How a woman saved Late Umaru Dikko from being crated home from London

Late Umaru Dikko

The second day after PMB took power in December 1983, he released a list of wanted politicians. Late Umaru Dikko, who had led Shagari's campaign for President, Minister of transport and Chairman Presidential Task force on Rice was top on the list.

Umaru Dikko sensing danger fled abroad. The new regime wanted him at all cost and did the unthinkable. They planned to abduct him from where ever he was in the world.

Who better to do the dirty job than the Israeli secret service Mossad? That Nigeria had no diplomatic relations with Israel but had with Britain did not mean much to the junta.

Israel had no Diplomatic relations with Nigeria, but had trade ties. The Israelis combed Europe for long without success. Eventually they trailed Dikko to London where he was in residence.

Working with Nigerian Embassy staff, the Israelis and Nigerian Intelligence Staff went to work. The plan was to drug Umaru Dikko, put him in a crate and fly him to Nigeria.

Had the plot succeeded Nigeria would have assumed the toga of a Terrorist Nation but the Military Junta blinded by rage thought less of that.

Two crates were to be involved. An Airways Aircraft had flown into London to ferry the two crates to Nigeria as Diplomatic Cargo. In fact, the Aircraft had told the London Airport Authorities that they had come in for the Diplomatic Cargo.

God being a Nigerian, the plan failed and Diplomatic furore ensued. The Nigerian Government distanced itself from the failed attempt and the Israeli and Nigerian involved were tried and given prison sentences. 

Nigeria in turn arrested, tried and jailed two British Engineers for attempting to steal an aircraft. In International Diplomacy, reciprocity is the name of the game.

The plan failed because as soon as Umaru Dikko was abducted, his secretary, a lady was smart enough to notice the kidnapping. She wasted no time in calling the Police authorities, who quickly swung into action and the people were eventually arrested at the Airport with Umaru Dikko already in the crate.

Britain was so angry, they broke relations with Nigeria for two years. It affected Nigeria's anti corruption war and even when Nigeria formally applied for the extradition of Umaru Dikko, not surprisingly, Britain refused.

Eventually, the furore died down. The jailed Engineers were let go as well as the Nigerian and the Israeli after a few years of their lengthy prison sentences.