Politics
‘How Murtala Muhammed Was Assassinated, Other Untold Stories’
Fifty years after the assassination of former Head of State, Murtala Muhammed, fresh memories have resurfaced through the emotional recollection of his former orderly, Michael Otuwe (retd.), who witnessed the failed 1976 coup firsthand.
In a rare interview conducted a decade ago and now revisited to mark the anniversary, the retired soldier recounts how the charismatic leader almost escaped his attackers, his experiences during the civil war, and the personal sacrifices that defined years of close service to one of Nigeria’s most revered military figures.
Recalling his journey into the military during the interview with Daily Trust, Otuwe narrated, “I am an Igala man from Olamoboro Local Government of Kogi State. I attended Ankpa Primary School and Ankpa Model Secondary School before I joined the profession I cherished most, the army.”
According to him, he enlisted in the Nigerian Army on September 11, 1967, at the Ikeja Military Cantonment in Lagos, where he underwent six months of training on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War.
“After the training I was posted to the Nigerian Army Signal Corps and incidentally, Murtala Ramat Mohammed was a Colonel then and the Inspector of Signals,” he added.
Otuwe said Muhammed personally chose him because of his discipline and neatness.
“He told me that he noticed how immaculate I was in my army dress when we do master parade. He picked me to be his orderly when I was a Lance Corporal,” he said.
He explained that he served closely with Muhammed through various postings, including during the civil war when the late General became the first General Officer Commanding of the Second Division of the Nigerian Army.
“I worked with him till he was killed, and that was 11 years,” Otuwe said, noting that during the period the General had three children, Aisha, Zakari and Fatima.
Otuwe described Muhammed as a strategic and disciplined military commander.
“He was an organiser of men and their welfare. He was smart and hardworking and thought of Nigeria first before anything,” he said.
He recalled an incident when Biafran soldiers encircled them.
“He did a wonderful tactical manoeuvre and retreated that baffled even we that were with him. When many wanted to surrender, he made a quest to fight and to win for Nigeria to continue as a united country.”
Surviving Ambushes
The retired soldier recounted several ambushes encountered during the war. He said, “We encountered many ambushes and attacks but one of the most memorable was when we were encircled at Ukpo Junction in Abbagana. Murtala did a tactical manoeuvre and withdrew and prepared for a defensive attack that led to the capture of many towns and cities.”
Otuwe added that after some operations, troops moved through Asaba and later to Idah in present-day Kogi State to prepare for further offensives.
“In 1968, there was a reshuffle that took General Murtala back to Lagos as Minister of Communications and Inspector of Signals. That meant he was doing two jobs at the same time,” he said.
Speaking on how his job affected his family, Otuwe said his wife had become accustomed to military life.
“She was married to a soldier, and she had become part of the system. When she saw us at home, it meant we were off duty,” he said.
He added that his children rarely saw him due to his demanding schedule.
“Most of my children almost forgot me as I left home at dawn and came back late in the night,” Otuwe noted.
Secret Visits, Price Monitoring
Otuwe also recounted how Muhammad disguised himself to monitor market prices in Lagos.
“I and his ADC, Lieutenant Akintunde Akinterinwa, once followed him to survey prices and the rising cost of goods,” he said.
“He wore a tracksuit, a face cap and dark goggles and rode a horse to a filling station, disembarked, tied it and entered Sangross (Lagos Island), then Ajegunle and later Agege markets. The ADC pretended that we were not together, and the ADC was writing the prices, and I was pretending to be a window shopper. A market woman told him to give other buyers a chance as people were more disciplined then, as everybody queued for their turn. After two weeks goods and meat came in ships. People tagged the meat as ‘Murtala Meat’”.
