Buhari’s ’83 Coup: How Maitama Sule Submitted Self For Arrest — Abdulsalami

 Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), revealed, yesterday, in Kano how the late elder statesman, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, submitted himself for arrest shortly after the 1983 coup d’etat that saw many top flight politicians clamped into detention.


Abubakar, who made the revelation when he paid a condolence visit to the government of Kano State and family of Danmasanin Kano, noted that Nigeria and, indeed, the whole world have lost a true compatriot.

The former Head of State, who was a Brigade Commander at 3rd Motorized Brigade, Kano, in 1984, said: “As Brigade Commander of the 33 Motoriized Brigade, Bukavu Barracks, Kano, many politicians were arrested that period and all of a sudden, I saw Danmasani in my office with his briefcase, and I asked him what happened? and he declared that “I’ve turned myself in to be arrested like other politicians.”

“I asked him why?, and he said to me, ‘you people are arresting many people and you shunned me, and I don’t know why.’ I just laughed it off.

“Maitama Sule believed that the tragedy of every person is his personal tragedy; that made him a leader, a pillar that stood for the less privileged ones and every other person in needs.”

He said the loss of Danmasani was a national tragedy, which pain was shared not only by his family or Kano people, but also Nigerians.

In his speech, Governor Ganduje said: “Danmasani was there during the British colonialists and struggled alongside other prominent Nigerians, most of whom were now late.

“There is no head of state, since independence, that has not sat with Yusuf Maitama Sule and listen to his personal advice on how he would be a good leader.’

Among those who paid condolence visit at  Government House, yesterday, were Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu; NUJ National President, Wahab Odusile, among others.