LAGOS, NIGERIA — Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu joined family members of the late General Murtala Mohammed on Friday to commemorate 50 years since the former Nigerian leader was assassinated in a coup d’état.
The memorial event brought together representatives of the Nigerian Army and foreign diplomats for an official wreath-laying ceremony at the site in Ikoyi, Lagos, where General Mohammed was killed in a traffic ambush in his black Mercedes-Benz on George Street.
Reflecting on her father’s legacy, Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode described the enduring personal pain of losing him at age 12. “We stand here not to lay a wreath, but to lay down our gratitude. Fifty years is a long time in the life of a nation… and in the life of all of us, the children who lost our fathers on that day,” she said.
She praised General Mohammed for prioritizing education and family despite the pressures of public office, and for governing with urgency, a strong sense of duty, and a commitment to leadership as a responsibility. Muhammed-Oyebode also highlighted his influence beyond Nigeria, particularly in Angola, where his policies supported the nation’s independence struggle and opposed multinational oil companies threatening to withdraw operations.
“There is a beautiful island of Luanda. The longest street that spans that island is called Murtala Mohammed Avenue. The day I went there, I was in tears,” she said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu described the late General as a rare pan-Africanist whose policies reshaped Nigeria, including the creation of seven new states within six months of assuming office in 1975, expanding the federation from 12 to 19 states—a feat Nigeria has struggled to replicate since. “He was a leader that led with fear, compassion, dignity, sense of purpose, and with Nigeria first,” he said.
Retired Major General Ahmed Taiwo, General Mohammed’s nephew, recalled that even when warned about threats against him, the General remained undeterred. “When they told the late General that some people were planning, he said, ‘let them plan, let them do what they want to do. Good luck if they can run the country.’”
Military representatives, including Brig. Gen. A.I. Getso, Garrison Commander of the 81 Division, Lagos, and Brig. Gen. Clement Iyere of Signal Corps, echoed the sentiment, describing General Mohammed as an exceptional leader whose legacy continues to inspire Nigerians and generations across Africa, 50 years on.