Lieutenant Colonel Bukka Suka Dimka, an officer in the Nigerian Army,

Lieutenant Colonel Bukka Suka Dimka, an officer in the Nigerian Army,

Lieutenant Colonel Bukka Suka Dimka, an officer in the Nigerian Army, was publicly ex€cuted at Kirikiri Maximum Security Pris0n, Lagos, on 15 May 1976 for his role in the ass@ssination of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, Nigeria’s Head of State. Dimka was the central figure in the violent c0up attempt of 13 February 1976, when General Murtala Muhammed was ambüshed and k!!lled in Lagos while driving to Dodan Barracks.

The c0up attempt began with Dimka broadcasting a pre-recorded announcement on Radio Nigeria, claiming to have overthrown the government due to corruption and mismanagement. However, the pl0t quickly collapsed. Most military formations across the country remained loyal to the government, and the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters—Lieutenant General Olusegun Obasanjo—and Chief of Army Staff Major General T. Y. Danjuma moved swiftly to restore control.

After the fail€d c0up, Dimka fled Lagos and went into hiding. He was eventually captured in Abakaliki, present-day Ebonyi State, on March 5, 1976, after being recognized by a police officer. Following his arr€st, he was court-martialled along with several collaborators, including former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon, who was accused of moral support but tried in absentia (he was living in the UK at the time). Dozens of military personnel and civilians were implicated.

The Armed Forces Ruling Council found Dimka guilty of treason and murd€r. His ex€cution was carried out publicly, alongside several other conv!cted coup plotters, as the Obasanjo administration sought to send a strong message against military insurr€ction. The event marked one of the most dramatic responses to a c0up attempt in Nigerian history and solidified Obasanjo’s authority during the transition period that eventually led to civilian rule in 1979.