Tunde Idiagbon

Tunde Idiagbon was born into a Fulani family in Ilorin, Kwara State, on September 14, 1943. He attended the Nigeria Military School, Zaria and the Pakistan Military Academy, where he obtained a bachelor's degree in economics. He joined the Nigerian Army in 1962 and rose to the rank of brigadier-general in 1980. He fought in the Nigerian Civil War and served as a military administrator of Borno State under Olusegun Obasanjo's military government. He was also a director of manpower and planning at the Army Headquarters and a student at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. In 1983, he was one of the key figures behind the coup that overthrew the civilian government of Shehu Shagari and brought Muhammadu Buhari to power. He became the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, which made him the de facto second-in-command and the most powerful figure in the regime. He was known for his strict and disciplined approach to governance and his role in the War Against Indiscipline, a campaign that aimed to instill order and civic responsibility in the Nigerian society. He also oversaw the foreign policy of the regime, which was marked by a non-aligned stance and a confrontation with the apartheid regime of South Africa. In 1985, while he was on a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, he was ousted along with Buhari by another coup led by Ibrahim Babangida. He returned to Nigeria immediately after the coup and was detained for a while before being released. He retired from the army and lived a quiet life in his hometown of Ilorin. He died of a heart attack on March 24, 1999, at the age of 56. He was buried with full military honors and was widely mourned by Nigerians who admired his integrity and patriotism.