Many Nigerians know Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and a former Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives. But
Many Nigerians know Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and a former Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives. But not many know his fashion eccentric wife, Salamatu.
Still not many know that she is the daughter of late Major-General Illiya D. Bisalla, the Nigerian military officer and Commissioner of Defence who was controversially executed following the failed 1976 coup that claimed the life of the then head of state, Major-General Murtala Muhammed.
Salamatu alongside her siblings were shipped off to the United States where she spent most of her life schooling to get a degree in law. That was where she met Femi Gbajabiamila who was also in the US to further his education and began working to build a career in law. They got engaged, got married and returned to Nigeria after his law license got suspended due to ethical lapses, including allegations of corruption.
Bisalla on the other hand attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England. His training at Sandhurst laid the foundation for a distinguished military career in Nigeria. Under the military administration of General Murtala Mohammed, he was appointed Commissioner of Defence, a role equivalent to today’s Minister of Defence.
On February 13, 1976, a coup attempt led by Colonel Buka Suka Dimka resulted in the assassination of General Murtala Mohammed. Bisalla was implicated based on Dimka’s confessional statements, which alleged that he provided operational orders. However, Dimka’s confessions were inconsistent, uncorroborated, and included contradictory claims that another officer, Major Rabo, had issued the orders.
The Special Military Tribunal controversially convicted Bisalla of conspiracy and concealment of treason, despite uncertainties surrounding his actual involvement. Bisalla was executed by firing squad on March 11, 1976, alongside 31 other alleged co-conspirators at Kirikiri Prison. Among those executed, some were clearly guilty, while the culpability of others, including Bisalla, remains debated due to the questionable reliability of the evidence. Bisalla reportedly maintained his innocence until his death, expressing confidence in his spiritual fate.
