Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that former Head of State, General Murtala Muhammed, might not have been assassinated if the government at the time had taken security seriously.
He explained that the late military ruler’s death exposed a dangerous level of security complacency within the government at the time.
Obasanjo, who succeeded Murtala after the failed February 13, 1976, coup, disclosed this during an interview on News Central TV.
He blamed what he described as “naivety” for the relaxed security arrangement around Murtala.
According to Obasanjo, Murtala was a bold and confident leader who believed he was doing the right thing for Nigeria and therefore had nothing to fear.
But Obasanjo said that belief became a costly mistake.
He recalled that Murtala moved around Lagos with little concern for personal security, even driving himself as military Head of State.
Obasanjo said he had warned Murtala about the danger of such exposure, but the late leader did not treat the matter with the seriousness it deserved.
“Murtala would not have been killed the way he was killed if not for our naivety,” Obasanjo said.
He added that the leadership at the time wrongly assumed that because they were working in the interest of the country, no one would move against them.
“Our belief was that he was doing what was right. So what did we need to fear?” Obasanjo said.
The former president explained that the government was not expecting the level of conspiracy that later unfolded. According to him, the relaxed attitude toward security created an opening that the coup plotters exploited.
Murtala was assassinated in Lagos during a failed coup led by soldiers opposed to his regime. His death abruptly ended a government that had promised sweeping reforms and a transition to civilian rule.