Nigeria, Feb. 28 -- General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida lived a life soaked in blood. Joining the army in 1962 meant that he was trained to kill his fellow man.

He would later participate in a plethora of bloodless coups. When he came to power in August 1985, it was widely hailed as the nation had seen enough of the draconian laws which the duo of Muhammadu Buhari and Late Tunde Idiagbon made. Babangida toppled Buhari in a palace coup which involved him tricking Idiagbon to go to Saudi Arabia and there was a breath of fresh air all over the country.

The dark clouds of the Babangida regime began on October 19, 1986 with the murder of the irrepressible journalist, Dele Giwa via a parcel bomb. His famous last words were 'This must be from t...