Nigeria, Feb. 24 -- When former President Muhammadu Buhari failed to attend General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida's (IBB) book launch, tongues wagged. Was it a deliberate snub? A political statement? A refusal to rewrite history in a room filled with old adversaries? The truth, as always, lies buried in the corridors of power, shaped by events that define a generation.

To understand Buhari's absence, one must revisit August 27, 1985 a day that altered the course of Nigerian history. Buhari, then Head of State, was overthrown in a palace coup led by none other than IBB, his trusted ally turned adversary. But this was no ordinary coup. It was personal.

Buhari wasn't just removed from power; he was locked away in solitary confinement for near...