Part 1: Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida "The Evil Genius"

 Biography And Time In The Army

 Perhaps the most controversial leader in the history of Nigeria, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida GCFR is a retired General and stateman who served as military Head of State from 1985 until his resignation in 1993. He rose through the ranks from a junior officer to his appointment in 1984 as the Chief of Army Staff, after which he went on to seize power in a bloodless coup from General Muhammadu Buhari.

  Babangida was born on 17 August 1941, in Minna to his father Muhammad Babangida and mother Aisha Babangida. He received early Islamic education before attending primary School from 1950 to 1956. From 1957 to 1962 babangida attended Government College Bida, together with his classmate and long-time friends Abdulsalami Abubakar, Mamman Vatsa and Sani Bello. Babangida joined the Nigerian Army on 10 December 1962, where he attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. Babangida attended several military academies and rose to the rank of lieutenant, after which he was posted to Kaduna with the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron where he witnessed the January 1966 coup d'etat as well as the assassination of Sir Ahmadu Bello. He  joined other Northern officers to execute the July counter-coup led by Murtala Muhammed which seized power from Aguiyi Ironsi and appointed Yakubu Gowon as the new Head of State.

  With the outbreak of the Civil War in 1967, Babangida was posted to the 1st Division under the command of General Mohammed Shuwa. In 1968, he became the commander of the 44 Infantry Battalion which was involved in heavy fighting within Biafran territory. In 1969, during a reconnaissance operation from Enugu to Umuahia, his battalion came under heavy fire and he was shot on the right side of his chest. He went back to Lagos to recover where he was giving the option to remove a piece of shrapnel from his shoulder, which might mean he can't return to the army or leave it in his body, he still carries the shrapnel to this day. After his recovery he returned to the war commanding a battalion. From 1970-75, Babangida was promoted twice, reaching the rank of Colonel. He played a major role in the coup d'etat of 1975 which overthrew Gowon, he was later appointed as one the youngest members of the Supreme Military Council from August 1975 to October 1979. Babangida almost single-handedly crashed the 1979 coup d'etat that resulted in the death of Head of State Murtala Mohammed.

  Babangida and other conspirators plotted the 1983 coup that abolished the Second Republic, they appointed General Muhammadu Buhari as Head of State and Babangida was appointed as Chief of Army Staff. Following the coup d'etat of 1983 he started plotting his own coup to overthrow Buhari. The Palace coup in 1983 was orchestrated with a degree of military deftness hitherto not seen before in the history of coup plotting. Babangida planned the coup by using his position as Chief of Army Staff to place his allies Sani Abacha, Mamman Vatsa, Gado Nasko and other young officers loyal to him within the echelons of military hierachy. The authoritarian Buhari and his second-in-command, the ruthless Tunde Idiagbon could not muster any resistance as they were surrounded without Babangida having to act as he was not even in the capital Lagos, his allies basically did the job for him. On daybreak of August 27, 1985, Babangida was announced as Head of State by Sani Abacha, he flew to Lagos from Minna in his opening speech, he justified the coup by saying the Buhari regime was to rigid.