Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has described the recently released memoir of former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida (IBB) as a “mixed bag of lies, half-truths, urban legends, and obfuscations”.

Babangida’s memoir, entitled A Journey in Service, was presented to the public on Thursday, February 20, 2025, in Abuja.

The book, among other weighty issues, admitted that Chief MKO Abiola won the June 12, 1993 presidential election, which was annulled by the Babangida regime. It further clarified that the January 15, 1966 coup was not an Igbo coup as widely believed. It, however, tried to shift the blame for the annulment of June 12 away from Babangida.

Since its launch, the book has continued to rouse reactions from all quarters of Nigeria.

In his reaction, Farotimi said he lived through Babangida’s “ruinous reign” and was an active participant “in the fight to be freed of him”, adding that “no hagiographic allocutus” can redeem IBB.

“I lived through his ruinous reign. I wasn’t a passive victim of his evil actions and inactions, I was a participant in the fight to be freed of him,” Farotimi wrote in a post on X.

“I am painfully aware of the extent of his evil capabilities, and I have not been disappointed by the mixed bag of lies, half truths, urban legends, and obfuscations contained in the excerpts already in the public domain. No hagiographic allocutus can redeem the Evil Genius of Minna,” he said.

Farotimi was reacting to a post by Adnan Abdullahi Adam via the handle @realadnantweet, which urged people to read every side of IBB’s book before forming their judgement.

“I think IBB’s memoir, ‘A Journey in Service’, exposes a fresh perspective on everything,” Adam wrote.

“It’s better to read every side of exposition before forming your own judgement.

“Everyone should try reading the book as jury to the plea of the accused,” he wrote.