...How Buhari Betrayed me
...Why he was after Umaru Dikko
“...Our security service, during the period of my tenure, did a wonderful job employing quite efficient methods, through their intelligence, to track down conspiracies against my administration in their early stages before they were hatched. It was only during the latter part of my first term and the beginning of the second term that the military intelligence became suspect...
“Worse still, there appeared to be a cleavage within the army hierarchy itself when these senior officers started quarrelling among themselves for positions. Some of these officers were known to be in league with some influential politicians from within and outside the administration. Consequently, these power-hungry officers and messy politicians quickly factionalized the army into groups of loyalists and suspects. Some of my opponents, notably Waziri Ibrahim, engaged themselves in the dangerous past time of what one may call coup-baiting. Surprisingly, Chief Awolowo did not in any way connection with the military during this time, although some of his supporters could not be absolved...
“As was to be expected, everyone approached on the subject emphatically denied the charge, but pointed fingers at others. It was rather tricky situation which did place me in a kind of dilemma. However, the single exception to the rule was Alhaji Umaru Dikko, the Minister of Transport, who had openly confessed to me about his involvement in barracks politics. This arose from a complaint I received in 1983 from some military top brass who alleged that Umaru Dikko had been spying at them in their houses and was keeping surveillance on their movements. When I confronted Umaru on the allegation, he did not deny the charges but argued that he was doing so in the national interest and according to him, in order to safeguard my own personal security, his own and that of my immediate lieutenants whose lives, he believed, were being threatened by coup-plotters. I quickly dismissed his assertions as unfounded and told him, in no uncertain terms, to stop meddling in what was strictly outside his own competence. He dutifully but grudgingly obeyed.
“Prior to this incident, a senior army officer (Muhammadu Buhari) who had just returned from a course abroad came to lodge a complaint to me when his posting was suddenly changed from the Lagos Garrison, Ikeja Cantonment, to another Command because of what he believed to be political interference in the matter of military postings. He heard rumours, he added, that the change in his posting was prompted by alleged misgiving in his loyalty to the administration. If these were so, he suggested that he would rather resign from the service and go home. Actually, I did not know anything at all about his posting and re-positing, and I told him so. I also assured him of my absolute confidence in him and tried to disabuse his mind about nursing any grievances based upon unfounded rumours and wild allegations. We parted with warm handshake and renewed friendship.
“Soon afterwards, I enquired about this issue with the Chief of Army Staff who confessed to me that he had effected the change of posting, of the particular officer, at the instance of Umaru Dikko who thought that it would be risky to allow such an officer to be so close to the seat of power when he was strongly being suspected of wanting power for himself. I warned the Chief of Army Staff to desist from doing things behind my back and I asserted that matters such as this ought not to have escaped my attention. He however confirmed the loyalty of the officer concerned, but advised that the new posting should remain as arranged for administrative convenience. I agreed.
“Ironically, it was the same officer (Buhari) who later became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and allegedly ordered, among other things, the abortive forceful repatriation of Umaru Dikko from the United Kingdom through abduction in a crate!...”
Culled from Shehu Shagari: Beckoned to Serve, pp 451&452.
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