INTRODUCTION
Did
you know that General SANINEGERIA MOHAMMED ABACHA, Nigeria’s seventh military
head of state and the most popular Kanuri person in the world was regarded as
the most patient man on earth? Known to many as an incorrigible kleptomaniac
who will stop at nothing to succeed himself in power .
A man of diminutive stature
(5ft, 6inches). A man of fire, iron and steel, the General lorded absolute
power and unbridled authority over 120 million souls.
Not even Generals
dare cross his path. Those who did, knelt and wept before him while he offered
them tissue paper to wipe their salty tears. Not even a plea from the Pope
could melt his heart. Mandela begged him to no avail. No one messed with
Abacha. He was gentle. Listening. Cunning. Daring. Attentive. Dangerous. Brave.
Brutal. When an American ambassador was irritating the late maximum tyrant, he
almost paid with his life. But who was SANI ABACHA, Nigeria’s most enigmatic
ruler, and the first head of state to die in office without violence . Why and
how he almost blew General Diya out of existence? Why his last son was shot in
2011? His links with America’s most secretive Christian group, Boko Haram and
Imam Abubakar Shekau, its leader and Nigeria’s most wanted man? And many more…
EARLY DAYS
Unlike other
leaders who had ‘humble’ backgrounds, Abacha was not born into squalid poverty.
As a matter of fact, his was a prosperous family with his father owning a
successful trucking business in Kano State, while two of his brothers also
later had their own businesses. The family which migrated to Kano in search of
greener pastures, also had a bakery they named ‘Canteen Abacha’.
-A Kanuri man (Abacha
is NOT Hausa or Fulani, that is quite important as some people tend to lump the
entire north together as ‘Hausa-Fulani’ bloc, Hausa is not Fulani and vice
versa), he was born in Borno State on a Monday, the 20th September, 1943,
grew up in Kano and blended so well that he lies in the soil of the ancient
city after he gave up the ghost on another Monday half a century later. His
father was positioning him to take over the family’s bread baking business and
he ensured he got a good education so as to stem the tide of illiteracy in the
family although young Sani would be notorious for his truancy rather than
astronomical academic wizardry. At about the same time, the late Sardauna of
Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello, was promoting a ‘northernization’ campaign
which saw the influx of many eager and enthusiastic lads into the military and
other institutions. One of them was a Kanuri boy. Sani.
EDUCATION
.
-City Senior
Primary School, Kano. -Kano Provincial Secondary School (finished in
1957). -Government College, Kano (1957-1962), now called Rumfa
College. -Nigerian Military Training College (NMTC) (now called the
Nigerian Defence Academy, NDA), Zaria, Kaduna State (1962-1963) Alongside Major
General Rabiu Aliyu (an army engineer who refused to accept any political
appointment throughout his career and Lt. General Oladipo Diya, Abacha was of
the pioneer set of the NDA). -Mons Defence Officers Cadet
Training College, Aldershot, England.
-General Sani
Abacha also had further training:
-School of
Infantry, Warminster, UK (1966, 1971)
-Armed Forces
Command and Staff College, Jaji, Kaduna State (1976)
-National Institute
for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos (1981)
-Senior
International Defence Management Course (SIDMC), US Naval Postgraduate School
(NPS), Monterey, California (1982). IBB also attended NPS and finished in 1980.
NPS is a fully accredited research university operated by the United States
Navy. In a thesis written by Daniel A. Castro in the same institution in 2007,
he accused the US of backing Abacha in a clandestine manner. He wrote: In addition to Al
Qaeda, the U.S. also has to contend with the endemic hatred for U.S.
foreign policy around the world. U.S.-backed repressive rulers such as the
House of Saud in Saudi Arabia, Suharto in Indonesia, and General Sani
Abacha in Nigeria, while discreetly making deals with their American
patrons and often enriching themselves from oil revenues, have proven
their piety to the masses by encouraging the state-controlled press to
demonize America.
