Murtala Mohammed
| Murtala Ramat Muhammed | |
|---|---|
| 4th Head of State of Nigeria | |
|
In office July 30, 1975 – February 13, 1976 |
|
| Preceded by | Yakubu Gowon |
| Succeeded by | Olusegun Obasanjo |
| General Officer Commanding 2 Division, Ibadan | |
|
In office August 1967 – May 1968 |
|
| Succeeded by | Ibrahim Haruna |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
November 8, 1938 Aviele, Bendel State, Colonial Nigeria |
| Died | February 13, 1976 (aged 37) Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Political party | (None) |
| Spouse(s) | Ajoke Muhammed |
| Alma mater |
Barewa College Regular Officers Special Training School R.M.A. Sandhurst |
| Religion | Islam |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |
 Nigeria
|
| Service/branch |
 Nigerian Army
|
| Years of service | 1958 - 1975 |
| Rank | General |
General Murtala Ramat Muhammed (November 8, 1938 – February 13, 1976) was the military ruler (Head of the Federal Military Government) of Nigeria from 1975 until his assassination in 1976.
Muhammed was born Murtala Rufai Muhammed (he changed his name from Rufai to Ramat when he became Head of State) in Kano on November 8, 1938 into the Gynawa clan of the Fulani and attended Barewa College Zaria where he was classmates with officers such as Muhammed Shuwa. Muhammed joined the Nigerian Army in 1958 and was enrolled at the Regular Officers Special Training School in Teshie, Ghana where one of his instructors in military tactics and military law was Emeka Ojukwu, then a Nigerian officer on secondment to the Officer Training School. Muhammed received his officer training at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, UK as a regular combatant and underwent subsequent courses in Signals. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1961 and was posted to Congo where he served with the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. Upon his return from the Congo in 1962 he was appointed Aide-de-camp to the Administrator of the Western Region, Moses Majekodunmi.
Muhammed opposed the regime of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi which took power after a coup d'etat on January 15, 1966. Aguiyi-Ironsi, as GOC of the Nigerian Army, brought normality back to the nation by imprisoning the coup makers and intimidating the federal cabinet into handing over the helms of government to him. However, Many northerners saw this and the reluctance of Ironsi to prosecute the coup leaders, and the fact that the army was purportedly giving exceptional privileges to the coupist as an indication of Ironsi's support for the killings. Consequently, northern politicians and civil servants mounted pressure upon northern officers such as Muhammed to avenge the coup. In the night of July 29, 1966, northern soldiers at Abeokuta barracks mutinied, thus precipitating a counter-coup, which may very well have been in the planning stages. The counter-coup led to the installation of Lieutenant-Colonel Yakubu Gowon as Supreme Commander of the Nigerian Armed Forces, despite the intransigence of Muhammed who wanted the role of Supreme Commander for himself. However, as Gowon was militarily his senior, and finding a lack of support from the British and American advisors, he caved in. Gowon rewarded him by confirming his ranking (he had been an acting Lt. Colonel till then) and his appointment (Inspector of Signals).
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