Mrs. Safiya Vatsa, widow of General Mamman Vatsa, killed for an alleged phantom coup, has described the former military dictator, General Ibrahim Babangida, as an ingrate who betrayed her late husband, adding that she had enough documents to nail him. Safiya alleged that Babangida was involved in the Col. Buka Sukar Dimka coup, but that her husband saved him from being arrested.
Safiya was reacting to a statement credited to General Babangida that he had no regrets over the execution of General Mamman Vatsa.
She declared that it was her husband (Vatsa) who saved IBB from being executed along with Dimka and other military officers who took part in that coup 30 years ago. Sufiya, who has been speaking on the injustice done to her late husband, told P.M.News on phone that IBB will not rest until the injustice is redressed. The allegation that IBB was involved in the Dimka coup gained currency in the wake of the coup owing to the suspicious role IBB played in the escape of Dimka, the ring leader. Dimka, was however arrested weeks later in Abakaliki. He was executed along with other coup plotters.
She declared that it was her husband (Vatsa) who saved IBB from being executed along with Dimka and other military officers who took part in that coup 30 years ago. Sufiya, who has been speaking on the injustice done to her late husband, told P.M.News on phone that IBB will not rest until the injustice is redressed. The allegation that IBB was involved in the Dimka coup gained currency in the wake of the coup owing to the suspicious role IBB played in the escape of Dimka, the ring leader. Dimka, was however arrested weeks later in Abakaliki. He was executed along with other coup plotters.
Sources told P.M.News that IBB, who was a colonel at the time, was ordered by Gen. T. Y. Danjuma, the then Chief of Army Staff, to go to Radio Nigeria in Ikoyi to dislodge the coup plotters who had seized the radio station and were making constant broadcast, announcing that they had toppled the regime of Murtala Mohammed. Sources said though IBB was instructed specifically to arrest Dimka, when he got to the radio station, he allegedly struck a deal with Dimka and allowed him to escape. This led to the arrest of IBB by Danjuma. He was, however, freed later by Obasanjo who succeeded Murtala as military head of state.
Vatsa’s widow, who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna shortly after Northern Civil Society Coalition led by Comrade Shehu Sani paid her a courtesy visit at her Malali ward residence, also alleged that General Babangida is not a Nigerian.
She also vowed to expose the former military president and pleaded with Nigerians to be patient to hear the secrets of Babangida and his regime. According to her, the late Vatsa had always helped Babangida in his sundry problems which included drug related cases.
"Babangida knows him (Vatsa) very well. Whenever he had problems, he came to him for rescue. But he later turned against him. Only God will pay all those that are involved in the murder of my husband. "My husband would not have sat down and murdered Nigerians the way these drug people were killing people and the more they regroup, the worse for Nigeria as a country.
"You see, I don’t know what to say. For Idris Garba who is from my husband’s village to have said what he did is unfortunate. If not my husband that helped him in the Dimka coup that Babangida created, would he be alive today to follow Babangida?
"He should go and lie down and think about how my husband released him from Dimka’s coup. I have all those documents and others to show Nigerians and I have a lot to tell Nigerians about Babangida’s regime. So, Nigerians should be patient with me."
Reminded that the former military president was eying the presidency, Safiya Vatsa responded: "Is he really coming for the presidency? He is a joker. You know the man is a Maradona. He wants to play ball. But he has forgotten that Maradona does not score goals again. He doesn’t even deliver in the field of play. So he should go and rest."
IBB, not a Nigerian
"You see, I still stand on my words that IBB is not a Nigerian. This is because no Nigerian would want to destroy the country, people and even himself. If you remove a knife and stab your leg, it will pain you. Won’t it? If you are a Nigerian, you cannot involve yourself in things that will destroy your people and you won’t finish your people and later come out to say that you don’t regret it. Today, IBB will say he is from Kwara State, tomorrow, he will say another thing. IBB is not a Nigerian."
Why he killed my husband
"I know Babangida so much and very, very well. He knows that I know him very well and that my husband knows him very well. That is why he killed my husband. I have already said a little about him earlier. But let him come out and say something else, then I will come out and tell him that I have so many documents about him and his past. He has created a lot of problems in Nigeria. Enough is enough. Let him come out with whatever documents he said he has; then I will tell him that he is a joker.
I have more than he thinks. In every area of his life and official outings, I have documents. When he said he has documents implicating my late husband for coup plotting, I will tell him the coup that he committed and my husband saved his life. It is unfortunate and callous for him to now sit down and kill him. The documents are very important and they are safely kept. I put them in archives all over the world. They know it."
Vatsa’s widow, who spoke in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna shortly after Northern Civil Society Coalition led by Comrade Shehu Sani paid her a courtesy visit at her Malali ward residence, also alleged that General Babangida is not a Nigerian.
She also vowed to expose the former military president and pleaded with Nigerians to be patient to hear the secrets of Babangida and his regime. According to her, the late Vatsa had always helped Babangida in his sundry problems which included drug related cases.
"Babangida knows him (Vatsa) very well. Whenever he had problems, he came to him for rescue. But he later turned against him. Only God will pay all those that are involved in the murder of my husband. "My husband would not have sat down and murdered Nigerians the way these drug people were killing people and the more they regroup, the worse for Nigeria as a country."You see, I don’t know what to say. For Idris Garba who is from my husband’s village to have said what he did is unfortunate. If not my husband that helped him in the Dimka coup that Babangida created, would he be alive today to follow Babangida?
"He should go and lie down and think about how my husband released him from Dimka’s coup. I have all those documents and others to show Nigerians and I have a lot to tell Nigerians about Babangida’s regime. So, Nigerians should be patient with me."
Reminded that the former military president was eying the presidency, Safiya Vatsa responded: "Is he really coming for the presidency? He is a joker. You know the man is a Maradona. He wants to play ball. But he has forgotten that Maradona does not score goals again. He doesn’t even deliver in the field of play. So he should go and rest."
IBB, not a Nigerian
"You see, I still stand on my words that IBB is not a Nigerian. This is because no Nigerian would want to destroy the country, people and even himself. If you remove a knife and stab your leg, it will pain you. Won’t it? If you are a Nigerian, you cannot involve yourself in things that will destroy your people and you won’t finish your people and later come out to say that you don’t regret it. Today, IBB will say he is from Kwara State, tomorrow, he will say another thing. IBB is not a Nigerian."
Why he killed my husband
"I know Babangida so much and very, very well. He knows that I know him very well and that my husband knows him very well. That is why he killed my husband. I have already said a little about him earlier. But let him come out and say something else, then I will come out and tell him that I have so many documents about him and his past. He has created a lot of problems in Nigeria. Enough is enough. Let him come out with whatever documents he said he has; then I will tell him that he is a joker.
I have more than he thinks. In every area of his life and official outings, I have documents. When he said he has documents implicating my late husband for coup plotting, I will tell him the coup that he committed and my husband saved his life. It is unfortunate and callous for him to now sit down and kill him. The documents are very important and they are safely kept. I put them in archives all over the world. They know it."
