Bamidele was implicated in the coup attempt because he heard a rumor of a coup attempt and did not reveal the information.
Daniel Bamidele He was a Nigerian army officer who was executed by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida for failing to report an alleged plot against the government in the so-called “Vatsa coup”. Bamidele was charged with conspiracy to commit treason.
During an official trip to Kaduna in October 1983 to print the division’s report to the Army Chiefs of Staff Conference, Daniel Bamidele heard rumors of a planned coup against President Shagari. Upon his return to Jos, he immediately reported to his General Officer Commanding (GOC), Major General Muhammadu Buhari (who, unknown to Bamidele at the time, was at the center of the conspiracy). A week later, Bamidele was on a plane to Lagos, arrested by military intelligence at Domu Barracks and accused of plotting a coup against Shagari. False witnesses were presented, mock interrogations were organized, and reports were submitted to the NSO (then chaired by Umaru Shinkafi) to mislead the Shagari regime.
Meanwhile, the real conspiracy was taking place in secret, with the full participation of the same military intelligence group that had interrogated him. Finally, on November 25, 1983, Bamidele was released because there were neither credible witnesses to accuse him nor a legal basis to charge him with individual conspiracy. He returned to Jos, baffled by what had really happened, until January 1, 1984, when his own GOC, Buhari, became the new head of state to whom he reported the conspiracy. Bamidele’s words in court were as follows:
“I heard about the plotting of a coup in 1983 and told this to my GOC Buhari who detained me in Lagos for two weeks. Instead of a pat on the back, I received a slap. So how should I report this? This process is tantamount to overshadowing my brilliant and flawless 19-year career. I fought in the Civil War with the skills God gave me. It’s a shame to be judged for something I had to break off twice.
This is not personal praise, but an honest summary of the qualities in me. “It is ironic that the Chief Justice, who in 1964 thought I was good enough to be educated in Britain, now has the responsibility to show me a way out of the police and the world.”
