It was a morning like any other in the Nigerian former capital, Lagos, when news of the surprise palace coup of 1985 shook the country. Military tanks roared through the streets, toppling the democratically elected government and installing General Ibrahim Babangida as the new leader. The palace coup was an explosive event that sent shockwaves across the entire country and the world.

The core conspirators behind the coup were a group of senior military officials. They had been displeased with the government’s performance and were frustrated with the slow pace of reform. They believed that a change in leadership was necessary to prevent the country from descending into chaos. It was a plot that had been brewing for weeks and was carried out with precision.

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But what many did not know was that there were others involved who had betrayed their comrades. In exchange for personal gain, these conspirators provided valuable information about the coup to the government, which allowed them to foil the attempted coup. It was a dramatic turn of events that marked the end of an era and ushered in a new era of uncertainty and fear.

The palace coup of 1985 was a watershed moment in Nigerian history that had a deep and lasting impact on the country’s political landscape. It represented a critical moment when the military showed its power to overthrow a democratic government, laying bare the country’s fragile political stability.