Major Seun Fadipe (retd), a former Chief Security Officer to the late Lt-Gen Oladipo Diya, has revealed how the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, narrowly avoided an abduction plot in Enugu in 1997.
PLATFORM TIMES Reports that Fadipe, who served under Diya during his tenure as the Chief of General Staff in Abacha’s military government, disclosed this while speaking on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political programme on Channels Television.
According to Fadipe, Diya and his associates had orchestrated a plan to abduct Abacha and compel him to resign during a scheduled trip to Enugu for the Chief of Army Training Conference. However, Abacha inexplicably canceled his trip at the last minute, foiling the alleged coup attempt.
“There was a coup, whether it was a phantom one or a setup, it’s immaterial now,” Fadipe explained.
“Abacha was doing well initially, but when he began transitioning to civilian rule, things became chaotic.”
Recalling the events of December 9, 1997, Fadipe noted that Abacha had already left the Presidential Villa en route to the airport but suddenly turned back without explanation.
“His advance party was at the airport, but he aborted the trip,” Fadipe said. The abrupt change in plans left Diya visibly unsettled.
Further suspicions were raised when the then Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, unexpectedly visited Diya’s office in Abuja instead of attending the Enugu event.
Shortly after, Diya confided in his inner circle that the aborted trip had averted a major political upheaval.
“He told us, ‘If Abacha had traveled yesterday, he would have been arrested, and there would have been a change of government,’” Fadipe recounted.
Fadipe also addressed accusations that he betrayed Diya during the subsequent investigations into the failed coup.
He insisted on his loyalty, despite their strained relationship post-detention.
“There was no way I would have betrayed my boss. He later tried to malign me, but I knew he was struggling to survive,” Fadipe said.
PLATFORM TIMES further reports that both Diya and Fadipe were arrested and charged with treason after the incident.
While Diya was sentenced to death by a military tribunal, the execution was never carried out. In 1998, following Abacha’s sudden death, his successor, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, pardoned all those involved.
The 1997 coup plot remains one of the most controversial episodes in Nigeria’s political history. Diya, who passed away in March 2023 at the age of 78, maintained his innocence, arguing that he was set up.
His trial and eventual pardon are often cited as pivotal moments in Nigeria’s journey toward democratic governance.
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