Key court cases involving the federal government — tracking wins, losses, and critically, whether court orders are actually complied with.
2
Cases tracked
1
Govt lost
0
Govt won
0
Settled
Govt Lost
What the case is about
The trial of Major-General Mamman Vatsa — a poet and serving minister, and Babangida's childhood friend — and other officers for an alleged coup plot.
Ruling & compliance
Vatsa and nine others were executed by firing squad in March 1986 despite appeals for clemency from prominent writers. It was the first mass execution of officers under the regime and set the pattern for the later Orkar (1990) trials.
Ongoing
What the case is about
Investigative journalist and Newswatch editor Dele Giwa was killed by a parcel bomb at his Lagos home on 19 October 1986. Suspicion has long centred on the security services.
Ruling & compliance
No one has ever been charged. Repeated attempts by Giwa's lawyer Gani Fawehinmi to compel a prosecution failed, and the case remains a symbol of impunity for attacks on the press under military rule.