Prof. Chidi Odinkalu, the Nigerian human rights lawyer and former Chairman of the Nigerian Human Rights Commission (NHRC), has knocked former Nigerian military dictator, General Ibrahim Badamos Babangida retd. (IBB) for filling his autobiography, “A Journey In Service” with lies.
Odinkalu said that Babangida deliberately waited until all the people he accused died before launching the book he filled with allegations against dead men and women who could no longer controvert his claims and allegations against them.
Describing the former military ruler as the “Grand Commander of the Order of Cowardice”, Odinkalu said that Babangida portrayed himself in the book as a victim of dead men and women.
Babangida was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1985 to 1993, a period marked by significant political and economic changes as well as controversies.
His regime is controversially remembered for the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola.
Babangida annulled the presidential election widely regarded as the fairest election in Nigeria’s history, leading to widespread unrest and political instability, significantly impacting Nigeria’s democratic progress till date.
Babangida’s government faced criticism for human rights abuses with one of the most notable incidents being the 1986 parcel bomb assassination of investigative journalist Dele Giwa, who had been reporting on corruption and human rights violations.
His regime witnessed multiple alleged coup attempts, resulting in executions and imprisonments of military officers.
However, in the autobiography he launched on Thursday in Abuja, Babangida admitted that Abiola won the June 12, 1993 election but blamed the late former military dictator, General Sani Ababcha for the annulment of the election.
He claimed that Abacha announced the annulment of the election without his approval.
Reacting to the contents of the book, Odinkalu in a series of posts on his X page on Friday said, “Ibrahim Babangida’s book is filled with allegations against dead men and women.
“He waited until they were all dead and none of them could controvert him and he portrays himself as a victim of all these dead men and women.”
According to Odinkalu, “This damns him even more than he already was as lacking in character.”
Odinkalu added, “The only question that must be pursued by those interested must be how a man so devoid of character and values was allowed to travel so far in the military to the point where, for a generation, he could routinely pick and choose at his whim which soldier could or should rule Nigeria.
“Conveniently, Babangida, a committed record-keeper, could not produce any contemporaneous records, minutes, notes or other evidence to corroborate any of the serious claims and allegations he makes about these dead men and women.
“All hail the Grand Commander of the Order of Cowardice!”
