30 Years After Abacha Era Detentions, Alleged Phantom Coup Victims Renew Appeal to Tinubu for Justice
A group of military officers who were accused and detained over alleged coup plots during the military regime of late Head of State Sani Abacha have renewed their appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging him to implement the recommendations of the Oputa Panel and grant them long-awaited justice.
In an open letter dated June 6, 2026, the officers, who described themselves as victims of the alleged 1995 and 1997 coup plots, said they had endured more than three decades of hardship, stigma and neglect despite recommendations made by the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission, popularly known as the Oputa Panel.
The signatories, including Col. Lawan Gwadabe, Col. Emmanuel Ndubueze, Col. Roland Emokpae, Col. Edwin Jando, Col. Babatunde Bello-Fadile, Col. Olusegun Oloruntoba and Cdr. Dennis Omesa, said they were encouraged by Tinubu’s democratic credentials and hoped his administration would finally address their grievances.
The group recalled that many military and civilian figures were arrested, detained and allegedly tortured during the years following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election. They maintained that they were innocent of the coup allegations levelled against them and described themselves as “phantom coup plotters.”
According to the letter, the Oputa Panel, established by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, recommended compensation and other reliefs for victims of human rights abuses under military rule. However, the officers said successive administrations had failed to implement the recommendations.
They urged President Tinubu to approve measures including a formal government apology, compensation, restoration of ranks and benefits, promotion to the ranks they would have attained in service, and comprehensive rehabilitation.
The officers also expressed concern that many of their colleagues had died without seeing justice, while others continued to face economic hardship and social challenges linked to their detention and dismissal from service.
With the June 12 Democracy Day anniversary approaching, the group said they hoped Tinubu would use the occasion to address what they described as one of the remaining unresolved issues from Nigeria’s democratic struggle.
They argued that implementing the Oputa Panel recommendations would help heal longstanding wounds, restore confidence in the rule of law and provide closure for victims of alleged abuses during the military era.
The letter concluded with a renewed appeal for the President to act swiftly and bring an end to what the officers described as a 30-year wait for justice and reparation.
Read full letter here….
Col Olusegun Oloruntoba: Repeat open letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu
June 6, 2026
His Excellency
Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR
President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Federal Republic of Nigeria
Aso Rock Villa, Abuja
Dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,
Urgent Plea for Immediate Reparation, Recognition and Restoration of Dignity of Victimised Innocent Officers
His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we find great delight that you and several other democracy fighters in the mould of June 12, 1993, struggles are still alive, hale and hearty today. We hold you in high esteem as a dogged democrat and generous giver. Your unwavered conviction for the dignity of those who side with truth is well-documented. It is against this backdrop that we extend our warm regards and hope this letter finds you in good health.
Another June 12 celebration is around the corner. Almost every box of that epic moment in the annals of Nigeria’s history has been ticked. We firmly believe that you will tick the remaining boxes on June 12, 2026. It has been 30 awful and agonising years for us. In our last open letter to you, dated June 10, 2025, we made humble appeals. As in that letter, we are making the same urgent request again. We can’t stop believing you will make it happen.
We, the victims of the alleged coups of 1995 and 1997, write to you with a mix of trepidation and hope. For over 30 years, we have waited for justice, our hopes raised and dashed with each change of administration. With you is our renewed hope.
We are convinced that your presidency marks a new chapter in our quest for justice.
In 1993, Nigeria was on the cusp of democracy, but the military dictatorship crushed our hopes. Many of us were accused of coup plotting, tortured, and detained without trial.
The Oputa Panel, established by President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999, investigated human rights violations during the military rule and recommended compensation for victims like us. However, successive governments have ignored these recommendations, leaving us in a state of limbo.
While demanding justice, we are appealing to your gracious and generous presence, Mr President. We seek the implementation of the Oputa Panel’s recommendations, including promotion to our rightful ranks, an apology letter, and comprehensive rehabilitation. We also request that you endorse the reliefs and compensation recommended by the Oputa Panel.
