Former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has shared a deeply emotional account of the traumatic events surrounding the 1996 coup attempt in Nigeria, which almost claimed the life of his father.
In a moving recollection, Fani-Kayode recounted the harrowing early-morning abduction of his father, Chief Remilekun Adetokunboh Fani-Kayode, a prominent Nigerian statesman who was the Deputy Premier of the Old Western Region and a revered traditional leader in Ife.
Fani-Kayode, who was only six years old at the time, vividly remembered the terror that enveloped his family’s residence when soldiers stormed their home in the dead of night. It was a scene of chaos and near-death as the military men, led by mutineers, arrived with intimidating force.
“The attack began around 2:00 a.m.,” Fani-Kayode recounted. “I was sharing a bedroom with my younger sister and older brother. The lights were suddenly cut off, and the only illumination we could see came from the headlights of four heavy trucks parked outside. The soldiers, with torches in hand, began shouting my father’s name.”
At that moment, Fani-Kayode said, the military personnel were in full force, their voices sharp and filled with aggression. “They kept calling for my father, ordering him to come out. When my father stepped outside, they beat him, tied him up, and threw him into one of the trucks. The rest of the soldiers barged into the house, searching every room, ransacking it, and shooting indiscriminately into the ceilings and wardrobes.”
The assault was intense. “We were terrified,” Fani-Kayode said. “My mother was screaming from the balcony, helplessly watching as the soldiers dragged my father away. The house was in complete chaos.”
The fear was palpable, as the soldiers ransacked the house, leaving no corner untouched. However, in the middle of the terrifying ordeal, something unexpected occurred. Fani-Kayode, who was standing frozen amidst the upheaval, found comfort in the voice of one of the soldiers.
“I remember one soldier coming up to me. He placed his hand on my head and said, ‘Don’t worry, we won’t kill your father, stop crying,’” Fani-Kayode recalled.
The soldier’s words were repeated. “He said it again and again—‘Don’t cry, we won’t kill him.’ And after hearing it a third time, I looked into his eyes, and something in me changed. I stopped crying. I felt hope for the first time amidst all the chaos.”
With newfound resolve, Fani-Kayode rushed to his mother, who was still inconsolable on the balcony. “I ran to her and told her to stop crying, that the soldier had promised they wouldn’t kill my father. Everything would be okay,” he recalled.
The soldier who spoke those words, later identified by Fani-Kayode as Captain Nwobosi, had unknowingly given the young boy a sense of security and strength in a moment of absolute vulnerability. “I held on to his words for the rest of the night. It gave me courage. I never cried again.”
Fani-Kayode later reflected on how those simple words from Captain Nwobosi seemed to change the course of events. His father, who had been held captive by the soldiers, was eventually released and returned home.
“I believe that God used that soldier to deliver a divine message,” Fani-Kayode remarked. “If my father had been killed, my life might have been completely different. Perhaps I would not have had the opportunity to be educated or reach the place where I am today.”
The experience, though painful, shaped Fani-Kayode’s life and his path in Nigerian politics. He has often spoken about the traumatic impact of the coup on his family, but also about the gratitude he feels for the soldier’s intervention, which spared his father’s life.
Reflecting on the broader implications of that violent period in Nigerian history, Fani-Kayode expressed sympathy for all the lives lost during the coup attempt, while also calling for a greater sense of unity in the country.
“I pray for the souls of those who were murdered during that time,” Fani-Kayode said. “May Nigeria find peace, and may the country rise again to greatness.”
Fani-Kayode’s recollections, now shared in his commemorative piece for Armed Forces Remembrance Day, serve as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices and challenges faced by many Nigerian families during moments of political unrest. His story is one of survival, hope, and the resilience of the human spirit.
The events he described in 1996 were a part of a broader period of military rule and unrest in Nigeria, when several coup attempts were made to topple the government. Despite the fear and confusion that dominated the time, Fani-Kayode’s experience reveals the extraordinary moments of kindness and humanity that occasionally shine through even the darkest times.
Though Nigeria has since transitioned to civilian rule, the scars left by these events are still felt by those who lived through them. Fani-Kayode’s ability to recount his story with both pain and clarity sheds light on the importance of remembrance and the role of history in shaping the future.
In his concluding remarks, Fani-Kayode left a powerful call for change. “We must learn from our past. We cannot let these dark moments define us. Instead, we must strive for a better future, one where we put the nation’s interests above all else.”
