Former military Head of State Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has said wealthy civilians funded successful military coups in Nigeria.
Babangida made the statement during an interview with Badeggi 90.1 FM in Minna, Niger State, ahead of his 85th birthday on August 17, 2026.
“No successful coup in Nigeria’s history had occurred without civilian involvement,” he said.
He said wealthy Nigerians provided money and other forms of support to military officers who carried out successful coups.
Babangida also spoke about the 1985 coup allegation involving General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, his childhood friend and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
He recalled receiving information that linked Vatsa and General Mohammed Gado Nasko to a plan to overthrow his government. He summoned both officers, but they denied taking part in the alleged plot.
“When they arrived, I asked them about the reports that they had been mentioned in a plot to topple my government. Both of them denied any involvement,” Babangida said.
A military commission later investigated the allegation. The panel cleared Nasko but found Vatsa guilty of involvement in the plot, according to Babangida.
Babangida said Vatsa’s involvement shocked him because they had known each other since childhood and later joined the military.
“Initially, I found it difficult to believe reports linking Vatsa to a planned coup because of our long-standing friendship and shared history,” he said.
Vatsa was executed by firing squad in March 1986 after a military tribunal convicted him over the coup plot.
Babangida said military law prevented him from stopping the execution after the tribunal reached its decision.
“There was nothing I could do to exonerate him from the consequences prescribed by military law. My hands were tied. That was how I lost my brother, General Mamman Vatsa,” he said.
Babangida also spoke about the late businessman and politician Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, describing him as a close friend.
He praised Abiola’s philanthropy and his support for people across Nigeria.
“Chief MKO Abiola was a man who used his God-given wealth to positively impact the lives of Nigerians irrespective of their background,” Babangida said.
The former military ruler also addressed his decision to annul the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which Abiola won.
He described the annulment as one of the most difficult decisions of his military career.
“It was one of the toughest decisions taken during my military career,” Babangida said.
