Nollywood actor Daniel Etim-Effiong has opened up about a deeply personal chapter of his family history, revealing how his father narrowly escaped execution and went on to spend 34 years behind bars.
Speaking during an interview with Diary of a Naija Girl, the actor shared that his father, Moses Effiong, was arrested when he was just one year old.
The detention was linked to the controversial Mamman Vatsa coup plot during the military regime of Ibrahim Babangida.
According to Etim-Effiong, his father was wrongly implicated after being named by a colleague during interrogations, despite having no involvement in the alleged coup.
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Many of those accused were later executed by firing squad at Kirikiri Prison.
Recounting the chilling moment that determined his father’s fate, the actor explained that a small group of soldiers, including his father, were separated from others who were led away.
“Three soldiers, including my dad, were told to stay behind while the rest were moved,” he said. “Those taken away were executed. That was how he survived.”
Following the incident, Moses Effiong remained in detention for over three decades before eventually regaining his freedom, a period that profoundly shaped the actor’s upbringing and perspective on life.
Etim-Effiong’s revelation sheds light not only on his family’s ordeal but also on a turbulent era in Nigeria’s military history, where allegations and political tensions often carried life-or-death consequences.
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