhari was not the “crazy-about-office” type of officer

After one of the meetings of the Supreme Military Council (SMC) in early July 1985, the then chief of army staff, Major General Ibrahim Babangida, told the head of state, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, that it would be necessary for him to embark on a tour of army formations in the country.

Babangida was not asking for too much as those formations were under his office. Babangida also told the commander-in-chief the need to boost the morale of officers and upgrade infrastructural facilities in the various divisions, brigades and barracks.

After a few minutes, the request was granted by Buhari. When Babangida left, Buhari thought about what some officers told him a few weeks earlier of an impending putsch. Although the details were vague, he was told that Babangida was part of the plot to remove him from office. But the problem was that Buhari was not the type of officer who was ‘crazy’ about office. Again, before he made any move, Buhari would demand for a cast-iron evidence. So, when Babangida came, telling him the need to make the army boys happy, he dismissed the earlier thought.

What he did not know was that Babangida was only using the tour as a decoy to perfect the final strategy for the plot which after its success on August 27, 1985 was hailed as a ‘palace coup.’

Babangida planned to become the most powerful Nigerian

It was no accident of history that Babangida became head of state 10 days after his 44th birthday. To observers, he had, for years, planned to become the most powerful Nigerian. He was only waiting for the right time and when the chance came, he grabbed it immediately.

During the December 31, 1983 coup which ousted Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Buhari was the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 3rd Armoured Division, Jos. Babangida was the director, Army Staff Duties and Plans.

Although Babangida was older, Buhari was senior in hierarchy and he commanded troops. So, it was generally agreed that Buhari should lead the new regime but the moment Babangida was made the Chief of Army Staff, he put machinery in motion which paid off 20 months later.


Factors that led to the success of the coup

Three factors contributed to the success of the coup.

1. The first was that the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Major-General Mamman Vatsa, did not really push Buhari enough to move against Babangida.

Vatsa was closer to Babangida than Buhari because they were course and soul mates. And most of the officers used for the August 27 coup, especially the general officer commanding (GOC), 2nd Mechanised Division, Ibadan, Major General Sani Abacha, were also close to Vatsa.

Vatsa knew that the plot was thick and he tried to warn Buhari but Buhari’s attitude weakened him.

When Vatsa also told the chief of staff, supreme headquarters, Major General Tunde Idiagbon, of the plot, Idiagbon merely replied: "Let them try".


When the Babangida group knew about this, the rumour came out that Vatsa was ambitious to become the Chief of Army Staff and that was why he wanted to discredit Babangida.

With that, Vatsa "soft-pedalled" and that gave Babangida the advantage he needed.

Also, since Buhari became the head of state, he did not promote himself till he was removed. A disciplinarian, he believed that the rot left by the civilian administration must be cleared first. He thought first about the country before himself. Believing that Babangida was loyal to him, he left the army completely under his care. That was why he was easily overwhelmed.

When any report came to him, his belief was that the evidence must be strong before any move was made. That was why it took months for him to retire Lt.Col Mohammed Aliyu Gusau because he was waiting for evidence indicting him in the import licence scam, an evidence which was eventually supplied by the Nigerian Security Organisation (NSO) led by Alhaji Rabiu Rafindadi.

With the retirement of Gusau, Babangida, his closest ally, felt threatened and moved swiftly to actualise the plot against Buhari. In other climes, half of the evidence gathered was enough to nail Babangida.

So, the procrastination of Buhari led to the success of the coup against him.

2. The second success factor was that Babangida planted key loyalists in strategic units of the military, a move Buhari was not aware of. As Head of State, Buhari’s isolation from the military was given a high priority by the Babangida group.

Akilu was Babangida’s ‘main-man’ in the intelligence community, a counterweight to Alhaji Muhammadu Lawal Rafindadi, Buhari’s loyal head of the NSO.

The actual execution of the coup

In the actual execution of the coup, Babangida also played a smart one. He chose the celebration of the Eid-el-Kabir, when he knew security would be relaxed and alertness not at the peak, to strike.

On August 26, Muslims headed for mosques for morning prayers on Sallah day at the Ikeja Cantonment, but there were strong indications that a change of government was imminent.

Buhari, the commander, Brigade of Guards, Lt. Col. Sabo Aliyu and Buhari’s aide-de-camp (ADC), Major Mustapha Haruna Jokolo, tried to find out details to no avail. Idiagbon had already travelled to Mecca, together with Vatsa and a few others.

