THE KIDNAP OF UMARU DIKKO: THE FULL STORY
( Part 1)
BY: MAX SIOLLUN
Over the next few weeks, I will be
revisiting the controversial attempt to
kidnap Umaru Dikko in 1984. Dikko was one of
the most powerful and notorious figures in
the government of President Shagari between
1979 and 1983. This is the first of a three
part series which recounts the
circumstances, timing and details of the
kidnap.
Umaru Dikko
Alhaji Umaru Abdurrahaman Dikko was born on
December 31, 1936 in the small village of
Wamba, close to Zaria in Kaduna State. As a
young man Dikko worked for the BBC’s Hausa
service. He has been at the vanguard of
northern Nigerian politics since the 1960s
when, then as a promising young politician
he was instrumental in (i) mobilising
northern public opinion against Nigeria’s
first military government headed by
Major-General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi, and
(ii) he was also secretary of the committee
of northern politicians that toured the
north to build support for the creation of
states across the federation in 1966. By the
time civilian democratic rule was restored
in 1979, Dikko had matured into a wily and
experienced politician.
Background: Corruption
in the 1980s
The early 1980s were marked by spectacular
government corruption. It is not that
corruption did not exist before, but that it
was amplified due to greater availability of
funds. Since there was more money around,
the asking price for kickbacks rose
correspondingly and the corruption became
unashamedly brazen. It was claimed that over
$16 billion in oil revenues were lost
between 1979 and 1983 during the reign of
President Shagari. Government ministry
buildings would mysteriously burst into
flames just before audits, making it
impossible to discover written evidence of
corruption. President Shagari later claimed
that he pleaded with his ministers to stop
embezzling state funds but was simply
ignored. The exasperated Shagari said he
simply gave up and prayed over the matter.
No politician symbolised the graft and
avarice under Shagari’s government more than
the combative Transport Minister Umaru Dikko.
Stories regarding Dikko’s corruption are
legion. One such instance arises in the
biography of an American contractor that had
a contract with the Nigerian government.
When the government was not performing its
obligations under the contract, the
contractor took his complaint directly to
Dikko. After listening to the contractor’s
complaints, Dikko went into an adjacent room
and emerged moments later with a suitcase
full of money which the contractor estimated
at approximately half a million US dollars.
Dikko then said words to the effect that if
the deal could be done a little
“differently” life would be easier for both
of them. Realising that he would be in
Dikko’s pocket forever if he accepted, the
contractor wisely refused the offer (Life
Is an Excellent Adventure: An Irreverent
Personal Odyssey, by Jerry Funk).
Aside from being the Transport Minister
Dikko headed a notorious presidential task
force charged with alleviating food
shortages by distributing imported rice. The
task force was accused of hoarding rice to
artificially exacerbate existing food
shortages in order to drive prices up
further, and of issuing import licenses to
businessmen with connections to the ruling
NPN party. Dikko’s name became synonymous
with corruption. In many ways Dikko became
the 1980s answer to first republic Finance
Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh who was
similarly disliked by army officers (leading
to his assassination during a military coup
in 1966). The comparison was not fanciful.
Dikko was the ultimate personification and
symbol of 1980s corruption and shady deals
in Nigeria. He perhaps thought himself
untouchable because he was President
Shagari’s brother-in-law and had the
President’s ear. Stories have been told of
how Dikko would follow Shagari around after
major policy decisions so as to ensure that
Shagari would not change his mind, and to
ensure that each day, his was the last
opinion that Shagari heard.
Dikko also had a way of rubbing people the
wrong way. At a time of soaring inflation,
scarce commodities and falling oil prices,
Dikko’s contribution to a debate about
poverty in Nigeria was to remark that things
were not so bad, since after all Nigerians
were not yet eating out of dustbins. He
managed to antagonise even his colleagues in
the ruling NPN. The NPN had an elaborate
zoning system for the distribution of
government portfolios - including the
presidency. Since the presidency had been
zoned to President Shagari (from the north),
the multi-billionaire businessman, Moshood
Abiola hoped he would benefit from the NPN’s
zoning system. Abiola assumed that when
President Shagari’s term of office expired,
the NPN would “zone” the presidency to the
south, and he would be allowed to run for
President. He was wrong. When Abiola
articulated his presidential ambition, he
was rebuffed by Dikko who told him that “the
presidency is not for sale to the highest
bidder”. Abiola “retired” from politics
soon after – totally exasperated with the
NPN. Abiola was however to remerge from the
shadows to play a key role in Nigeria’s
political history.
Dikko and the Military
Dikko also made himself unpopular not just
with the public, colleagues and the press,
but also with military officers. Given his
high profile in the government and
scandalous corruption, Dikko knew that if a
military coup occurred, he would be a marked
man. He kept tabs on senior military
officers by ordering covert surveillance on
them. Dikko was playing a dangerous game
given that the senior echelons of the armed
forces officer corps were highly politicised
and loaded with officers with significant
coup plotting or military regime experience.
Among such officers included the Director of
Staff Duties and Plans Major-General Ibrahim
Babangida, the GOC of the 3 armoured
Division in Jos Major-General Muhammadu
Buhari, and brigade commander Ibrahim Bako.
