How Obasanjo Regime Executed My Father-In-Law – Gbajabiamila

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has narrated how the military government led by General Olusegun Obasanjo in 1976 killed his father-in-law, a former Minister of Defence, late General Iliya Bisalla.

Gbajabiamila stated this in his book ‘MR SPEAKER: The legislative life, service, and resilience of Femi Gbajabiamila’ written by Charles Omole and Musa Krishi and foreworded by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General.

The All Progressives Congress chieftain is married to Salamatu, the late Bisalla’s daughter.

Gen Bisalla was killed by the military government on the 11th of March, 1976 alongside 30 other officers.

They were executed for being involved in the abortive coup of February 13, 1976, which led to the assassination of the then Head of State, General Murtala Mohammed.

One hundred and twenty-five people were arrested in connection with the coup.

Forty were released, but 32, of which Gen Bisalla was part, received death sentences.

They were executed at the Kirikiri prison shooting range.

Naija News learnt that Bisalla during the trial before the Gen. Emmanuel Abisoye-led Military Tribunal claimed his innocence.

Salamatu Gbajabiamila, the wife of the Speaker was just eight when she lost her father.

The book reads “Gbajabiamila was admitted to the Georgia State Bar in June 1991. He then set up his law firm, Femi Gbajabiamila and associates in Atlanta, Georgia the same city where he met his wife, Salamatu.

“Salamatu Bisalla was a student in Washington DC when he casually crossed paths with Gbajabiamila. Born into a prominent family, her father- the late General Iliya Bisalla – was appointed Minister of Defence (Federal Commissioner for Defence) under the Murtala Mohammed regime.

“Although he and Murtala were coursemates at Sandhurst Course 27, Bisalla was implicated in the Dimka-led coup that killed Murtala. He pleaded his innocence to the charges until the very end.

“Gbajabiamila believes that his late father-in-law was unjustifiably implicated in the coup attempt where, curiously, 90 per cent of those involved were of Middle-Belt extraction.

“The military at that time was unfortunately highly politicised and a lot of people, both military men and civilians, were under severe pressure to incriminate people. When the evidence against Bisalla could not be substantiated or corroborated, the then military government under Obasanjo and Yar’Adua enacted the controversial Decree 29 which makes anyone who hears of the planning of a coup and does not report the matter guilty as an ‘accessory to the fact.

“It was the first time in the history of any judicial investigation that a Decree will be passed because of a single individual” Gbajabiamila opines.

“Many years later, it was this same Decree that was used in arresting Obasanjo by General Abacha.”