Nollywood actor and filmmaker Daniel Etim-Effiong has opened up about his father's harrowing experience of spending 34 years in prison after being implicated in the 1986 Vatsa coup plot. The revelation came during an interview with Diary of a Naija Girl, a video that went viral on Friday.
Father's Arrest and Imprisonment
Etim-Effiong disclosed that his father, retired Lieutenant Colonel Moses Effiong, was arrested when the actor was just one year old. This occurred months after former military President Ibrahim Babangida took power from Muhammadu Buhari in 1985. According to the actor, suspicions of a counter-coup emerged, with Mamman Vatsa, a close ally of Babangida, accused as the mastermind. His father was not part of the plot but was implicated after a colleague mentioned his name during interrogation.
"When the whole thing was leaked, and he was arrested, his best friend was also arrested. They asked him who he told about the coup, and he mentioned my dad," Etim-Effiong said.
Death Sentence and Narrow Escape
The actor revealed that his father was tried and sentenced to death by firing squad. "I was one year old when he was arrested and tried for complicity in trying to overthrow the government, allegedly, for treasonable offences, for a coup against President Ibrahim Babangida," he said. Etim-Effiong explained that his father narrowly escaped execution when three soldiers, including him, were separated from the others who were later killed.
"He brought out the three soldiers and said these three soldiers are to stay here, the rest of you are going on transfer. The three soldiers were like, 'Ah, we too, we want to go on transfer now, why are we not going on transfer, we're all together.' They took those going on transfer to the back of Kirikiri and shot them. That is how they died," he recounted.
The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. Moses Effiong remained behind bars for 34 years until he was granted a presidential pardon in 2020.
Career and Recognition
In a separate interview in October 2025, Etim-Effiong spoke about his film The Herd, which addresses insecurity and highway attacks in Nigeria. He expressed excitement over the film's reception, noting that he had not received any negative reviews. "I am ecstatic. I am really excited that the reception has been great. I have not got one bad review as of today. My favourite thing right now is just to go into the cinema hall, sit down, and see people react to the film," he said.
The actor admitted that the project came with pressure to perform well at the box office. "There is also the burden of making sure the film does well in the opening weekend. We are out here trying to push the film and make people see it. But because we have a limited marketing budget, there is only so much we can do to promote it," he added.
The Herd received nine nominations at the 2026 Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards, including Best Movie and Best Director. Etim-Effiong stated that the story was inspired by his concern over insecurity in Nigeria. "It's something I am passionate about. When I was growing up, I used to take road trips with my dad. Now, I would love to take road trips with my kids, but because of the fear of hijackers on the highway, I won't dare. I would rather fly anywhere I want to go with my children. It's tragic that we have such beautiful scenery in Nigeria, and one can't access it because of insecurity," he said.
