Retired Colonel Bello Fadile, a former military officer and lawyer opened up about his harrowing experiences under General Sani Abacha’s regime and how he confronted the late military dictator that the coup he led to remove the then interim president Ernest Shonekan was against the law.
According to Bello-Fadile, there was a pivotal moment when he confronted Abacha directly after the late military dictator removed Shonekan.
“When we were submitting the Police Reforms White Paper report to him, he asked me what the people- in the military- were saying. I told him they want the military to leave. He asked why, since he had more civilians serving in government than during Babangida’s time. I told him, ‘Babangida’s time is different. You are a different person.’”
Fadile revealed that this exchange marked a turning point in his relationship with Abacha, ultimately leading to his arrest. “Abacha couldn’t tolerate dissent, and that was why he arrested me,” he stated.
Bello-Fadile who recently launch his book titled The BELLO-FADILE MEMOIRS in Abuja featured on Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, Friday, sharing how his outspoken stance against military rule led to his arrest and prosecution for a coup alongside others including Generals Olusegun Obasanjo and Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.
He also detailed his efforts to support the restoration of civilian governance in the wake of Nigeria’s tumultuous political landscape of the 1990s. His revelations provide an insider’s account of a critical period in Nigeria’s history.
Explaining why he became a pro-democracy advocate while still in the military, Fadile recalled the events that followed the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election.
“The military decided to leave after the June 12 election. An Interim National Government was set in place under Decree 63, and it was agreed that civilians would return to power -at the center- after another election,” he recounted.
However, the transition did not proceed as planned. “The populace itself was not disposed to [Chief Ernest] Shonekan continuing as head of state. They wanted June 12, which was not possible at the time because the election was inconclusive, even though they claimed [Chief MKO] Abiola won,” Fadile said.
He elaborated on the dramatic power shift orchestrated by General Sani Abacha in a coup in November 1993, only few months after IBB had stepped aside.
“Suddenly, the deputy to Shonekan [Abacha] organized his resignation in August 1993. Then, on November 18, Abacha discarded the agreement for a civilian transition, which people rejected. Like-minded individuals in the military said, ‘No, this can’t happen.’”
Fadile described the precariousness of being a dissenting voice under Abacha’s dictatorship. “I was still in the military, and he retired all my friends on a Saturday. I don’t know how I survived,” he said. Despite the risks, Fadile continued to speak his mind.
He was a member of several high-profile committees under Abacha’s regime, including the Justice Kayode Esho Panel on judicial reform and the Police Reforms Committee.
Fadile also disclosed that he was initially posted as ADC to Chief Ernest Shonekan, head of the Interim National Government. However, he never resumed the position.
“The Chief of Army Staff told me to wait until Shonekan returned from Malta, where he was attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that year,” he said.
Fadile’s pro-democracy efforts eventually brought him into an alliance with former head of state General Olusegun Obasanjo and General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. “The three of us – Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, and myself – formed an alliance. We wanted to bring back an Interim National Government,” he explained.
Fadile emphasized his role in the movement: “I didn’t want to overthrow the government. We just wanted an Interim Government back. I was the one doing all the running around. General Obasanjo was leading efforts with the National Unity Organization of Nigeria, where he was chairman. He was also calling for the military to return to the barracks.”
Although Fadile admitted he had only met Obasanjo twice at that time, their shared vision for Nigeria’s political future created a partnership.
Fadile’s candid account sheds light on the internal struggles within Nigeria’s military during one of its darkest chapters. His defiance of Abacha, collaboration with democratic leaders, and commitment to a civilian-led government demonstrate the complexities of the period and the personal sacrifices made by those who fought for Nigeria’s democracy.
Bello-Fadile and the other phantom coup plotters as they were referred to then were sent to death by the military authorities but the sentence was later comutted to life imprisonment before they were later released after Abacha had died under the Abdulsalami military regime.
