By Muhammad Mamman
More than four decades after it first echoed across Nigerian airwaves, the coup speech delivered by Buka Suka Dimka remains one of the most dramatic moments in the country’s political history.
In February 1976, Dimka, then a lieutenant colonel in the Nigerian Army, seized control of a radio station in Lagos and announced a military takeover, accusing the government of corruption and betrayal of public trust. The broadcast came hours after the assassination of Head of State Murtala Mohammed, plunging Nigeria into shock and uncertainty.
Speaking in a tense, hurried tone, Dimka claimed the armed forces had intervened to “liberate” the country, urging citizens to remain calm while soldiers moved to secure key locations. But the attempt quickly unravelled. Loyal troops regrouped, reclaimed strategic sites, and restored control within hours.
The failed coup marked a turning point in Nigeria’s military era. It exposed deep divisions within the armed forces and prompted tighter security around senior officials, while also reshaping how future transitions of power were handled.
Dimka was later captured, tried by a military tribunal and executed, bringing a swift end to one of the most audacious — and short-lived — coup attempts in Nigerian history.
Today, his broadcast is studied as a stark reminder of a turbulent period when radio announcements could change a nation’s fate overnight.