We are aware that time is running out, and many of our colleagues have passed away without seeing justice. We are aware that several of our colleagues are languishing in untold hardship and indignity. We appeal to you, one more time, Mr President, to act promptly and right the wrongs of the past.
We trust in your magnanimity, Mr President, and believe that you will bring an end to our long wait for justice. We cannot stop hoping and are convinced that your administration will bring us the reprieve we so desperately seek.
We are more buoyed than ever before that we can renew our strength and hope in your ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’.
In Nigeria’s history, certain years stand as stark reminders of the nation’s aspirations and its darkest hours. The year 1993 is etched in the collective memory as a period of immense hope, a time when civilians dared to envision a future free from the shackles of military dictatorship. Within the ranks of the army, whispers of a return to democratic governance echoed with growing fervour.
Yet, as many would later realise, the boundary between hope and despair is perilously thin. For those who dared to dream, their aspirations were brutally extinguished when a new regime of tyranny seized power, plunging the nation into an abyss of uncertainty and fear. Accusations of coups and “phantom coup plotters” became the chilling refrain of the regime, leading to the imprisonment of countless civilian and military figures.
Mr President, while some, like ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, would later find their path to power paved by the very suffering they endured under the despot, others were left to languish in obscurity, their pleas for justice unanswered, their lives irrevocably scarred. Now, three decades later, since Your Excellency assumed the mantle of leadership, a flicker of hope ignites once more in our hearts.
The weight of unresolved grievances
The wounds inflicted during the General Sani Abacha regime run deep, leaving scars that torturous times have left open and untended, that we only hope God, using you, Mr President, can tenderly heal and close. For all of us “phantom coup” plotters, the years since our unjust imprisonment have been a relentless cycle of hope and disappointment, of promises made and broken. We have witnessed successive administrations come and go, each offering a glimmer of hope, only to ultimately fail to deliver the justice we desperately and rightly seek.
Mr President, we earnestly appeal to you to expedite action and order the immediate implementation of all reliefs.
Former President Buhari’s recognition of MKO Abiola as a national hero and the declaration of June 12 as a nationwide public holiday further fuelled these hopes. Yet, despite these promising signs, the wheels of justice turned slowly, leaving the Oputa recommendations unfulfilled.
A new dawn, renewed hope
Mr President, with your glorious ascension, a new chapter begins in the saga of our seeming helplessness and hopelessness. Your Excellency has always stood for justice and genuine and immediate recompense. It is with absolute trust that you will finally break the cycle of disappointment and provide us with the relief we are writing to you for. Our beloved President, we do not want to be forgotten, to be written as a footnote in the story of reparation.
Mr President, with you, we do not hope with uncertainty, nor are we completely broken by the failure of past democratically elected presidents. You are different. You are Asiwaju. You always carry a badge of honour. We trust in your speedy resolution of our 30-year wait for justice and reparation.
Mr President, we are convinced that our hope in your magnanimity can set us free from the shackles of the unjust past.
A plea for action
Mr President, we are making a renewed plea for action. We urge you to review the findings of the Oputa panel, acknowledge our innocence, and provide us with the compensation and recognition we deserve.
The Oputa Panel recommendations
The Oputa panel made several recommendations regarding the phantom coup plotters, including:
A formal apology from the government
Compensation for their suffering
Restoration of their ranks and benefits
Promotion to the ranks they would have attained
Comprehensive rehabilitation
Mr President, the time has come to right the wrongs of the past, to heal the wounds that have festered for far too long. By implementing the recommendations of the Oputa panel, you have the power to bring closure to our long-suffering souls, restore our faith in justice, and reaffirm your administration’s commitment to the rule of law.
Thank you for your attention to our plea.
Yours Sincerely,
Col Lawan Gwadabe,
Col Emmanuel Ndubueze
Col Gabriel Ajayi (late)
Col Roland Emokpae,
Col Edwin Jando,
Col Babatunde Bello-Fadile
Col Olusegun Oloruntoba
Cdr Dennis Omesa
