Get Guardian on Google.…..accepted arrest despite loyal officers ready to fight, authorised biography reveals
Former President Muhammadu Buhari declined to resist the military coup that ousted him from power on August 27, 1985, despite having loyal military officers prepared to defend his regime, because he feared that fighting back would result in bloodshed, his authorised biography has revealed.
Buhari, who had seized power from the civilian administration of President Shehu Shagari in December 1983, reportedly understood that the coup against him had succeeded when two soldiers confronted him in his bedroom and announced his arrest.
His response was simply: “OK.”
According to Buhari: The Authorised Biography, the former military Head of State immediately recognised that his security had been compromised and there was no realistic possibility of organising an effective resistance.
“If soldiers could come directly to me in my bedroom, the operation was complete,” Buhari reportedly recalled.
“My regular guards had already been replaced. My security had been penetrated. There was no realistic path to resistance.”
The biography disclosed that Buhari who passed on 13 July 2025 was not without committed loyalists who were prepared to defend his government.
Among them were Major General Tunde Idiagbon, Major General Mohammed Magoro, Lawal Rafindadi of the National Security Organisation, Lieutenant Colonel Sabo Aliyu of the Brigade of Guards and Major Mustafa Haruna Jokolo, his aide-de-camp.
However, most of the loyalists did not command troops capable of mounting an effective counter-operation.
The biographers explained that the coup planners had consolidated their influence in strategic military formations, leaving Buhari effectively cornered.
Some military commanders considered loyal to the regime, including Brigadier Salihu Ibrahim in Jos and the commanding officer of the Recce Battalion, were reportedly neutralised or pre-empted during the operation to prevent a counteraction.
Despite the willingness of some of his loyalists to fight, Buhari understood that attempting to rally them would almost certainly lead to bloodshed.
He therefore chose to accept his arrest rather than risk the lives of officers and soldiers in a battle he believed had already been lost.
The revelation is contained in Volume One of the three-volume publication, authored by Dr. Udu Yakubu in a chapter titled The Fall of August: Coup against the Commander-in-Chief.
Interestingly, Volume Two of the biography also documents Buhari’s initial inclination towards military action against Niger Delta militants during the resurgence of attacks on oil installations by the Niger Delta Avengers.
Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, recalled that Buhari, drawing on his military background, wanted to deploy the armed forces against the militants but eventually accepted dialogue after being persuaded that military escalation could paralyse the petroleum industry.
Kachikwu said Buhari was initially reluctant to approve negotiations with the militants ahead of a meeting with the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
However, he eventually accepted engagement after persuasion.
Chairman of the planning committee, former Minister of Water Resources, Engr. Suleiman Adamu, said the biography was conceived not merely as a documentation of Buhari’s personal and political journey but also as an important contribution to Nigeria’s historical record. He disclosed that the late president personally authorised the project.
Adamu said the research drew extensively from official records, published materials, personal recollections, speeches, reports and other documentary sources relating to the institutions, administrations and major events examined in the volumes.
He explained that the presentation would attract members of Buhari’s family, associates, former colleagues and officials, politicians, military personnel, academics, diplomats, private sector representatives, civil society organisations, media practitioners and members of the reading public.
According to him, the committee deliberately wants the occasion to transcend a gathering of Buhari’s political associates, stressing that although the former president was a partisan political figure at different stages of his life, his biography belongs to Nigeria’s broader historical record. He added that efforts were being made to ensure that universities, libraries, research institutions, military and security agencies, public institutions and diplomatic missions acquire the books for research and future generations.
Adamu also urged the media to go beyond publicising the event by critically examining the books, interrogating their arguments and evidence, and engaging the author to deepen public understanding of Buhari and the period he governed.
He said those who worked with or knew the former president must recognise that personal memories eventually become historical testimony, adding that the biography represents a contribution to the responsibility of preserving an accurate account of Nigeria’s past.
The Biography will be formally presented on Thursday, November 19, 2026, at the Nigerian Army Conference Centre and Suites, Abuja.
Former President of the Republic of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, is expected to chair the occasion, while President Bola Tinubu will attend as special guest of honour.
The three volumes feature forewords by Issoufou, former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, and former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.
