On July 9, 1998 the Armed Forces Ruling Council, AFRC, under the military leadership of General Sani Abacha commuted the death sentences passed on former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya, and five other officers convicted of plotting to overthrow his regime.
The commutation followed a review of the recommendations of the Special Military Tribunal which tried the accused persons last year.
Gen. Diya, who served as Abacha’s No. 2 man, alongside Maj. Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju, Col. O. L. Akiyode, Col. A. K. Togun, Maj. M. O. Adewunmi and Maj. S. O. Akintade, were sentenced to death by firing squad in April 1998 for their alleged roles in a coup plot uncovered in December 1997.
According to military prosecutors, Diya and the other dissident soldiers allegedly conspired to overthrow the Abacha regime in late 1997.
Security forces loyal to the government said they uncovered the plot before it could be executed, leading to a series of arrests within the top military hierarchy.
All six men have been in military custody since their arrest and subsequent trial at the Lagos Special Military Tribunal.
While the AFRC did not grant a full pardon, the statement confirmed that the death sentences have been reduced to life imprisonment. The government gave no further details on the conditions of their continued detention.
The commutation comes months after the executions of other alleged coup plotters and amid growing local and international pressure on the Abacha regime over human rights and due process.
Family members of the convicted officers could not be reached for comment at press time. Military authorities say the six will remain in custody at undisclosed locations.
