25 YEARS AGO — Nigerians woke up to listen to the network news at 7am but heard an unfamiliar voice on Radio Nigeria. It was Major Gideon Gwarzo Orkar speaking of “the successful ousting of the …administration of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida”.
The coup plotter used nine adjectives (that we leave out here) to describe the IBB regime. Some students of Unilorin marched in the streets in support of the coup. Other Nigerians rejoiced, until…
The coup failed by noon. Another voice — belonging to a familiar soldier that had announced the Buhari coup of Dec. 31. 1983 — spoke of Orkar and co as rebels who uttered seditious statements.
Orkar and others were later executed.
