How my trusted security aide contributed to overthrow me — Gowon

In his recently published autobiography, former Head of State Gen Yakubu Gowon revealed that his trusted security aide, Joseph Garba, played a significant role in his overthrow during the July 1975 coup. Gowon described this betrayal as one of the deepest personal disappointments of his public life, particularly because it was orchestrated by individuals he had appointed based on trust and familial connections. He recounted a warning from his Chief Security Officer, M.D. Yusuf, who alerted him to a coup plot involving Garba and another officer, Anthony Ochefu, just days before the Organization of African Unity summit in Kampala, Uganda. Gowon emphasized the acute dilemma he faced, having placed Garba in a critical security position responsible for his protection, and expressed his feelings of betrayal given their shared background and previous trust.

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