 During the 27 August 1985 Babangida take-over, General Vatsa was in Mecca with Major General Tunde Idiagbon on pilgrimage.As of the time of his arrest in December 1985 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit treason, he was the Federal Minister for the Federal Capital Territory.He was a member of the AFRC, Federal Executive Council and occasionally, the National Council of States, the only military officer, other than the C-in-C, to be a member of all three ruling bodies.