Daniel Etim-Effiong, a Nollywood actor, has disclosed that his father was arrested, tried, and sentenced to death during Nigeria's military rule due to alleged involvement in a coup plot against former head of state Ibrahim Babangida. The incident occurred during the 1980s military regime, a period marked by political repression and closed-door trials. Etim-Effiong shared the story during an appearance on The Diary of a Naija Girl podcast, describing how the experience shaped his understanding of fear and state power. He was a child at the time and recalled the trauma of his father's detention and the family's helplessness. Though his father was eventually released, the actor said the memory of the ordeal remains vivid decades later. No specific date or location of the arrest and trial was provided in the account. The actor did not disclose his father's full name or the exact year of the incident. He also did not provide details about the legal process or the basis of the alleged coup involvement.
Daniel Etim-Effiong's father faced a death sentence over an alleged coup plot, yet the state never offered a public reckoning or apology for such actions during military rule. The lack of official records or acknowledgment leaves families like his without closure, even as former military officials remain active in public life. Nigerians who lived through that era carry scars from unchecked state power, while the institutions that enabled such abuses remain unchanged. The silence around these cases continues to shield those responsible.
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