Nigeria was shocked by the assassination of Muhammad in February 1976 during an abortive coup led by Colonel B.S. Dimka, who was later executed with 36 other plotters. Muhammad was in power for only 6 months. He was assassinated by military renegades in February 1976 at a traffic lights stop in the city of Lagos. It was widely held that General Gowon was implicated in the attempted coup but firm evidence of this was not made public. Muhammad was succeeded as Head of State by General Olusegun Obasanjo, who continued Muhammad's reforms and returned the country to civilian rule in 1979.

Bloody Feb. 13, 1976

On February 13, 1976, he became the second Head of State after Ironsi to be assassinated while in office. The nation grieved over this overthrow which was orchestrated by Col. Bukar Sukar Dimka. He had other collaborators in mostly young officers of the Middle Belt origin.

Victims

Muhammed was the ultimate loser. He lost his life as well as the headship of Africa’s giant. Having lost their bread winner, his family became a major victim in the bloody coup. Col. Ibrahim Taiwo, who was at that time the governor of Kwara State was also killed by the coupists.

A military tribunal was set up to try the coup suspects. When the trial was over, no less than 30 officers mostly from the Middle Belt were summarily executed. These included Dimka who led the coupists, Defence Commissioner, Major-Gen. I.D. Bisalla and the Benue-Plateau Governor, Joseph Gomwalk.

There were also Colonels A.D.S. Wyas, A.B. Umoru, Isa Bukar; Majors Dabang, J.K. Afolabi, K.K. Gagara, J.W. Kasai, Ola Ogunmekan, I.B. Rabo and M.M. Mshella as well as Lieutenants Mohammed, Wayah, William Seril and O. Zagmi.
Plus Captains J.F. Idi, Austin Duwarang, M.R. Gotip, A.A. Aliyu and Parvwang among others.

Survivors

Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, the second-in-command was not hit by the coupists’ bullets. He was also a stabilising factor that would cool the tempers and avoid any confrontation between the Middle Belt and the Muslim North. Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, a young Hausa/Fulani Colonel was promoted to a Brigadier and subsequently a Major-General as he became the Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, only next to the incumbent helmsman, Obasanjo. There were other key members of the cabinet who survived the February 13 coup. Such included Major-Gen. T.Y. Danjuma and Major-Gen. Joe Garba who was the Federal Commissioner of External Affairs.

Other generals in Martin Adamu (GOC 2 Mechanized Division, Ibadan), Emmanuel Abisoye, Alani Akinrinade came out unscathed in the scare. So did Vice Admiral Alani Adelanwa, the Chief of Naval Staff, Air Marshal Yisa Doko, the Chief of Air Staff and Alhaji M.D. Yusufu, the Inspector-General of Police.

The military started arrangements to return power to civilians. A new constitution—largely modelled on that of the US—was promulgated in September 1978, and came into force on October 1, 1979 after general elections were held. Several political parties contested the elections which were won by the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), led by Shehu Shagari who then became President. Shagari, a member of the aristocratic majority Fulani tribe of northern Nigeria, was a former high school science teacher, who had had a long experience as a government minister (1960-65, and 1970-75),