Babangida gave the task of arresting Buhari to officers he trusted. When majors Abubakar Umar Dangiwa, Lawan Gwadabe, Abdulmumuni Aminu and Sambo Dasuki arrived the State House, Buhari was waiting for them.

He was later whisked away after he was given the chance to dress in his official uniform. After Buhari’s arrest, it was clear that the coup had become a success story.

Then, Colonel Joshua Nimyel Dogonyaro, director of manning (“A” Branch) and concurrent director of the department of armour at the army headquarters, announced that the Buhari regime had been deposed.

Hours later, about 1 pm, the more familiar voice of Abacha, who was to become the chief of army staff, announced the appointment of Babangida as the new head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Babangida immediately took the title of president.

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Trash. Nonsense.
Who cares ?


$

Rubbish

They should all be languishing in prison

The Daura dûllard was useless as a military head of state and is still useless as civilian president. No amount of bleach can wash away his crass uselessness

Incomplete story

From this story, it's obvious Buhari is not that smart neither is he brilliant. That's why his subordinates often becomes more powerful under his watch.
He's repeating the same mistake (blind trust) to Brutai, Kyari, et'al.

Memoirs of 1985 coup

So this daft man now leads us.

Rubbish article. Another pathetic attempt to whitewash buhari. The way buhari is ruling Nigeria today is exactly how he ruled Nigeria in 1984 until he was toppled in one of the most easiest coups in the world for incompetence.
ONE NIGERIA IS DEAD!

Buhari has a very bad character.

He is a chronic procrastinator. He doesn't always know what is going on around him. He is so slow in taking a decision. He is grossly insecure. He is dull and unintelligent.

Yes, he handsome and tall but who cares?

From the story ...



Buhari was a disaster waiting to happen.






This is the re packaged failure the SW cajoled the country into.

"...The Nigerian public has been made to believe that the slow pace of action of the Federal Government headed by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari was due to the enormity of the problems left by the last civilian administration."

"-...The real reason, however, for the very slow pace of action is due to lack of unanimity of purpose among the ruling body; subsequently, the business of governance has gradually been subjected to ill-motivated power play considerations.

The ruling body, the Supreme Military Council, has, therefore, progressively been made redundant by the actions of a select few members charged with the day-to-day implementation of the SMC’s policies and decision."

-"..The concept of collective leadership has been substituted by stubborn and illadvised unilateral actions, thereby destroying the principles upon which the government came to power. Any effort made to advise the leadership, met with stubborn resistance and was viewed as a challenge to authority or disloyalty.

The Coup Speech That Overthrow Buhari on 27th.Aug.1985.Same scenario in 1983-85, same today and same shall it remain.The overwhelming brilliance of the plotters to pull such a successful coup is an indictment on the lack of foresight by the dullard himself.

The Babangida coup was Nigerias second independence that freed Nigeria from the clutches of one of the most useless leader ever Buhari but sadly 30 years later Nigerians will make the same mistake again

After a few minutes, the request was granted by Buhari. When Babangida left, Buhari thought about what some officers told him a few weeks earlier of an impending putsch. Although the details were vague, he was told that Babangida was part of the plot to remove him from office. But the problem was that Buhari was not the type of officer who was ‘crazy’ about office. Again, before he made any move, Buhari would demand for a cast-iron evidence. So, when Babangida came, telling him the need to make the army boys happy, he dismissed the earlier thought.

Lol.

BMC zombies are hard at work.

Buhari was an incompetent fool who refused to take necessary steps to thwart a coup against him.

You claim the idiot was not ''crazy '' about office so why did the idiot contest elections 4 times.

Yaribanza liars!

No wonder the failure is hell bent on keeping Dasuki imprisoned.

Rubbish !

All said and done!
What we, as a nation, should be working towards is never to allow military men and their co-travellers to rule this nation again.

With the way our current politicians are handling the affairs of this nation, it's a hucurien task, but we can do it.
God bless Nigeria

If Buhari was a failure, how will I describe his predecessor?.
Awon eleregbe a fi igo lo aso.

His being unaware of his personal, political, social and economic surrounding did not start today.

[s]

7lives:
If Buhari was a failure, how will I describe his predecessor?.
Awon eleregbe a fi igo lo aso.

[/s]Yaribanza