Former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has revealed that he narrowly escaped death during the crisis that followed the January 1966 military coup in Nigeria.
News360 Info reports that Obasanjo shared the experience during an interview on the Before Tomorrow Comes Podcast. He explained that the violence and confusion after the coup created serious fear within the military, making many officers uncertain about their safety.
According to him, former military officer, Hassan Katsina, quickly stepped in after realising that remaining in Kaduna could put his life in danger. Obasanjo said Katsina informed him that there was no guarantee he would remain safe if he stayed in the city during the unrest.
He disclosed that arrangements were immediately made for him to leave Kaduna and travel to Maiduguri, Borno State, for protection. Obasanjo said it was his first visit to the northeastern city.
The former president explained that he remained in Maiduguri for nearly a month as the country struggled with the tension following the coup. He added that he only returned to Kaduna after the situation had calmed and security concerns had eased.
He said: “I would have probably been killed in the period of the coup, conflict, and confusion. But it was an officer like me, General Hassan Katsina, who said, ‘Oba, if you remain in Kaduna, we are not sure you will be safe’. And I was sent to Borno, Maiduguri. That was my first time going there. I was there for almost a month, and when things cooled down and settled, I was brought back to Kaduna.”
