Iliya D. Bisalla, who passed away on March 11, 1976, was a Major General in the Nigerian Army and served as the Commissioner of Defence, a position that is currently similar to that of Minister of Defence, during the military rule of General Murtala Mohammed, the 4th Head of State of Nigeria. Bisalla’s death occurred on March 11.
General Bisalla’s military career included serving as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 1st Infantry Division of the Nigerian Army from September 1969 until December 1973.
General Bisalla was a fellow student at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where General Hassan Katsina was also a student. He was also the Commandant of the Nigeria Defence Academy in Kaduna during his time in the military. In the aftermath of the unsuccessful coup attempt undertaken by Colonel Dimka on February 13, 1976, General Bisalla was confronted with repercussions based on Dimka’s confessional comments.
According to the findings of the investigation, he was allegedly involved in both the concealing of treason and the plot. Notably, the Special Military Tribunal issued a contentious conviction against Bisalla, despite the fact that there are questions over his involvement in the crime. During the course of the interrogation, Dimka pointed to another officer, Major Rabo, as the source of operational orders.
The Federal Military Government (FMG) asserted that Bisalla was the one who presented Dimka with operating orders. It is important to point out that Dimka’s confession did not have any supporting evidence, and his conflicting testimony, in addition to the fact that he drank beer while being questioned, aroused concerns about the credibility of the evidence.
