After Dikko, Buhari Scores With Nnamdi Kanu

The reappearance of Nnamdi Kanu in Nigeria has understandably drawn attention to the capacity of the Nigerian state and its operatives. The applause for Nigerian government operatives would be further accentuated by the revelation that Nnamdi Kanu was picked outside Britain.

 GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that Nnamdi Kanu holds British citizenship, a fact that greatly undermined efforts by the Nigerian government to fetch him.

Whatever, the forceful return of Nnamdi Kanu reflects President Muhammadu Buhari’s knack for getting at his foes where ever they may be.

The most memorable was the late Umaru Dikko who was arguably about the most powerful minister in the Shehu Shagari government which was overthrown in December, 1983 leading to Buhari’s first ascent to power as head of state.

Dikko who was also an in-law to President Shagari took the coup personally and escaped from the country to Britain from where he launched repeated verbal attacks at Buhari.

Late in June 1983 the signal for an operation to forcefully return Dikko to Nigeria was launched with Nigerian and Israeli agents being ferried from Nigeria and Israel.

A Nigerian Airways Boeing 707 plane with several Nigerian agents was also dispatched to Stanstead Airport, London to pick what was said to be diplomatic luggage.

Stanstead was chosen being less conspicuous than Gatwick and Heathrow for obvious reasons of discretion.

The presence of the Nigerian agents was noticed by Britain’s Special Branch and the Nigerian agents claimed they were in the UK to help secure the diplomatic baggage. It was something that did not strike well with the UK Intelligence services but they were clueless as to the intentions of the Nigerian agents.

On July 4 with much of the London Diplomatic circuit looking forward to the usual party to celebrate American independence, London was shaken by the events that followed that day.

Dikko while having a walk about his London residence was kidnapped not too far from his house. He was immediately injected by an Israeli Mossad doctor with drugs that made him lose consciousness. He was put in a crate and immediately taken to Stanstead Airport ready for shipment to Nigeria.

Dikko’s saving grace was that his secretary witnessed the abduction and she immediately alerted the police.

Suspicious about the presence of the Nigerian agents in London it was not difficult for them to swarm the Stanstead Airport and find an unconscious Dikko in one of two crates.

The Nigerian operatives failed to label the crates as diplomatic baggage and as such made it easy for the British Police to open them.

The incident brought Nigeria – Britain relations to an unprecedented low with the then Margaret Thatcher government forcing the prosecution of the Nigerians involved in the operation.

Details of how Nnamdi Kanu was picked or from where remain sketchy, but the overflowing fact is that as he did to Dikko, that Buhari would go to a great length to humble his critics.

While the operation to pick Nnamdi Kanu may have been conducted with Interpol, there is no doubt that it may have been a more refined endeavour.

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