Lt. The failed 1976 coup that resulted in the assassination of the then-head of state of Nigeria, General Murtala Muhammed, was led by Colonel Buka Suka Dimka. After Lt. When Colonel Dimka realized that the coup was in vain, he fled to Afikpo, which was in the then-Anambra State, where he sought safety with an old girlfriend.
Chief Jasper Okoro, a seasoned journalist who grew up in Afikpo (now Ebonyi State) and recounts the events of that time, would not reveal the current identity of Dimka’s former girlfriend, Ugo, who is said to be married.
What are your thoughts on Dimka’s coup?
I was a teacher when Dimka and his partners were declared wanted and the coup took place. At that time, the radio kept saying that anyone who found him should call the police because they would get some benefits. Therefore, the radio continued to flash the information about every 15 minutes or so.
Dimka had been a police officer in Afikpo. Dimka was well-liked in this area because we met him when we returned from Biafra as an officer. He was not someone who could run away from Afikpo; He was close to many people; Sadly, especially in Afikpo, it was simple to spot him after he was declared a fugitive.
How did they spot him?
“There was a young teacher, William Eweozor, who was about my age; Even in the dark, he was one of the people who could see Dimka. The boy was driving his father’s car when he noticed Dimka, a person who was wearing a turban; William Iweozor came up to a few people and said that he had seen Dimka as he was strolling along the major road in the area along Eke market road because he was near the Afikpo mosque. He was being warned by others to be careful what he said and the consequences, but he insisted and reported the incident to the police in Afikpo.
Dimka must have arrived at Afikpo due to what?
Dimka previously resided in Afikpo and had a girlfriend; a partner for life. You are aware that army officers typically have girlfriends, but Dimka had a beautiful girl who was very close to him and came from this location. Not knowing that William saw Dimka, the same person who took lodging at the Friendship Hotel in Afikpo.
“Dimka had resided there under a fictitious name as an officer, arriving for official business as a government official in charge of agriculture. He checked into a room, but when they showed him the room, he changed it later. In fact, we found out later that the room he checked into had been burglarized throughout, so he said he didn’t like it, so they moved him to another room with a toilet that wasn’t burglarized; Therefore, soldiers entered that hotel at midnight following William’s alarm that he had seen Dimka and barricaded it.
How were they aware he was present?
They saw that he entered the hotel and alerted them when William traced him in the first instance. Second, his native-born girlfriend was also observed entering that hotel. A similar alarm was sounded when she was observed entering that location. He was in the hotel, which was strongly suspected or nearly so; After that, he showed up in a Renault, and when the booth was opened, a lot of plate numbers were found.
What did Dimka do to escape?
The entire area was surrounded by soldiers after the alert was issued. The soldiers concentrated solely on the hotel’s front. Each hotel room was first checked by the soldiers. Dimka and his girlfriend were aware that trouble had arrived when they knocked on the door of a lodger. Dimka told his girlfriend to go open the door for them when they knocked on his door, then fled through the toilet window.
Even though everyone was concerned about his presence in Afikpo, how did his girlfriend get to the hotel?
“He (Dimka) instructed the hotel manager to go to a specific location and call Ugo, stating that he had a message for her. This individual proceeded to deliver the message in that manner. Keep in mind that there was no GSM at the time. It was alleged that he fled through farmland before entering a vehicle and driving to Abakaliki.
“There were checkpoints every three kilometers; However, despite having Dimka’s photographs with them, the soldiers on the way never recognized him. But when he got to a specific checkpoint, he did the usual stop and search, and as the driver was about to move, he told him not to; He himself came out, called the police sergeant, who was later made an inspector, and told him he was Dimka.
In fact, he asked himself how long he would be hiding before getting out of the vehicle. He beckoned to the police officer and said, “I am Dimka,” hitting his chest, “I am the man you have been looking for,” as he saw that he was approaching the brigade headquarters, where some of the officers would most likely recognize him. They cuffed him after he raised his hand, and then they took him away.
Dimka and six other coup plotters were executed by firing squad at the Lagos Maximum Security Prison on May 15, 1976.
