By Hotpen
Farida, who at the time was one of the prosecuting counsel on the panel investigating the suspects.
Farida narrated how those found guilty of plotting against former Head of State, General Murtala, were executed in her presence — an experience she said traumatized her for a very long time.
Here is her account in her book.
When the coup against General Murtala was staged under Lieutenant Colonel Bukar Dimka, on February 13th, Farida was an ASP in the Nigeria Police Force. They succeeded in killing Murtala and several others.
Hassana, Dimka’s wife — the man who killed Murtala and leader of the coup plotters — was a very close friend of Farida. It was also in the Special Crimes Investigation Unit where Farida was working at the time that the investigation of those suspected of the gruesome murder was carried out.
“Hassana Burundua, Dimka’s wife, was a very close friend of mine, and she was also a former police officer and my colleague, but she had retired by the time the coup attempt happened.”
Farida saw many of those arrested in connection with the coup attempt, because they were detained at the special investigation unit where she was working.
She also wrote in her book about how she witnessed the execution of those sentenced to death for the coup plot.
“I watched as they were shot by the seaside at Bar Beach, Lagos. When I saw how their bodies were riddled with bullets, with raw flesh and blood everywhere, my mind was so disturbed that I ran home in shock. I went straight to my room and cried. I lost my appetite.
“For months afterward, I couldn’t even bear to look at raw meat, let alone eat it when cooked.
“But Dimka was not killed on that day. When he realized the coup had failed, he went into hiding, and he was not arrested until three weeks after they carried out the act.”
How Soldiers Stormed Dimka’s Wife’s House
“Dimka’s wife, Hassana, told me that one morning she woke up and suddenly saw soldiers entering her house from the back, coming through the garden.
They told her they had come to wait for ‘Oga’, meaning her husband.
Hearing that, she asked them what was happening. They said, ‘Don’t you know? Go and listen to the radio.’
“Hassana was devastated when she heard her husband’s voice on the radio announcing the coup, because she knew the danger that comes with anyone involved in a coup or coup attempt.
Dimka managed to get home. He quickly fled after picking up a few of his belongings.
“He was not arrested until three weeks after the failed coup attempt, which also resulted in the death of President Murtala.”
“Then she began to hear the movement of soldiers and armored tanks heading to their house. She heard a soldier speaking on a megaphone saying, ‘Nobody should fire until I give the order to fire.’
“After that, Hassana went into a room. Suddenly she heard a loud voice booming with a warning: ‘Anyone who knows they are in this house should put their hands on their head and come out.’
“She put her hands on her head and came out. Immediately, handcuffs were placed on her hands.”
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