Major General Tajudeen Olanrenwaju, alias ‘Jasper’ from Isale Igangan, Lagos Island, was a former footballer at the Ahmaddiya Muslim College, Agege. He played football with the likes of Muyiwa Oshode, Ismaila Mabo, Tunde Disu, Garba Okoye, Olowo Oshodi and Tony Igwe. Professor Femi Odekunle, Political Adviser to General Diya, was also arrested for the memo he had written to General Diya captioned “Confidential Memo Not For Filing”. From the account of Lt Col Muyiwa Badewole who was assigned to defend Professor Odekunle at the Tribunal, the Professor, in the memo counseled General Diya to “test the limits of his power” as the Number 2 man instead of constantly grumbling and complaining of being sidelined by General SanniAbacha.
Following the arrest of the officers, the then Head of State, GeneralSanniAbacha, operated without a deputy. On January 3, 1998, the Chief of Defence Staff, Major-General Abdusalmi Abubakar set up a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) made up of 12 Senior Military Officers to investigate the alleged coup plot. The Panel was headed by Major General Chris Garuba, from Ipole, Otukpa, Benue State. Garuba, who now attends regular Christian fellowship in Abuja with his pretty wife Rita, had served as Military Governor of Bauchi State. Other members of his panel included Brigadier General Yusuf Abubakar, Navy Commodore Adeyemi Afolayan, Group Captain AbdulRahman Sulayman, Lt Col Joseph Akaagerger, who later became the governor of Katsina State was the Secretary of the SIP. The Panel recommended the setting up of a Special Military Tribunal to try the arrested officers.
On February 10, the then Chief of Defence Administration, Rear Admiral Festus Porbeni CFR, also of Course 3 of the NDA announced the setting up of a Special Military Tribunal (SMT) to try the detained military officers and some civilians. The seven man panel was headed by Malu, also of Course 3 of the NDA. Other members of the SMT included Brigadier General Karmashe and Brigadier V. Ombu. The Judge Advocate of the Tribunal was Lt-Col YJ Braimah. The Prosecution Team of the Tribunal included Col Z Shuaibu and Colonel Dave Ike while the members of the Defense Team included the then Col. OvoAdhekegba, the then Col JA Okunbor, Colonel Ahmedu, Lt Col MuyiwaBadewole and Lt Col S Audu. Admiral Porbeni gave General Malu’s Tribunal one month to complete its sitting.
On February 14, the Tribunal held its first sitting in Jos, Plateau State. During the arraignment, General Diya asked the Tribunal “where is the Chief of Army Staff, General Bamaiyi, the mastermind, the planner and the executioner of the coup?” The first Prosecution Witness was Brigadier General Patrick Aziza. The trial was held in camera at the Rayfield GRA, Jos, Plateau State. The proceedings were filmed on a daily basis and sent to General Abacha for his personal viewing. Before sentencing the officers, General Malu held a private meeting with General Abacha at the Villa in Abuja and intimated him of those guilty and those not guilty. Abacha was shocked that Professor Odekunle was not found guilty.
On Tuesday April 28, 1998, General Malu’s Tribunal sentenced General Diya and others to death. Those sentenced to death were Diya; Major General Abdulkareem Adisa, former Minister of Works and Housing; Major-General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, former Minister of Communications; Major Seun Fadipe, Chief Security Officer to Diya; Colonel Olu Akinyode, former Military Assistant to General Olanrewaju and a civil engineer, Bola Adebanjo, an associate of Diya. Four of the accused persons were convicted of “information gathering” and implication in the alleged coup plot, and sentenced to life imprisonment. They were Colonel Edwin Jando, Mr. Isaiah Adebowale, Mr. Niran Malaolu (Editor of Diet Newspaper) and Mrs. Shola Soile. Major Fadipe, who was sentenced to death, had already pleaded guilty on the opening day of the trial. “I am not here to waste anybody’s time,” he was quoted as saying. Two of the accused persons were convicted of theft and sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment: Lieutenant-Colonel I.E. Yankasai and Major Biliaminu Mohammed. Colonel Yakubu Bako was convicted for illegal importation of firearms and sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment.
In sentencing the officers, General Malu said there was overwhelming evidence proving Diya had amassed a small army of loyal troops by the time his plot to overthrow the regime was discovered. Malu, dismissed Diya’s claims of innocence. “The findings of the Tribunal were that he presided over and actively participated in several meetings in which the coup was discussed. The coup would have been carried out on December 20, the day that most of the accused persons were picked up”. He said soldiers had already begun moving into positions to overthrow the government. Malu also said Diya had no defence for having taken part in meetings that plotted the overthrow of Abacha.” Any officer who was given any information or who was invited to a meeting should report to the authorities of the plot when they were approached by those he claimed initiated it,” Malu said. On the directive of Abacha, the then Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who was also the Secretary of the Provisional Ruling Council and Head of Service, Alhaji Gidado Idris, GCON, summoned a meeting of the Provisional Ruling Council for Monday June 8, 1998 to deliberate on General Malu’s report either to confirm or reject the report. There were 22 members of the PRC.
The confirmation by the Provisional Council would have led to the execution of General Diya and others on the night of June 8 or the following day June 9 in a purely military fashion. In the early hours of that Monday, June 8, 1998, General Abacha answered the final call. The PRC met no doubt on that day, not to deliberate on General Malu’s report but to select General Abdusalami Abubakar as the new Head of State and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces. On July 9 1998, the PRC headed by General Abubakar commuted death sentences passed on Generals Diya and others to jail terms. On March 12 2013, President Goodluck Jonathan pardoned some of the officers including General Diya and late General Adisa. General Malu was buried on October 28 at Mbajima, Katsina Ala in Benue State
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