There was political experience among the
service chiefs too. Chief of Defence Staff
Lt-General Gibson Jalo was a former SMC
member, Chief of Army Staff Lt-General
Mohammed Wushishi was the former Minister of
Trade and Industries and Chief of Naval
Staff Akin Aduwo was a former Military
Governor. Babangida, Buhari, Jalo, Wushishi
and Aduwo all served together under the
military regime of General Obasanjo. Buhari
complained to President Shagari that Dikko
had ordered his movements to be monitored.
Dikko had woken a sleeping tiger.
In October 1983 President Shagari was
re-elected for his second and final term of
office in an election that was marred by
accusations of electoral malpractice. His
campaign was managed by his brother-in-law
Dikko. The stage was set for another
military rescue operation.
The Military Returns
At 7am on New Year’s Day 1984 the following
broadcast was made by a hitherto unknown
army officer:
“Fellow countrymen and women. I,
Brigadier Sani Abacha, of the Nigerian army
address you this morning on behalf of the
Nigerian armed forces.
You are all living witnesses to the great
economic predicament and uncertainty, which
an inept and corrupt leadership has imposed
on our beloved nation for the past four
years. I am referring to the harsh,
intolerable conditions under which we are
now living. Our economy has been hopelessly
mismanaged. We have become a debtor and
beggar nation. There is inadequacy of food
at reasonable prices for our people who are
now fed up with endless announcements of
importation of foodstuffs. Health services
are in shambles as our hospitals are reduced
to mere consulting clinics without drugs,
water and equipment. Our educational system
is deteriorating at an alarming rate.
Unemployment figures including the
undergraduates have reached embarrassing and
unacceptable proportions. In some states,
workers are being owed salary arrears of
eight to twelve months and in others there
are threats of salary cuts. Yet our leaders
revel in squandermania, corruption and
indiscipline, and continue to proliferate
public appointments in complete disregard of
our stark economic realities.
After due consultations over these
deplorable conditions, I and my colleagues
in the armed forces have in the discharge of
our national role as promoters and
protectors of our national interest decided
to effect a change in the leadership of the
government of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria and form a Federal Military
Government. This task has just been
completed. The Federal Military Government
hereby decrees the suspension of the
provisions of the Constitution of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria 1979 relating to
all elective and appointive offices and
representative institutions including the
office of the President, state governors,
federal and state executive councils,
special advisers, special assistants, the
establishment of the National Assembly and
the Houses of Assembly including the
formation of political parties.
Accordingly, Alhaji Shehu Usman Shagari
ceases forthwith to be the President and
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of
Nigeria. All the incumbents of the above
named offices shall, if they have not
already done so, vacate their formal
official residences, surrender all
government property in their possession and
report to the nearest police station in
their constituencies within seven days. The
clerk of the National Assembly, the
President of the Senate and Speaker of the
House of Representatives shall, within two
weeks, render account of all the properties
of the National Assembly. All the political
parties are banned; the bank account of
FEDECO and all the political parties are
frozen with immediate effect. All foreigners
living in any part of the country are
assured of their safety and will be
adequately protected. Henceforth, workers
not on essential duties are advised to keep
off the streets. All categories of workers
on essential duties will, however, report at
their places of work immediately.
With effect from today, a dusk to dawn
curfew will be imposed between 7pm and 6am
each day until further notice. All airways
flights have been suspended forthwith and
all airports, seaports, and border posts
closed. External communications have been
cut. The Customs and Excise, Immigration and
the Police will maintain vigilance and
ensure watertight security at the borders.
The area administrators or commanders will
have themselves to blame if any of the
wanted people escape. Fellow countrymen and
women, the change in government has been a
bloodless and painstaking operation and we
do not want anyone to lose his or her life.
People are warned in their own interest to
be law abiding and to give the Federal
Military Government maximum cooperation.
Anyone caught disturbing public order will
be summarily dealt with.
For avoidance of doubt, you are forewarned
that we shall not hesitate to declare
martial law in any area or state of the
federation in which disturbances occur.
Fellow countrymen and women and comrades at
arms, I will like to assure you that the
Armed Forces of Nigeria is ready to lay its
life for our dear nation but not for the
present irresponsible leadership of the past
civilian administration.
You are to await further announcements. Good
morning.”
On the last day of 1983, the army abandoned
the barracks once again in order to “save
this nation from imminent collapse”.
President Shehu Shagari was overthrown in an
almost bloodless military coup. The only
casualty of the coup was Brigadier Ibrahim
Bako who was killed while trying to arrest
President Shagari in Abuja. The coup was
financed by an extremely wealthy southern
businessman that Dikko had upset earlier.
The new military Head of State was the
officer that Dikko had so antagonized
earlier: Major-General Muhammadu Buhari.
Dikko’s problems were just beginning.
http://maxsiollun.wordpress.com/
maxsiollun@yahoo.com
Next part: Nigeria and Israel. The Stalking
and Capture of Dikko…… “Quick, surgical
and precise, it was a typical Mossad
operation.”
|
|
|
