Nigeria, 1985 — military coup conspiracy
Event Summary
This entry is coded 20 December 1985, within the December 1985 Vatsa coup plot against the government of Major General Ibrahim Babangida in Nigeria. Beginning around 17 December 1985 and extending for about two weeks, over one hundred air force, army, and naval officers were arrested for allegedly plotting to overthrow Babangida's four-month-old government; Babangida had himself seized power in an August 1985 palace coup against Major General Buhari. The plot was allegedly masterminded by Major General Mamman Vatsa, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, a poet and Babangida's childhood friend and longtime rival, with key alleged conspirators including Lieutenant Colonels Musa Bitiyong, Christopher Oche, and Michael Iyorshe.
After a Special Military Tribunal convened in late January 1986, thirteen officers received death sentences, and ten of them, including Vatsa, were executed by firing squad on 5 March 1986 despite appeals for clemency from writers and the international community. The 20 December 1985 coding sits within the December 1985 arrest window.
Researched Details
Researched
Independent research, added record by record. Hover any label for what it means.
Sources
Editorial Note
Cross-Reference
Only one dataset carries it. One of the three reference datasets we check against carries this event; the others do not list it. That is not a contradiction — the datasets cover different periods and use different thresholds — but it means the record has had less outside corroboration.
Identifiers for finding this same event in the other datasets:
- Cline Center id
47512201985
How the match is made is described in crossref-report.md.
Outcome and Target
Coup Atlas research identifies the target as: Babangida survived and executed the alleged plotters; he ruled until 1993.
Baseline coding: Plot discovered and disrupted before execution. Recorded leader fate: remained in office; not physically harmed. The baseline file does not name individual targets; researched names are kept in a separate layer.
Baseline Dataset Citation
Baseline Source-Document Entries
CSP
Boston Globe
Chicago Tribune
This is the citation trail carried by the baseline dataset, grouped by outlet and rejoined from the line-wrapped original. Coup Atlas has not independently re-checked every document; read the original before citing a specific claim. URLs the import damaged beyond safe repair are shown as plain text and listed in citations-report.md. How this list is built →