Murtala Muhammed was killed, aged 37, along with his Aide-De-Camp (ADC),

Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa, in his
black Mercedes Benz saloon car on 13
February 1976, in an abortive coup attempt led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka, when his car was ambushed en route to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos.

In a planned broadcast to the nation,
Lieutenant Colonel Dimka had cited corruption, indecision, arrest and detention without trial, weakness on the part of the Head of State and maladministration in general as the reasons for overthrowing the government.

The coup was crushed several hours later by forces loyal to the government and Dimka fled from the premises of Radio Nigeria at Ikoyi where he had made the broadcast to the nation.

He was eventually arrested in the company of a prostitute in Eastern Nigeria.

Following a court martial , Lieutenant Colonel Dimka and another 38 military officers and civilians were executed
by firing squad. The former military head of state, General Yakubu Gowon (who had been overthrown by General Murtala Mohammed in July 1975), was implicated in the abortive coup (by Dimka’s testimony).

The British Government refused to extradite Gowon. Years later Gowon
was granted an official pardon by civilian
president Shehu Shagari and his rank
(General) and other benefits were fully restored in 1987 by General Ibrahim Babangida

Lieutenant Colonel Dimka was publicly
executed on May 15, 1976 at the Kirikiri
Maximum Security Prison in Lagos.

May humble soul of General Murtala Muhammad rest in peace.
Ameen.

Adamu Babalauya