Actor Daniel Etim-Effiong has shared how his father spent 34 years in prison after being wrongly linked to the 1986 Vatsa coup plot.
In an interview with Diary of a Naija Girl, Daniel revealed that his father, retired Lt. Col. Moses Effiong, was caught up in one of the most turbulent periods of Nigeria’s military era.
According to the actor, he was just one -year-old when his father was arrested in 1985. That same year, General Ibrahim Babangida took power from Muhammadu Buhari on August 27 in what was described as a palace coup. Soon after, reports of a counter coup began to circulate within the military.
The alleged mastermind was General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, who was then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a close associate of Babangida. In December 1985, more than 100 military officers were arrested over allegations of plotting to overthrow the government.
Vatsa and several others were tried before a Special Military Tribunal at the Brigade of Guards headquarters in Victoria Island, Lagos, starting January 27, 1986.
Daniel said his father was not involved in the plot but was implicated after a friend mentioned his name under interrogation.
“When the whole thing was leaked, and he was arrested, his best friend was arrested. They asked his best friend who did you tell about this coup, and his best friend said, my dad.”
Moses Effiong was arrested, tried and initially sentenced to death by firing squad. Daniel described how his father narrowly escaped execution.
“He brought out the 3 soldiers and said these 3 soldiers are to stay here, the rest of you are going on transfer. The three soldiers were like ‘ah ah, we too, we want to go on transfer now, why are we not going on transfer, we’re all together’. They took those going on transfer to the back of Kirikiri and shot them. That’s how they died.”
His sentence was later reduced to life imprisonment, and he remained in custody for 34 years.
Vatsa was eventually executed by firing squad on March 5, 1986, alongside nine other officers after the tribunal found them guilty of treason.
Years later, efforts to review cases from that era led to presidential pardons for some affected individuals. In 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari granted Moses Effiong a pardon, leading to his release after more than three decades in prison.
Daniel said he was 35 years old when his father regained his freedom.
In 2025, President Bola Tinubu also granted a posthumous pardon to Vatsa, reopening public conversation about the fairness of the trials carried out during that period of military rule.
