Aisha Muhammed, daughter of former Nigerian Head of State, General Murtala Ramat Muhammed, has said her father’s simple lifestyle and leadership philosophy contributed to the ease with which he was assassinated.

Speaking on ARISE News Morning Show on Monday to mark the 50th anniversary of his assassination, Aisha said the late military leader lived the values he preached, particularly accountability, discipline and responsibility.

According to her, Murtala Muhammed viewed corruption as a “cankerworm” capable of destroying society and did not merely condemn it rhetorically but embodied his anti-corruption stance through personal conduct and governance.

“My father’s leadership style was very clear. He believed in accountability and responsibility,” she said.

“His anti-corruption stance was not something he just talked about. He truly believed corruption would destroy society, and 50 years later, we can see the consequences.”

Aisha, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, said her father deliberately rejected the trappings of power, including heavy security details, sirens and motorcades, choosing instead to live like an ordinary Nigerian.

She explained that this lifestyle decision ultimately made him vulnerable to attack.

“He didn’t move around with motorcades, sirens or excessive security,” she said.

“That was who he was, and that was why it was actually easy to assassinate him.”

She recalled that the former Head of State was caught in regular traffic at the time of the attack, having obeyed traffic wardens like every other road user.

“He was in traffic just like everybody else. The traffic wardens stopped them, and they stopped. That was when the coup plotters emerged and shot him,” she said.

General Murtala Muhammed was assassinated on February 13, 1976, during an abortive coup, barely six months after assuming office as Head of State.

Despite his brief 200-day tenure, he is remembered for far-reaching reforms, including the dismissal of over 10,000 public officials accused of corruption, the creation of seven new states, and initiating plans for a transition to civilian rule.

His administration also began the process that eventually led to the relocation of Nigeria’s capital from Lagos to Abuja, a move widely regarded as one of his most enduring legacies.