Dr. Oluranti Afowowe, author of Destiny Anchored on Faith: The Story of Oladipo Diya has revealed more details of how the late General Oladipo Diya narrowly escaped death in a military plane explosion in December 1996.
Speaking on the Edmund Obilo Podcast from 1:13, Dr. Afowowe explained that the aircraft, which was set to convey Diya and other officers to Makurdi for the burial of General Onoja’s mother, was carrying a hidden bomb planted under express instruction.
“Because they had programmed the bomb to explode. And because he had not boarded the plane. Those soldiers that were to carry bomb with him did not know what they were carrying and that was how the thing exploded on ground,” Afowowe disclosed.
He noted that Diya was initially scheduled to be on the ill-fated flight but was held back at his residence by a sudden stomach ache, forcing him to miss the trip. The decision, Afowowe said, was a twist of fate that spared the general’s life but cost the unsuspecting soldiers theirs.
According to the author, the soldiers on the mission were unaware of the deadly cargo, making them victims of a plot designed to eliminate Diya. “They didn’t know what they were carrying because it was on express instruction. They exploded with the bomb,” he explained.
Dr. Afowowe emphasized that the incident underscored the dangers Diya faced in the heat of political and military intrigues of the 1990s. He said the miraculous escape was one of several events that inspired him to document Diya’s story as a testimony of faith and destiny.
