A former Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen Theophilus Danjuma on Saturday narrated how he was supposed to be the third person marked for assassination during the failed 13 February, 1976 coup d’état that claimed the life of the then Head-of-State, Gen. Murtala Muhammed, and many others.
Danjuma who said this at the Murtala Muhammed 40th Memorial Lecture held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, noted that he was alive only by the grace of God because Lt. Col. Buka Suka Dimka and his gang of conspirators had condemned him to death.
He said, “February 13, 1976 was a Friday. In English mythology -I don’t know how it started, but the combination of Friday and the number 13, represent bad luck.
“When I remember that day; it leaves me with varied emotions because I too had been condemned to die by Dimka and his associates.
“In fact, on the list that he brought to General Iliya Bissalla, our then Commissioner of Defence, to seek his approval, I was number three on the death list. Bissalla promoted me to number two. That I am still alive today is by the grace of God.”
He enjoined the Murtala Mohammed Foundation to ensure a proper documentation of its activities for posterity. He promised to finance a documentary of the foundation’s activities on television.
Danjuma stressed the importance of accurate record of events to avoid distortions by those who know nothing about what happened.
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