General Murtala Ramat Muhammed was Nigeria’s military Head of State from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.

Muhammed became the 4th Head of State on July 30, 1975, after General Yakubu Gowon was overthrown while at an Organization of African Unity (OAU) summit in Kampala, Uganda.
Here are 10 things you should know about Murtala Muhammed’s assassination:

  1. He was killed at the age of 37 on February 13, 1976, in a failed coup attempt.
  2. Muhammed was assassinated along with his Aide-De-Camp (ADC), Lieutenant Akintunde Akinsehinwa in his black Mercedes Benz car.
  3. The incident occurred while Muhammed was on his way to his office at Dodan Barracks, Lagos.
  4. The coup attempt was led by Lt. Col Buka Suka Dimka.
  5. Muhammed’s Orderly, Staff Sergeant Michael Otuwu was the only survivor of the incident.
  6. According to Otuwu, Dimka shot Muhammed’s driver point blank in the head with an AK-47 rifle.
  7. Other soldiers who followed Dimka also opened fire on Muhammed’s car.
  8. Muhammed was injured, but not killed in the first spray of the bullets.
  9. However, an attempt by Akinsehinwa to open the door and save Mohammed’s life alerted the assassins who came back and finished the job.
  10. All the victims were taken to the mortuary at Igbosere Hospital but Otuwu survived after his had started shaking showing nurses that he was still alive. He made a miraculous recovery after spending six months in hospital.