In the long and complex history of Nigeria’s military and politics, one name echoes with both defiance and tragedy Major Gideon Gwaza Orkar, the soldier who stood before a mighty system and dared to challenge it.
Born on October 4, 1952, in Apir village, Gwer Local Government Area of Benue State, Orkar was a proud son of the Tiv nation.
Orkar masterminded the craziest and Bloodiest Coup in Nigeria on a Sunday morning of April 22, 1990.
He grew up in a country full of promise yet troubled by deep divisions. From a young age, he believed in fairness and justice ideals that later defined his brief but unforgettable mark in Nigeria’s history.
He joined the Nigerian Army in 1972 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1974. Those who knew him described him as disciplined, intelligent, and outspoken a soldier with both courage and conscience. But beneath that military discipline was a burning dissatisfaction with how Nigeria was being governed.
READ ALSO: ARMY Records Major Breakthroughs, Arrests Wanted Terrorist Babawo Badoo, 37 Others
By 1990, the nation was under the military regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, a government that many officers and civilians believed had derailed from its promises. The country was struggling under corruption, inequality, and political manipulation. To Orkar, silence became betrayal.
Then came the dawn of April 22, 1990 a day that would shake the nation.
Orkar, alongside other officers from the Middle Belt and Southern Nigeria, staged a coup d’état against the Babangida government. They seized the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) in Lagos, key military posts, and announced their revolutionary movement to the world.
In a passionate and fiery radio broadcast, Orkar declared that they were not only removing Babangida but also excising five northern states (Sokoto, Borno, Katsina, Kano, and Bauchi) from Nigeria accusing the regime of ethnic domination and injustice. It was the most radical and controversial political statement ever made in a coup broadcast.
His words, though bold, divided opinion. Some saw him as a hero who voiced what many feared to say; others branded him a rebel who went too far. But one truth remained Gideon Orkar embodied the pain of a generation that longed for fairness and unity but found themselves trapped under oppression.
The coup, however, failed within hours. Loyal troops led by then Major-General Sani Abacha recaptured Dodan Barracks the seat of power. Orkar and many of his men were arrested after a fierce resistance.
After a military tribunal, Major Gideon Orkar and 41 others were found guilty of treason and executed by firing squad on July 27, 1990. His death was swift, but his name lived on as both a warning and a wonder.
READ ALSO: OYO Government Introduces Entertainment Tax For Every Event And Parties (READ TAX DETAILS)
To this day, Gideon Orkar remains one of the most controversial yet courageous figures in Nigeria’s military history. Some remember him as the man who fought against regional dominance; others as a soldier who loved his country too fiercely to remain silent.
In the end, Orkar’s story is not merely about rebellion it is about conviction, justice, and the high price of speaking truth to power.
“History never forgets men who speak with the fire of conscience.”
Source: History Ville
READ ALSO: . MEMORY LANE: I’d Shoot Chief Abiola The Day NEC Pronounces Him The Elected President – Brigadier David Mark (Rtd)
De HONOURABLES stages a comeback in a big way with “My REGRETS” Comedy Skit. You cannot afford to miss it <span;>https://youtube.com/@dehonourables?si=ZJwWbyQJAybS5htG
Leave a Reply