by Azeez Adeniyi

A former Chief of Army staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi has said ex-President, Olusegun Obasanjo used his tenure to conceal his alleged involvement in the 1995 coup.

Obasanjo was one of those arrested by late General Abacha for alleged coup against his government.

However, the former president had continuously denied his involvement.

But Bamaiyi in his new book, ‘Vindication of a General’ said the coup actually happened.

He said if the request by lawyer to Hamza Al-Mustapha, chief security officer to Abacha, to play a tape, was granted, Nigerians would have known the truth.

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“General Obasanjo used his position as president to cover up his involvement in the 1995 coup,” Bamaiyi wrote.

“I believe that the main players will one day come out to tell Nigerians the truth, and the tape recordings of these statements will one day be played for Nigerians to draw their own conclusions.

“People used the term phantom coup because it was the Abacha period and Abacha is the only military head of state to spare coup plotters who were arrested, tried and convicted.

“If it had occurred during the reign of another military head of state, no one would have talked of a phantom coup.

[Read Also: Abacha never looted Nigeria’s treasury | Bamaiyi says it is a media creation]

“Nigerians should try to find out why General Obasanjo, as president, could pardon officers convicted with him for their roles in the 1995 coup and refused to pardon Generals Diya, Olanrewaju and Adisa.

“I dare say his conscience worried him and that he is aware the officers could expose him if he did not do anything about their cases.”