Babangida told me his most difficult decision was ordering execution of Mamman Vatsa – Obi Emelonye
Nollywood filmmaker, Obi Emelonye, has revealed that former Nigerian head of state, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, disclosed to him the toughest decision he made as a soldier during a meeting.
Emelonye revealed that he had a conversation with Babangida while working on his film, ‘Badamasi: Portrait of a General’, which is a biopic about the former Nigerian head of state. During their meeting, Babangida shared that one of his most difficult decisions as a soldier was ordering the execution of his childhood friend, Mamman Vatsa.
The filmmaker disclosed this is a recent interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo.
He said, “I asked Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida about the Mamman Vatsa’s story and his answer was, Mamman Vatsa was his classmate at Bida secondary school and also his coursemate at the Nigerian military school. So, they were very close and the rose through the ranks after the [civil] war.
“As a matter of fact, after his accident when he was shot at the Nigerian civil war in Umuahia, it was Mamman Vatsa who took over his command when he was in hospital. They’ve been close from that time and when IBB became President, he made Mamman Vatsa the FCT Minister. That showed trust and compensation for his loyalty.
“But in military politics, if you hear about a coup and you don’t report it, you are as guilty as the people who planned it. So, there was a coup plan against IBB where they did not just want to kill him at Dodan Barracks but also burn down the barracks with his family. Mamman Vatsa caught wind of it and he didn’t tell his friend. He wasn’t part of the planning but the tribunal found him guilty
