Thirty years ago, there was an attempt to kidnap a Nigerian minister, Alhaji Umaru Dikko, who died in London on Tuesday morning.
Not many young Nigerians knew about that drama that happened in 1984 at Stansted Airport in London where the erstwhile influential Transport Minister was in exile following the military coup that aborted the Alhaji Shehu Shagari goverment on 31 December, 1983.

Here is the interesting story about that dramatic episode by Wikipedia:
The Dikko Affair was a joint Nigerian-Israeli attempt to kidnap Umaru Dikko, a former Nigerian civilian government minister living in the United Kingdom, in 1984, and secretly transport him back to Nigeria in a diplomatic bag.
The kidnapping took place, but the transportation was unsuccessful. After it was foiled, the political fallout seriously damaged relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom for years.

Dikko was an influential Transport Minister in the civilian administration of President Shehu Shagari, his brother-in-law.
In 1983, the Nigerian government was overthrown in a military coup led by Major-General Muhammadu Buhari, and a new military government led by Buhari was established.
On his second day in power, Buhari issued a list of former government officials accused of a variety of crimes. Dikko, who topped the list, was accused of embezzling several million dollars in oil profits from the national treasury.

Despite strenuous efforts to locate him, Dikko vanished without trace. In actual fact, Dikko moved to the UK and settled in London, and became a vocal critic of the regime in exile.
Though Israel, at the time, did not have formal diplomatic relations with Nigeria, there were less visible ties between the two nations.
In particular, Nigeria was an important source of oil for Israel, and Israel was a significant supplier of arms to Nigeria. The Israeli national intelligence agency Mossad was recruited to locate and bring Dikko back to Nigeria to stand trial.

Mossad sources across Europe were mobilized, but all failed to locate any trace of Dikko. However, Mossad Director-General Nahum Admoni decided that Dikko was probably in London, which had become a haven for Nigerian exiles critical of the new regime.
Mossad katsas, accompanied by Nigerian security service agents led by ex-Nigerian Army Major Mohammed Yusufu, travelled to London. The Nigerian team rented an apartment on Cromwell Road and posed as refugees from the new regime. The Mossad agents rented rooms in hotels catering to tourists from Africa, and posed as anti-apartheid activists.

Working separately, the two teams moved among the Nigerian expat community in London, gradually narrowing their search to West London, to the area around Hyde Park, where many wealthy Nigerian exiles lived. They combed the electoral registers freely available in the area’s town halls, but found no trace of Dikko.

On 30 June 1984, a Mossad agent driving down Queensway spotted Dikko. He parked his car and then tailed Dikko on foot to his house in Porchester Terrace. Admoni was immediately informed, and ordered surveillance on the house.
From then on, the house was constantly watched, while the Nigerians, using their London embassy as a base, prepared a kidnapping operation. Meanwhile, the Mossad recruited Dr. Levi-Arie Shapiro, an Israeli doctor who was a consultant anesthetist and director of the intensive care unit at HaSharon Hospital, to fly to London and participate in the operation. Shapiro’s job would be to drug Dikko, and insert an endotracheal tube to keep him from choking on his own vomit whilst being transported in a crate.

Late in the evening of 3 July 1984, a Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 arrived at Stansted Airport from Lagos. The aircraft had arrived empty, and the pilot notified the authorities that the plane had arrived to pick up diplomatic baggage from the Nigerian embassy.
On board were several Nigerian security guards, who openly identified themselves as such and stated that they were there to protect the baggage. Their presence was reported to Scotland Yard’s Special Branch.

The following day, Dikko was kidnapped in front of his home while he was out for a walk and taken away in a van driven by Yusufu. He was then drugged into unconsciousness by Shapiro. However, the abduction was witnessed by Dikko’s secretary, Elizabeth Hayes, who quickly notified the authorities.

Dikko and Shapiro were placed in one crate (dimensions 1.2 x 1.2 x 1.5 meters), while Mossad agents Alexander Barak and Felix Abithol occupied a second. However, proper documentation that would have ensured that the cargo could not be inspected was not provided. The crates were not labelled as diplomatic bags, as required by Article 27(4) of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
As a result, customs officials who had received an all-points bulletin alerting them to the kidnapping while the crates were being processed at the airport, were able to open the crates without violating the convention and foil the kidnapping. Dikko was taken to a hospital; he was uninjured.

Seventeen men were arrested; four were convicted and sentenced to prison terms of 10 to 14 years: Shapiro, Barak, Abithol, and Yusufu. All four were released after serving between six and eight and a half years, and were quietly deported. In retaliation, two British engineers in Nigeria were arrested and given fourteen-year prison sentences.

