Gowon: Trusted officers betrayed me in 1975 coup
Nigeria's former military Head of State Yakubu Gowon has revealed how trusted officers he believed shared his vision eventually betrayed him and overthrew his government in July 1975. Mr. Gowon, who ruled Nigeria from 1966 to 1975, discovered that officers he relied upon to transform the country were part of the plot that removed him from office while he was attending the OAU summit in Kampala, Uganda.
The former head of state was overthrown on July 29, 1975 while seated at the conference. Uganda's leader Idi Amin approached him with a Reuters dispatch announcing the overthrow. In his memoir "My Life of Duty and Allegiance," Mr. Gowon detailed how his Chief Security Officer warned him that Joseph Garba and Anthony Ochefu were plotting a coup ahead of the summit. Despite this warning, Mr. Garba vehemently denied involvement when confronted, while Mr. Ochefu refused to appear for meetings, raising suspicions.
This betrayal abruptly ended Gowon's time in office and led to his retirement from the Nigerian Army. The coup resulted in Murtala Muhammed becoming head of state and Olusegun Obasanjo as chief of staff. How do personal relationships and trust in leadership positions affect loyalty when power is at stake?