WHEN John Wushipba Bupwatda was linked with the ill-fated Lt.-Col. Bukar Sukar Dimka’s coup of 1976, he had thought that the end had come for him. But 36 years after, he is not only alive but celebrating the golden jubilee of his marriage to his love, Lydia.
So, when the state government’s functionaries and families of the fallen heroes were in Jos, the Plateau State capital, to mark this year’s Armed Forces Remembrance Day, Bupwatda thought it was time to gather his family and well-wishers in a church to thank God for saving him from the firing squad.
Looking back, an elated Bupwatda, said he could have been among the dead soldiers but not celebrated as a hero.
His colleagues, who were found culpable in the assassination of the former Head of State, Gen. Murtala Ramat Muhammed, faced the firing squad. Muhammed was killed on February 13, 1976 during a failed coup attempt by some military personnel led by Lt.-Col. Suka Dimka to overthrown his regime.
At the church service, the drums beat with sonorous rendition of hymns while the sermon, which focused on “Escape from the valley of death,” was as touching as the entire event.
Bupwadta said: “This is double celebrations for my wife and I, Lydia, who tasted the other side of life while I was in detention. I saw death but I have lived life longer than death. My five children, all males are alive and around me today to mark this epic event.”
To Mrs. Bupwatda, “I never expected to see a day like this but it has come and I am alive. That I have the second chance to see my husband and live with him for over three decades is worth celebrating. This is a family that has seen both sides of life. It is 50 years of fruitful marriage.”
At the crowded Church of Christ in Nigeria (COCIN), Barkin Ladi, where the event took place, the family and the guests recounted the moment of joy and sadness they shared together.
Fondly called Baba John and Mama Lydia by their admirers and family members, the couple smiled and waived their hands continuously in gratitude to God for most part of the service.
Bupwatda, who was recruited into the Nigerian Armed Forces in 1962, was arrested during the February 13, 1976, pogrom for offences, among which was being a “kinsman” of Dimka. He was detained in Gboko, Benue State for five years and seven months before his release.
A one-time assistant chief instructor at the School of Air Defence Wing, Kaduna, Bupwadta fought in the Nigeria Civil War from 1967 to 1970. Staff Sergeant Bupwatda, 76, was sentenced to life imprisonment but was granted state pardon by former President Shehu Shagari in 1979.
In their separate testimonies, the couple, supported by their five children, narrated how life treated them while their breadwinner was detained. Baba Bupwatda eulogised Lydia for her understanding, saying he never imagined to see her and his children again. He added that he was pleased with his children, who incidentally are all men, for supporting their mother throughout the period. According to him, the special service was to thank God for long life, relate his prison experience, and express appreciation to his wife, for her support.
For her part, Mama Lydia said the period of her husband’s detention ushered her into another phase of life, adding that the lessons learnt would not easily be forgotten.
