The family of the late Major General Mamman Jiya Vatsa, who was executed in 1986 over an alleged coup plot against the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for granting a posthumous state pardon to the late former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement issued in Minna on Friday, the family described the presidential gesture as “the greatest moment of joy since General Vatsa’s execution 39 years ago.”
The statement, signed by family spokesperson and former Niger State Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism, Hon. Jonathan Vatsa, said the pardon has finally lifted a long shadow of pain that had haunted the family for nearly four decades.
“Today is the happiest moment in the life of our family after 39 years of sorrow and sadness following the killing of our father, brother, and uncle,” Vatsa said. “Though nothing can bring him back, we are consoled by this rare act of statesmanship by President Tinubu. He has written his name in gold, and history will forever remember him.”
He added that after years of fruitless appeals to successive administrations, President Tinubu has “wiped away the tears” of the Vatsa family, their Gulu community in Lapai Local Government Area, and Niger State at large.
“Justice can be delayed but never denied. We are convinced that the late Vatsa will be smiling in his grave today,” he said. “This pardon shows that truth never expires.”
Hon. Vatsa reiterated the family’s long-held belief that the 1986 coup allegation was fabricated, describing the trial that led to the general’s execution as “stage-managed to eliminate a brilliant officer out of envy and hatred.”
He recalled that the late General Domkat Bali, a former Defence Minister and member of the Armed Forces Ruling Council, had once admitted in an interview that the evidence against General Vatsa was “weak” and insufficient to justify his execution.
“That is why the family has always maintained that General Vatsa was innocent of the alleged coup. His death was a miscarriage of justice,” he stressed.
Vatsa also expressed regret that some of the late general’s immediate family members, including his wife and some children, did not live to witness the pardon.
“We wish this had happened when his wife and some of his late children were still alive. Nevertheless, we thank God that some of his children and grandchildren are still here to witness this moment of vindication,” he said.
The family said the long-awaited state pardon will pave the way for plans to establish a foundation in honour of the late general, who was also celebrated as a renowned poet, scholar, and soldier before his tragic death.