Introduction to the Rare Interview
A former Executive Editor of the defunct Newswatch magazine, Yakubu Mohammed, has recounted how a rare interview with Brig.-Gen. David Mark had put the magazine’s directors in trouble with late Gen. Sani Abacha. Mohammed recalled the experience in his recently published memoir, “Beyond Expectations.”
Background to the Interview
After Abacha sacked the Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government (ING) on Nov. 17, 1993, his next move was to remove the so-called “Babangida Boys” in strategic positions in the military. That, ironically, included Gen. Aliu Gusau, his soulmate, who accompanied him to Shonekan’s office to ask for his voluntary disengagement. Another one was Brig.-Gen. David Mark, former military governor of Niger State and almost a constant feature in the Babangida adventure in government.
The Explosive Interview
Many of the retired officers were bitter about the treatment meted out to them by the new helmsman. But it was Mark who decided to spill the beans and expose the real motive of Abacha. He said that Abacha had initially given the impression that he sacked the ING to pave way for the installation of Chief M.K.O. Abiola as president or to conduct another presidential election. Mark granted the then editor-in-chief of Newswatch, Dan Agbese, an explosive interview in London where he had gone to stay after his forceful disengagement from the military.
The Betrayal of Hope
What Abacha did, according to Mark, was tantamount to a betrayal of hope. In the interview, he confirmed that indeed, there was a plan to hold a constitutional conference to prepare a new constitution. It was the idea of Gen. Oladipo Diya, next in command to Abacha. The impression that the removal of the ING was to pave the way for the swearing in of Abiola drew some pro-democracy politicians into Abacha’s cabinet. Such politicians included Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, Babagana Kingibe, former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande, and former Plateau governor, Solomon Lar.
The Consequences of the Interview
But David Mark said it was all a ruse. Instead of six months as planned, Mark was convinced that Abacha was determined to stay at least five years and, thereafter, transmute into a civilian president. Mohammed said that a manhunt for the Newswatch editors, who had been declared wanted by the SSS, started after the interview was published on April 11, 1994. The SSS operatives had trailed him to Lokoja, the Kogi capital, where he had gone to keep an appointment with the military governor, Col. Paul Omeruo.
The Arrest and Detention
While waiting to see the governor, something strange happened. Some plain-clothed officials gave him a piece of paper to write his name. I wondered if that was the alternative to a visitor’s form. But it turned out that they were SSS men wanting to confirm if I was the Yakubu Mohammed already declared wanted. On my way out of the governor’s office, I met Chris Okolie, the late publisher of Newbreed magazine. He told me that security men had picked up Dan Agbese the previous evening. Mohammed said that he was later arrested at the Kogi Government House and driven to Lagos.
The Release from Detention
He said that Ray Ekpu, who was in Calabar for his annual leave, was arrested at the airport while trying to board a flight to Lagos and driven to Lagos by road. Mohammed recounted that the three editors were accommodated in one cell with one single double-decker bed. There was only one light bulb in the room, but the control switch was outside the room. The light was on throughout the night so that warders could check us any time they felt like doing so. If you could not sleep with lights on that was your own kettle of fish. He said that interventions by media colleagues, the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria, the Guild of Editors, and elder statesmen led by Adamu Ciroma later got the listening ears of Abacha.
Conclusion
He said that Abacha promptly ordered their release with all charges bordering on sedition dropped. The experience of Yakubu Mohammed and his colleagues at Newswatch magazine serves as a reminder of the risks that journalists face in their line of duty, particularly when they dare to speak truth to power.
FAQs
Q: Who was the subject of the rare interview that put the Newswatch magazine’s directors in trouble with late Gen. Sani Abacha?
A: Brig.-Gen. David Mark.
Q: What was the main reason for Abacha’s removal of the ING, according to David Mark?
A: According to Mark, Abacha’s removal of the ING was not to pave way for the installation of Chief M.K.O. Abiola as president or to conduct another presidential election, but rather to stay in power for at least five years and transmute into a civilian president.
Q: What was the outcome of the interventions by media colleagues and elder statesmen on behalf of the arrested Newswatch editors?
A: Abacha promptly ordered their release with all charges bordering on sedition dropped.
