In the early hours of Sunday, 22 April 1990, armed soldiers launched an attack in Lagos, then the seat of Nigeria’s military government. Their objective was to overthrow the administration of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and seize control of the state.
As the assault unfolded, a broadcast interrupted regular programming on Radio Nigeria. Major Gideon Gwaza Orkar addressed the nation, announcing that the Babangida regime had been overthrown and that a Revolutionary Council had taken control.
The message was firm and direct. It condemned the existing government and declared a new order. But beyond the announcement of a coup, the speech carried a proposal that would define how the episode would be remembered.
Dodan Barracks and the Struggle for Control
One of the principal targets of the coup was Dodan Barracks, the official residence and command centre of the Head of State. Heavy fighting occurred within and around the complex.
During the confrontation, Babangida’s aide de camp, Lieutenant Colonel U. K. Bello, was killed. Babangida himself survived and escaped the immediate assault. Loyalist officers regrouped, mobilised troops, and began restoring command.
The coup plotters did not secure full military control across Lagos or the country. Key commanders remained active, and loyal units responded quickly. By later that same day, the attempted takeover had been suppressed.
The violence of that morning was real, and lives were lost, but the state structure did not collapse.
EXPLORE NOW: Military Era & Coups in Nigeria
The Five States Named on Air
The most striking part of Orkar’s broadcast was a declaration described as a temporary decision to excise five states from the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The states named were Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kano, and Bauchi, as they existed in 1990. The speech stated that these states would be removed from the federation under specific conditions set by the coup leadership.
This was an extraordinary claim. No previous Nigerian coup announcement had openly proposed altering the territorial composition of the country in such explicit terms.
The declaration immediately elevated the event from a power struggle within the military to a moment that touched on identity, geography, and national unity.
The Political Language of the Broadcast
In presenting the coup, Orkar framed the action as speaking for what he described as the Middle Belt and the southern parts of Nigeria. The broadcast portrayed the takeover as a corrective measure against perceived domination and imbalance within the system.
The excision proposal was presented as part of a broader restructuring agenda. Though described as conditional, it introduced into national conversation the idea that belonging within the federation could be revoked by force.
The language was direct, and it left little ambiguity about its intention.
Why the Coup Collapsed
Despite the dramatic announcement, the coup did not consolidate power. Babangida survived the assault at Dodan Barracks, and loyalist command structures remained intact.
Senior military leadership, including the Chief of Army Staff at the time, Lieutenant General Sani Abacha, retained operational capacity. Loyal forces organised resistance and reasserted control over strategic installations.
Accounts from the period describe tactical breakdowns among the plotters, including failure to secure key military assets and to neutralise critical leadership figures. Without full command of the armed forces, the coup could not sustain its claim to authority.
By the afternoon of 22 April 1990, the attempted revolution had failed.
Trials, Executions, and Consequences
The aftermath was swift and severe. Major Gideon Orkar and several others involved in the plot were arrested, tried for treason, and executed by firing squad. Subsequent proceedings led to additional executions following retrial processes.
The crackdown reinforced the authority of the Babangida government and sent a strong signal against further insurrection.
Yet beyond the trials and punishments, the memory that endured most vividly was the broadcast itself.
EXPLORE NOW: Biographies & Cultural Icons of Nigeria
A Broadcast That Endured
The 1990 coup attempt is remembered not only for the gunfire in Lagos or the trials that followed, but for the clarity of its message. In a single national address, a coup group claimed the authority to redraw Nigeria’s map.
The proposal was never implemented, and no territorial separation occurred. The federation remained intact.
Still, the act of naming five states for removal left a lasting imprint. It demonstrated how quickly political struggle can intersect with questions of identity and belonging. It also showed the power of radio in a pre digital era, when a single broadcast could reach millions simultaneously.
The events of 22 April 1990 stand as one of the most dramatic episodes in Nigeria’s military history, a day when power was contested with weapons and words, and when a short lived uprising produced a message that would echo for decades.
Author’s Note
The Orkar coup reminds Nigeria that political crises can escalate beyond disputes over leadership into arguments about identity and geography. Though the uprising failed within hours, its broadcast revealed how fragile unity can appear when power is contested by force. The enduring lesson is that stability depends not only on authority, but on restraint and commitment to a shared national framework.
References
TheCable, “FLASHBACK, Orkar’s speech in failed coup against Babangida on April 22, 1990.”
Daily Trust, “The Gideon Orkar Coup Thirty Years On.”
Daily Trust, “Abacha saved me from Orkar coup, IBB.”
Dr. Nowa Omoigui, “The Orkar Coup of April 22, 1990.”