The Day Of Assassination
When asked about what happened the day Murtala was assassinated, Otuwe narrated, “He was assassinated on July 29, 1976 (Starts shedding tears). He ruled for six months from July 29, 1975, to February 13, 1976. He was a very good man, as he did not allow the goods (personal effects) of General Gowon to be thrown out, but to be removed gently, and for the house to be renovated before he relocated from Dodan Barracks. That was why he was shuttling from Ikoyi without pilot cars, motorbike outriders, armed military and security bodyguards among others. He only rode in the official Mercedes-Benz car with two flags, the national flag on the left and the armed forces flag on the right. On that fateful day, we passed through the Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi, which was undergoing renovation and covered with zinc.
“When we reached Alagbgon Junction, the traffic man did not notice the flags, he would have allowed the traffic in our direction to continue moving, but he stopped the five or six cars in front of us then I saw some people in agbada (Babanriga) and when they lifted them up they brought out AK-47 rifles and fired at us. Already a masked man had got the driver, Sergeant Adamu Michika, in the head and he feel on the arm-rest where the suit case containing the General’s mufti was. I took cover and fell on the driver.
“The General and the ADC also took cover. When the assassins left and were heading to the National Broadcasting Corporation, Radio House, to announce the takeover, one of the Majors turned and saw that when the ADC opened the door to help the General, the Major shouted and notified his colleagues that they were alive. This made them turn and rush back and empty their bullets at us. I was the only survivor as I was shot in the arm and the hip.
“The troops loyal to General Murtala came after the soldiers and they took us to the mortuary. I recovered from coma when the breeze from the air conditioner and the pain woke me up. A mortuary attendant noticed that I raised my hand, and he alerted a doctor, who said I was alive, and they took me to Dodan Barracks and then to a hospital on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi.”
About his recovery from the incident, Otuwe said, “I spent six months recovering and resumed work with the Nigerian Army Signal Corps. Where I worked with Generals Adenaju, Raji Rasaki and lastly Tanko Ayuba.
Asked whether he has ever received any honour, the retired soldier responded, “No, not at all.”
Sharing his residence at the time of the interview, Otuwe revealed, “I am now staying in a rented two-bedroom house in Maraba in Nasarawa State. The street has no name not to talk of house number. But I am working in the office of Riskua Murtala Muhammed in Maitama.”
Otuwe recalled that he retired from service on December 31, 1999, as a Master Warrant Officer.
On whether he ever regretted serving in the Nigerian Army, Otuwe said: “No, no, no, not at all.”
Zamfara state deputy governor, Mani Malam Mummuni, has announced the defection of the state’s leadership from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The news means President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has further consolidated his political grip across Nigeria following the defection of the Zamfara state government to the APC.
In a video that has gone viral, the announcement was made by Zamfara Deputy Governor Mani Malam Mummuni on behalf of Governor Dauda Lawal, confirming that the state leadership had formally aligned with the ruling party.
The move widens Tinubu’s influence at the subnational level, with the APC now governing more than 30 of Nigeria’s 36 states. The development reinforces the party’s dominance as 2027 general elections draw near.
Barely any last minute change, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State and his Oyo State counterpart Seyi Makinde will quit their membership of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before April, DAILY POST reports.
It has been a tumultuous period for the PDP as its key leaders continue to defect following the protracted leadership tussle bedeviling the opposition platform.
A credible source familiar with developments in the party told DAILY POST weekend that while Bala Mohammed is on his way to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Makinde has concluded plans to join the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
The source, who spoke anonymously, told our correspondent that “all the PDP leaders are leaving. Bala Mohammed is already in APC, Makinde is on his way to ADC”.
How governors resigned from PDP
Since 2023 general elections, no fewer than 9 PDP governors have left the party, citing an irreconcilable crisis in the opposition party.
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State was first to dump the party for APC in April 2025.
Subsequently, Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom joined the ruling party in June 2025, followed by Peter Mbah of Enugu State, who also decamped to APC in October 2025.
Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri joined APC in November 2025, followed by the Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, who also defected to the ruling party in December 2025.
In January this year, Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba State and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State all dumped PDP for the ruling party.
Only Ademola Adeleke of Osun State defected to the Accord Party in December 2025.
Meanwhile, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal has indicated interest to dump PDP for APC.
