How M. D. Yusuf Tendered his Resignation to Obasanjo, Following Dimka’s Coup скачать в хорошем качестве

How M. D. Yusuf Tendered his Resignation to Obasanjo, Following Dimka’s Coup

MD Yusuf was the third indigenous Inspector General of Police of Nigeria, having taken over from Kam Salem. Kam Salem took over from Louis Edet. Louis Edet took over from an expatriate. It was during Louis Edet’s regime as first Indigenous Inspector General of Police that the first military coup was executed in Nigeria by Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogu and his colleagues. In that coup, the Prime Minister and several other civilian administrators were killed, leading to the takeover of the leadership of the country by the most senior military officer in Nigeria at the time, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi. Ironsi was killed 6 months after in another military coup and power was handed over to Gen. Yakubu Gowon. Yakubu Gowon was succeeded by Murtala Mohammed. 200 Hundred days into his administration, Murtala was killed in yet another military coup by soldiers led by Lt, Col. Buka Suka Dimka. When Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka executed his coup in 1976 and killed Gen. Murtala Mohammed, the man in charge of the Nigerian Police Force was Alhaji MD Yusuf. The country was thrown into shock and mourning and in the wake of the coup, MD Yusuf felt that the police under his watch as IGP did not do enough to avert the assassination of the Head of State and thus decided to resign his appointment as the head of the Nigeria Police Force. It was not as if the police force was implicated in the coup but for MD Yusuf it was embarrassing for the Head of State to be assassinated at a traffic point during his time as IGP. It did not matter to him whether any particular policeman was implicated in the sad event or not or whether any particular police officer had defaulted in the performance of his duty. This action was rare in the country at the time and it still rare till today. In this edition of BIH, we bring to you the story of how MD Yusuf approached Murtala’s successor – Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo – and informed him of his decision to resign from his position as IGP and quit the police force.