The Nigerian and Israeli governments never admitted any connection to the incident. Nonetheless, the British government immediately expelled two members of the Nigerian High Commission in London, including the High Commissioner.
Diplomatic relations with Nigeria were broken off for two years. The CEO of Nigeria Airways was at one point almost arrested by British police. In the aftermath of the affair, Nigeria filed a formal extradition request for Dikko, but it was refused.

The Nigerian government’s war against the previous government’s corruption was also weakened, as the British governments also rejected Nigerian requests to extradite other politicians wanted in Nigeria on corruption charges and living in exile in Britain.
Dikko was eventually asked to return to Nigeria. He accepted the invitation and set up a political party.

Dikko one of the founding fathers of corruption.

I've been looking forward to reading about the man, nice one at op

Buhari, One of the founding fathers of kidnapping.

This story sounds more like "Alibaba and the forty thieves". Stories of success in corruption.
Wale Adenuga, over to you.

ogb5: Buhari, One of the founding fathers of kidnapping.

I pray that people like you would never smell the position of a leader. To have people like you in existence in Nigeria is a treat to national security. I would have done worst things to him. Why would some carry a national wealth for millions and keep it to him self.
If we have people like Buhari Nigeria would not be like this.
Buhari's demonstrated to us a true leader for taking that action.

Back then corrupt politicians were seen as traitors hunted down to face justice. Now under Gej corrupt politicians are celebrated

Buhari is an international criminal.
He soiled Nigeria's image with that act along with several others.

Ibn sultan: Back then corrupt politicians were seen as traitors hunted down to face justice. Now under Gej corrupt politicians are celebrated

Shut up!
Since when did kidnaping in any form become something to commend?
Why didn't he provide evidence of the man's misdeeds and get him repatriated by the Birtish government?
I bet if your nemesis GEJ was to attempt such a thing, you will have a lot of negative things to say.

sCun:
Shut up!
Since when did kidnaping in any form become something to commend?
Why didn't he provide evidence of the man's misdeeds and get him repatriated by the Birtish government?
I bet if your nemesis GEJ was to attempt such a thing, you will have a lot of negative things to say.

Do you think white people are foolish monkeys like you to hand him back to the Nigerian authority with a huge cash that will help their economy please think like a man not like a monkey.

Do you think its easy to withdraw money in western countries just like you do in Nigeria.

Let him start fighting corruption with himself first.

When there was actually a fight against Corruption. In Nigeria today, Dikko will bag many Titles and Awards. Even Jonathan appointed him head of PDP Disciplinary Committee. Now it is official "Stealing is not Corruption".

Where is the 13 million pounds sterling he stole way back when money was money una don keep quiet?

Op, nice one. Knew about d foiled attempt but didn't know this level detail.
Rather than acting babalawo films, these are kind of true life stories nollywood should act

Obiagelli:
i would celebrate naked if all our corrupt leaders are kidnapped in crates.

Enemy.
Don't you know that under our tradition it is bad omen for women to dance naked publicly?

In short what you are saying is that you will swear for nigeria if we can kidnap all the corrupt leaders.

slim fit :


I pray that people like you would never smell the position of a leader. To have people like you in existence in Nigeria is a treat to national security. I would have done worst things to him. Why would some carry a national wealth for millions and keep it to him self.
If we have people like Buhari Nigeria would not be like this.
Buhari's demonstrated to us a true leader for taking that action.

I am already a leader. I can count scores of people that already look up to me as a leader. So your bad prayer is belated.
You on the other hand will continue to look up to people like buhari, a coup plotter, kidnapper and murderer as leaders

Later they will say Buhari Jail only easterners,i don't remember him trying to Crates easterner to Nigeria to face charges of corruption except Umoru DIkko is from Anambra.

slimfit1:


Do you think white people are foolish monkeys like you to hand him back to the Nigerian authority with a huge cash that will help their economy please think like a man not like a monkey.

Do you think its easy to withdraw money in western countries just like you do in Nigeria.

Let him start fighting corruption with himself first.

you don't really need to respond to him,since he doesn't know at his age that western countries does same thing to kidnap people from other countries to face charges,if US had their way Edward Snowden would have been kidnap in Russian back to US to face Charges.

Buhari so called fight against corruption was against those he perceived as opponents while his supporters looted freely in suitcases.

Politicians who want to loot our money at the same time stay out of jail, are busy paying thugs to come online and smear the good name of Buhari.