Former military head of state, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has justified the 1985 coup that ousted then-Major General Muhammadu Buhari, citing dissatisfaction with his policies and leadership style. In his newly launched memoir, A Journey in Service, Babangida addresses several pivotal moments in Nigeria’s history, including the annulment of the June 12 election and the circumstances surrounding Buhari’s removal.
Babangida, who served as Buhari’s Chief of Army Staff following the December 31, 1983, coup that toppled the civilian government of President Shehu Shagari, led the August 27, 1985, coup that ended Buhari’s rule and installed him as Nigeria’s leader until 1993.
Dissatisfaction with Buhari’s Leadership
In the memoir, launched in Abuja last Thursday, Babangida detailed his reasons for orchestrating the coup, accusing Buhari’s regime of enacting oppressive laws that infringed on fundamental rights.
“The policies of Buhari and his deputy, Tunde Idiagbon, were detrimental to the nation’s progress,” Babangida asserted. “This dissatisfaction eventually led to its ouster in 1985.”
He further noted that Buhari’s administration introduced “draconian” laws that restricted civil liberties, contributing to widespread discontent.
The Journey to Power
Recalling the events leading up to the coup, Babangida described the growing tensions within the military and the country, stating that leadership change had become inevitable.
“By the beginning of 1985, the citizenry had become apprehensive about the future of our country. The atmosphere was precarious and fraught with ominous signs of clear and present danger,” he wrote.
He explained that the 1983 coup, which had initially been perceived as a “rescue mission,” had lost its direction, and divisions within the military threatened national stability.
“If the armed forces imploded, the nation would go with it, and the end was just too frightening to contemplate,” Babangida warned. “Divisions of opinion within the armed forces had come to replace the unanimity of purpose that informed the December 1983 change of government.”
Criticism of Buhari and Idiagbon
Babangida accused Buhari and Idiagbon of adopting a “holier-than-thou” approach to governance, which he said alienated other military officers and heightened tensions within the leadership.
“Fundamental rights and freedoms were being routinely infringed upon and abused. As a military administration, we were now presiding over a society that was primarily frightened of us,” he wrote.
He criticized the administration’s reliance on stringent decrees, which he said led to widespread detentions and an erosion of public confidence.
“Draconian decrees led to the abuse and severe limitation of basic freedoms as people were clamped into indefinite detention, most times for minor infractions,” Babangida stated. “Punishment for crimes against the state had led to the pursuit of mechanical legalistic justice against the dictates of natural justice.”
He revealed that mounting pressure from within the military ultimately led to the coup, which was executed without bloodshed on the night of August 26, 1985.
“This tense atmosphere culminated in the unanimous decision of a broad spectrum of senior and middle-level officers to change the nation’s leadership,” he concluded.
Babangida’s memoir offers a rare glimpse into the motivations behind one of Nigeria’s most significant political upheavals, reigniting discussions on the impact of military rule on the country’s history.
