Nigerian filmmaker, Obi Emelonye has revealed details of a conversation he had with former military ruler Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) about the execution of his childhood friend, Mamman Vatsa.
Speaking on WithChude, Emelonye said he asked Babangida about Vatsa’s fate while working on his biopic, Badamasi: Portrait of a General. The former head of state admitted that ordering Vatsa’s execution was the hardest decision of his military career.
“Mamman Vatsa was his classmate at Bida Secondary School, his coursemate at the Nigerian Defence School, and his right-hand man during the civil war. When IBB became president, he even appointed Vatsa as the FCT Minister,” Emelonye explained.
However, their friendship crumbled when Vatsa was accused of failing to report a coup plot against Babangida’s government.
“There was a plan not only to kill Babangida but also to burn down Dodan Barracks with his entire family inside,” Emelonye said. “Vatsa reportedly knew about it but didn’t inform his friend. Even though he wasn’t involved in the planning, the tribunal found him guilty.”
Babangida, torn between friendship and military law, ultimately chose duty over loyalty.
“He told me that executing his friend was the most painful thing he ever had to do, but in his eyes, Vatsa was the one who betrayed him,” Emelonye added.
Vatsa was executed on March 5, 1986, leaving behind a family that still questions the true story behind his conviction.
