The Arrest of Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka: The End of Nigeria’s Most Notorious Manhunt

The Arrest of Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka: The End of Nigeria’s Most Notorious Manhunt

The Arrest of Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka: The End of Nigeria’s Most Notorious Manhunt

This historic image documents the arrest of Lieutenant Colonel Buka Suka Dimka, one of the most consequential figures in Nigeria’s military history and the country’s most-wanted man in early 1976. The moment was prominently reported on the front page of the Daily Times newspaper dated Saturday, 6 March 1976, announcing that Dimka had been captured alive after weeks on the run.

Background to the Coup

Lt. Col. Dimka was a serving officer in the Nigerian Army and the principal leader of the abortive military coup of 13 February 1976. The coup resulted in the assassination of General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, Nigeria’s then Head of State, who was killed in an ambush in Lagos while on his way to work.
The plot, however, failed to gain the widespread military support required to seize power. Loyalist forces quickly regained control, and the coup collapsed within hours.

Nationwide Manhunt

Following the failure of the coup, Dimka fled, triggering a nationwide manhunt involving the military and security services. His escape and continued evasion heightened public tension, as he was seen as the last major symbol of the failed uprising and the murder of the popular Head of State.
His eventual arrest marked a decisive turning point, signalling the complete collapse of the coup plot and restoring a measure of stability to the military government.

Trial and Execution

After his capture, Dimka was court-martialed by the Nigerian military authorities. He was found guilty of treason and involvement in the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed. On 15 May 1976, Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka was executed by firing squad, alongside 38 other officers and civilians convicted for their roles in the coup attempt.

Historical Significance

Dimka’s arrest and execution remain a defining episode in Nigeria’s post-civil war military era. The events of February–May 1976 reshaped the Nigerian armed forces, led to tighter military discipline, and reinforced the authority of the succeeding regime under General Olusegun Obasanjo.

The Daily Times front-page announcement of his capture stands today as a powerful visual record of the dramatic end of one of Nigeria’s most intense political crises.
Source:

Daily Times (Nigeria), front page, Saturday, 6 March 1976