Nollywood actor and filmmaker Daniel Etim-Effiong has opened up about a deeply personal family history, revealing that his father, Moses Effiong, spent 34 years in prison following his alleged connection to the 1986 Vatsa coup plot.
Speaking in a trending interview clip from Diary of a Naija Girl, the actor recounted that his father, a retired lieutenant colonel, was arrested when he was just one year old, shortly after former military president Ibrahim Babangida came to power in 1985 after removing Muhammadu Buhari.
Etim-Effiong explained that tensions within the military later led to allegations of a counter-coup, in which Mamman Vatsa—an ally of Babangida—was accused of being the mastermind.
According to him, his father was not involved in the alleged plot but was implicated after a colleague, under interrogation, mentioned his name.
“When the whole thing was leaked, and he was arrested, his best friend was also arrested. They asked him who he told about the coup, and he mentioned my dad,” the actor recalled.
He further disclosed that his father was tried and sentenced to death by firing squad. However, he narrowly escaped execution when a group of soldiers were separated before others were shot.
“He brought out the three soldiers and said these three soldiers are to stay here… They took those going on transfer to the back of Kirikiri and shot them,” he said.
The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment, and Moses Effiong remained behind bars for 34 years before receiving a presidential pardon in 2020.
The Herd and AMVCA recognition
In a separate interview in October 2025, Etim-Effiong spoke about the reception of his film The Herd, describing it as both exciting and humbling.
He said audience reactions in cinemas have been overwhelmingly positive, while also acknowledging the challenges of promoting the film with a limited marketing budget.
“There is also the burden of making sure the film does well in the opening weekend… but there is only so much we can do,” he noted.
The actor added that the project reaffirmed his storytelling abilities, saying, “This movie proves that I can tell good stories.”
The film, which explores insecurity and highway attacks in Nigeria, later earned nine nominations at the 2026 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards, including Best Movie and Best Director.