Nigerian Army Coup Ends General’s 20-Month Tenure : Ports Sealed; Dusk-to-Dawn Curfew Ordered

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast —  The Nigerian army today toppled the 20-month-old government of Maj. Gen. Mohammed Buhari, sealed off the oil-rich African nation and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew.

The coup, confirmed by Western diplomats, was the sixth in black Africa’s most populous and richest country since its independence in 1960.

A statement on Lagos radio, read by Brig. Gen. Joshua Dongonyaro and monitored in the neighboring Ivory Coast, charged the Buhari regime, which took over in a coup less than two years ago, with abusing power and dragging its feet on reform and economic recovery.

Suffering from the fall in international oil prices, Nigeria has run up a foreign debt of $15 billion.

Calm in Capital

Western diplomats in London and Paris reported that all was calm in the capital of Lagos, including the area around the presidential headquarters. They said no special troop movements were noted.

There were no reports on Buhari’s whereabouts.

In his radio statement, Dongonyaro said he spoke on behalf of the Nigerian military and announced the breakup of the Supreme Military Council, the highest ruling body of the Buhari regime. The general said the country’s borders and air and sea ports were sealed off, and telex and telephone communications to Nigeria were shut down.

Later in the day, diplomatic sources said Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, the chief of army staff, had been invited to head the new government. It was not known, however, if he accepted and one diplomat said, “It’s all so murky that no one has a clear idea of what’s going on.”

No Trouble Reported

In London, a spokesman for the British Foreign Office said all appeared quiet in Nigeria and he had no reports of trouble involving the 11,000-strong British foreign community, the biggest in Nigeria, which was ruled by Britain from 1861 until independence.

“It appeared to have been a bloodless coup with no casualties of any sort,” he said.

He said it was not known whether Dongonyaro, who had held senior staff positions in the army, was the new leader of the country or had merely been chosen as spokesman.

Dongonyaro said he was speaking “on behalf of my colleagues and members of the Nigerian armed forces” and said military commanders will continue to enforce law and order.

Enthusiastic Welcome

“Fellow countrymen, the intervention of the military at the end of 1983 was welcomed by the nation with unprecedented enthusiasm,” he said.

But, he added, “Almost two years later it has become clear that the fulfillment of expectations is not forthcoming.”

The original aims of the military coup have been “betrayed and discarded,” he said.

“The government had started to drift. The economy does not seem to be getting any better, as we witness daily increased inflation. . . . The government has distanced itself from the people, and the yearnings and aspirations of the people as constantly reflected in the media have been ignored.”