Actor Daniel Etim-Effiong has captivated audiences with his charm and on-screen performances for years. However, few know he comes from a family with deep ties to Nigeria’s military.
Not only does he have a military background, but his father, Lt. Col. Moses Effiong (retired), was a respected military officer and former intelligence operative who served during a pivotal period in Nigeria’s history.
Mr Effiong was implicated and subsequently convicted in connection with the alleged coup plot led by Major-General Mamman Jiya Vatsa in 1985, aimed at overthrowing the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida.
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While Vatsa was executed by firing squad on 5 March 1986 alongside Lt. Col. Musa Bityong, Lt. Col. Michael Iyorshe, Lt. Col. Christian A. Oche, Maj, Daniel I. Bamidele, Commander A.A. Ogwiji, Wing Commander B.E.N. Ekele, Wing Commander Adamu C. Sakaba, Squadron Leader Martin Olufolorunsho Luther, and Squadron Leader A. Ahura, Mr Effiong was among those who received varying prison sentences.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1986 for ‘concealment of treason’ and was released from prison in 1993. However, at the time of his release, neither his military rank nor his entitlements were officially restored.
Although he regained his freedom in 1993, his sentence had only been commuted to life imprisonment, and he was not formally exonerated until much later.
Presidential Pardon
According to the actor, his father was granted a presidential pardon after 34 years in prison by the former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.
He was pardoned alongside others, including the late Professor Ambrose Alli, former governor of the defunct Bendel State, Major E.J. Olanrewaju, and Ajayi Olusola Babalola.
The presidential gesture means they were never convicted and, as such, will no longer bear the ignoble label of ex-convicts.
On 9 April 2020, the actor announced on his Instagram page that his father had been released, noting that he could not contain his joy after the presidential pardon was granted.
He wrote, “The Colonel is back! In 1986, my father was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for concealment of treason in the Vatsa Coup against Gen. Ibrahim Babangida’s military government.
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“Although he was released in 1993, it was not made official, and his rank and entitlements were not restored. Today, 34 years on, he has officially received his presidential pardon.”
Before his father’s release, the actor had spoken in various interviews about his profound loss.
In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, he revealed that his father was imprisoned when he was just a year old, and that his mother died in an accident on her way to visit his father in prison when he was four years old.
He said these experiences of grief shaped the man he is today—how he loves, how he works, and why he tells the kinds of stories he does.
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