Thread by @DobuChief

The shocking story of how Nigeria's de-facto vice-president Tunde Idiagbon died at 56 and why Buhari burst into tears during his-burial in Ilorin

On the 24th of March, 1999, a retired Major-General of the Nigerian Army and a former de facto vice president of Nigeria,

Babatunde ‘Tunde’ Abdulbaki Idiagbon died under mysterious circumstances at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), Ilorin, Kwara State. He was just 56 and there were so many questions about his demise.

Idiagbon’s death was dramatic, sudden & utterly shocking. Many of his hometown folks still shiver today any time they remember the late general. The brief illness that later took his life started on the 21st of March but he braved it and travelled to Abuja on Monday, 22nd March.

By the time he returned to Ilorin on Tuesday, the stomach upset was still there. On the evening of Tuesday 23rd of March, 1999, the stomach upset became so severe that he could not hold it anymore even after taking some medications. He was prostrate and could not breath properly,

covered with sweat, the agony was visible.

He to the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital and doctors flew into action, battling to save the general’s life (an emergency surgery was said to have been carried out at first). But all efforts to save him were in vain.

By 4.35 pm the next day, Wednesday, he was gone after bouts of convulsion. He had been admitted at the hospital for just 18 hours and as at the time he died, the doctors were making plans to operate him. The surgical operation had been approved by Lt. Colonel Rasheed Shekoni,

the Military Administrator of Kwara State but before any scalpel could be used, Idiagbon was dead. Ilorin was thrown into mourning like no other with wailings echoing from Adangba to Abayawo.

According to the Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Rotimi Fakeye, a professor of obstetrics and gynaecology, Idiagbon’s condition was very serious as at the time he was brought to the hospital.

Another son of the soil, the late Major-General Abdulkarim Adisa, the Kwara State Government and the Christian Association of Nigeria mourned him. Tears flowed freely at his Idiagbon family compound and his kinsmen were inconsolable. His 90-year-old mother, Alhaja Ayisat said:

“What is life to me now without Tunde? Who have I offended that could not have taken me away instead of my son? God, this is a great burden and sorrow for me at my old age to bear.” - His 90 years old mother weeps.

Idiagbon wanted Nigeria to be a better place to live in.

Idiagbon’s last public outing was a special prayer session on 14th March that was held to mark Adisa’s release from Nigeria’s Gitmo.

Unsubstantiated claims of poisoning have trailed his death (like that of Tafawa Balewa too, circumstances around the death of Nigeria’s first and only Prime Minister remain unsolved)

but you know, Nigeria is a very peculiar place, forensic medicine is next to nothing, that’s one and we do not bother to investigate the deaths or killings of our leaders.

General Tunde Idiagbon was to be appointed Chief of Staff in the Presidency in President Obasanjo’s government. He was invited to Abuja by the President, offered the job and he accepted it.

He went back to his hotel on the night he was made that offer after seeing the President, had some food and some ”Abuja tea” and he immediately fell gravely ill.

He never recovered from that illness and he in fact died from it. He was not suffering from any known illness prior to taking the tea.

Up until that time he had enjoyed excellent health and I was reliably informed that he was in very high spirits after leaving the Presidential villa that night. As a matter of fact Obasanjo was looking forward to working closely with him.

The fact that the man died in such a mysterious way is yet another inexplicable tragedy in our history. General Abacha also drank some Abuja tea and he died in the same mysterious way (though he did suffer from ill health prior to that).