Thread by @DobuChief

Murtala Muhammed Was Assassinated While Trying To End Corruption In Nigeria – President Buhari

President Buhari said he developed a great liking and respect for Muhammed who showed “genuine interest and concern for up-and-coming officers like myself”.

General Murtala Mohammed was on his way to putting Nigeria back to the path of order and discipline by ending corruption before his life was truncated by a military coup on February 13, 1976.

Buhari described him as a great personality who made huge sacrifice for the country.

He said: “Nigeria suffered a grievous blow with the assassination of Murtala Muhammed in a failed coup d’état. The country mourned,

and rightly so, because Murtala had been on his way to putting Nigeria back to the path of order and discipline, after years of drift, corruption and near despair,” Buhari said.

It would not be over-stating the case to say that Nigeria lost its newly-found momentum with Murtala’s demise. Although he was much more senior to me in the army, I developed a great liking and respect for him

He could not tolerate was incompetence and idleness.

By the time Murtala was given command during the Civil War, the Federal side was on the defensive. The rebels had over-ran the then Mid-West, and reached as far as Ore, just 100 miles from Lagos.

By dint of sheer bravery, improvisation & resourcefulness, he mustered a rag-tag group of soldiers, integrated them into an entirely new division, knocked them into fighting shape, recovered Mid-West & ventured across the Niger. Alas, there were terrible casualties on both sides.

The shadow of his death still somewhat hangs over Nigeria. His life, short though it proved to be, was marked by an extraordinary passion, energy & determination to do better, and to make Nigeria better. These are values that young and old alike should all remember and celebrate.