DAILY POST gathered that Governor Dauda will be officially received into the party immediately after the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Both federal and state lawmakers are not left out in the gale of defections from the PDP to the ruling APC.
According to a tracking by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre up to January 2026, 66 PDP federal lawmakers have defected to APC since the 10th National Assembly began in June 2023.
No fewer than 19 senators and 47 House of Representatives members dumped PDP for APC
Defectors move to beat INEC deadline
Politicians planning to defect to another party are under pressure to conclude their plans before April following the new election timetable recently released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
In the new timetable, INEC fixed January 16, 2027 for the presidential and National Assembly elections, while governorship and state houses of assembly elections are scheduled for February 6, 2027.
However, the conduct of party primary elections, including resolution of disputes arising from primaries, will commence on April 23, 2026 and end on May 30, 2026.
DAILY POST reports that under the revised schedule, political parties are required to submit their membership register to the electoral body between April 1, 2026 and April 21, 2026 in line with Section 77(4) of the Electoral Act, 2026.
The electoral law requires registers to be submitted “not later than 21 days to the conduct of party primaries.”
Similarly, political parties must conduct their primaries latest May 30, 2026 to enable them “democratically nominate candidates for the election as required by Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2026,” said INEC.
In what appears to be the conclusion of a lengthy period of speculation about his political affiliations, The Exclusivesonline gathered that former Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr Peter Obi, has joined the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress Party (NDC), marking a new chapter in his party journey.
The NDC, a recently registered political party, is positioning itself as a fresh opposition platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party is championed by former Bayelsa State governor and senator, Seriake Dickson, who now serves as its National Leader, alongside interim officials led by Protem National Chairman Cleopas Moses Zuwogeh.
It was gathered that Peter Obi has now officially joined the ADC, after earlier speculation about a possible return to the Labour Party. This decision signals Obi’s renewed focus on building new political alliances ahead of upcoming elections, following his previous affiliation with the LP and current move towards NDC.
John Emeka, a staunch member of the Obidient Movement, said the decision of Peter Obi to dump the ADC is not unconnected with the realisation that he might not get the ADC’s presidential ticket, which many believe has been positioned to be taken by the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
“Obi was never at any point a member of the ADC. I would rather describe him as a sympathiser of the ADC.
“Unfortunately, while many of us moved with him to the party, his body language showed that he was never too comfortable with the party. I’m not surprised that he has decided to exit ADC, if the report is true that he has joined the new party to realise his aspirations.”
Though the primary of the ADC is yet to be held, Exclusivesonline gathered that Obi getting the presidential ticket of the party will be difficult because of the influence of Atiku.
To make the matter worse for Obi, Atiku recently met with some of the ADC leaders from the South East; he was able to extract some form of commitment from them.
“The meeting, which took place on Tuesday night behind closed doors at the Abuja residence of Chikwe Udensi, was attended by a high-profile roster of party and regional leaders.
“Those in attendance include Senator Augustine Akobundu, Chief Chekwas Okorie, former Minister of State for Education Emeka Nwajiuba, Dr Osita Oruche, Prof. Onyi Nwagbara, Chief Uchenna Okogbuo, former ADC National Chairman Chief Ralph Nwosu, Hon. Uzoma Abonta, Hon. Uko Nkole, Etigwe Uwah, Dr Steve Nwadiuko, Chief Morris Eboh, Senator Frank Ibezim, and Dr Dave Eboh,” said a source at the meeting.
The ADC spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, in an interview, claimed that Peter Obi has been part of the coalition from day one, although he was never a card-carrying member of the party.
The recent development amounts to the former LP presidential candidate going back on his resolve not to leave the ADC.
Obi had, in a post on his X handle, made it clear that he would always have respect for ex-vice president Atiku Abubakar.
“I am not joining ADC. I can’t re-join what I am already a part of,” Obi said.
“I’ve been part of the coalition from day one.
“Nobody is stepping down for me in ADC.
“We have all agreed to work together, and Atiku remains my respected leader.”
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