1985 Nigerian coup d'état

{{Short description|Coup against Pres. Buhari; Ibrahim Babangida installed}}

{{Infobox military conflict

| conflict = 1985 Nigerian coup d'état

| width = 200px

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| image = File:Location Nigeria AU Africa.svg

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| date = August 27, 1985

| place = Nigeria

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| result = Coup succeeds.

• Muhammadu Buhari is ousted by the Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Babangida.

| status =

| combatants_header =

| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Nigeria (state).svg}} Military government

• Supreme Military Council (SMC)

| combatant2 = {{flagicon image|Flag of the Nigerian Armed Forces.svg|Nigerian Armed Forces}} Armed Forces faction

• Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC)

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| commander1 = Muhammadu Buhari

| commander2 = Ibrahim Babangida

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}}{{Main|Second Nigerian Republic}}

The 1985 Nigerian coup d'état was a military coup which took place in Nigeria on 27 August 1985{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/28/world/army-officers-said-to-overthrow-nigeria-s-ruling-military-council.html|title=ARMY OFFICERS SAID TO OVERTHROW NIGERIA'S RULING MILITARY COUNCIL|date=28 August 1985|work=The New York Times|access-date=7 July 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-08-28-mn-24972-story.html|title=Coup in Nigeria Ousts Military Ruler; Corruption and Ailing Economy Cited|date=28 August 1985|work=The Los Angeles Times|access-date=8 July 2019}} when a faction of mid-level Armed Forces officers, led by the Chief of Army Staff Major-General Ibrahim Babangida, overthrew the government of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (who himself took power in the 1983 coup d'état).

{{cite web

|last1=Siollun

|first1=Max

|title=Buhari And Idiagbon: A Missed Opportunity For Nigeria

|url=http://www.gamji.com/article6000/NEWS7202.htm

|website=Gamji.com

|access-date=1 April 2015

}}

Buhari was then detained in Benin City until 1988.{{cite book|author1=Toyin Falola |author2=Matthew M. Heaton |title=A History of Nigeria |url=https://archive.org/details/historynigeria00falo |url-access=limited |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2008 |page=[https://archive.org/details/historynigeria00falo/page/n311 271] }} Babangida justified the coup by saying that Buhari failed to deal with the country's economic problems by implementing Buharism, and promised "to rejuvenate the economy ravaged by decades of government mismanagement and corruption".{{cite news |url=http://www.gamji.com/sanusi/sanusi32.htm |title=Buharism as Fascism: Engaging Balarabe Musa |author=Sanusi Lamido Sanusi |location=London |date=20 February 2003 |access-date=12 September 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140525233525/http://www.gamji.com/sanusi/sanusi32.htm |archive-date=25 May 2014 }} Babangida then replaced the ruling Supreme Military Council (SMC) with a new Armed Forces Ruling Council (AFRC), which lasted until 1993. The regime survived a coup attempt in 1986 and 1990.