While in the
Nigerian Army, Abacha held the following posts:
-Commander, 2nd
Division Training Depot
-Commander, Support
Wing
-Chief Instructor,
Nigerian Army School of Infantry, Jaji (1971-1975)
-Commander, 2
Infantry Brigade, 1975-1978
-Commander, 9
Mechanized Division, 1981-1983
-General Officer
Commanding (GOC), 2 Mechanized Division, 1984
-Chief of Army
Staff (COAS), Nigerian Army, August 1985 – April 1990
-Chairman, Joint
Chiefs of Staff, December, 29, 1989 – September 2, 1990
-Chief of Defence,
September 3, 1990 – November 1992
-Secretary of
Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, 1992 – November 16, 1993
While
a student his academic exploits become murky as some reports indicate that the
former Nigerian ruler did not graduate from high school before proceeding to
NMTC. The intellectual height and the depth of Abacha’s sagacity is a subject
of intense debate with colleagues like General Olusegun Obasanjo dismissing him
a dull personality, an ‘expendable brute not expected to rise beyond the rank
of a warrant officer.’ Some even cited his not attending Sandhurst Royal
Military Academy as evidence of an intrinsic lack of intelligence. But Abacha
had a way of stupefying his opponents and those who underestimated him. He
eventually became the Commander-in-Chief of the world’s most populous black
nation. That doesn’t sound like what a stupid dimwit can achieve.
MARRIAGE, FAMILY & CHILDREN
Abacha got married to Maryam Jidah in 1965 and they raised ten
children together (seven sons and three girls). One thing with the Abacha
family, like it or not, is that all of his children are very cute and
good-looking. You can’t take away the cuteness.
1-IBRAHIM
‘GAJI’:
According
to Binta Yar’adua, Shehu Yar’adua’s wife in an interview with Tell published
in July 2000, there were some issues regarding Ibrahim ‘Gaji’ Abacha’s
paternity. She said: He is Shehu Usman, Sarkin Musa from Funtua district in
Katsina. And he happens to be my father. He was the district head of Funtua ,
and one time, a cabinet minister in Sardauna’s government. He happened to marry
Maryam. He was a minister. I think in the middle of 1965. And Shehu’s father
(Yar’adua) had nothing to do with my father’s marriage to Maryam.” When TELL pressed her
further about the speculated issue of paternity, she replied: I wouldn’t know.
I don’t know. He could be my father’s son. He could be Abacha’s son. I don’t
know…I wouldn’t say it’s forceful marriage because it didn’t look like it was a
forceful marriage….maybe about two years. One and a half or two years Ibrahim
Abacha was born in our house. (TELL, July 3, 2000, p 14-17).
To
put this issue in proper perspective, it is good to understand that Abacha
jailed Shehu Yar’adua who eventually died in Abakaliki Prisons.
On
the 17th of January, 1996, a presidential jet ferrying the son of the late
maximum ruler, Ibrahim Abacha crashed at the Mallam Aminu Kano International
Airport, just minutes before landing. He perished alongside Julie, his
girlfriend, Aliko Dangote’s younger brother (Bello Dangote) and eight other
friends which included Julie Osolukoya, Onieba Dan Princewill, Audu Baba,
Abubakar Abdullahi and Lema Ibrahim. They were coming from Lagos. Although some
fingers were pointed at the late Head of State, the United Front for the
Liberation of Nigeria (UFLN, formed in 1996 and classified as a terrorist
group, now believed to be inactive) claimed responsibility for blowing up the
aircraft.
TELL also
published a damning article on 15th February, 1999 that the plane crash
that killed Ibrahim was based upon Abacha’s orders, and that in itself is a
very controversial claim. That aside, Ibrahim has been described as a most
humble and kind personality. Upon his tragic death, Maryam Abacha was
shattered and had to leave for Saudi Arabia where she stayed temporarily,
prayed, meditated and sought for consolation in her faith and God. The Ibrahim
Sani Abacha Vocational Centre in Maiduguri, Borno State was named after
him.
2. MOHAMMED:
The best known of
the Abacha sons, Mohammed was incarcerated alongside al-Mustapha after his
father’s death by the Obasanjo presidency but his mother was said to have
consulted with powerful traditional rulers in the north to prevail upon
Obasanjo. He was later released and denied having any deal to return any money
to the Federal Government. He made attempts in 2011 to be the Governor of Kano
State under the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) but lost. Reports
indicate he may run again in 2015 and he is steadily becoming a strong
political voice. He is married with five kids to two ladies: Fatima and Samira.
At a ceremony in Bayelsa State to honour his late father, he was given a new
Ijaw name: Izonebidou-owei..
3. SADIQ: Nicknamed Damu Sarkin Hakuri, he is
described as nice, calm and patient.
4. MAHMUD: He is Abacha’s 4th son.
5. ABBA: A fan of Keri Hilson , he attended Command Day Secondary
School, Ibadan, Oyo State where he finished in 1987.
6. ZAINAB:
Mohammed’s younger sister
and a carbon-copy of their mother, Hajiya Zainab Lado was married in 1999 to
her father’s minister of power and steel, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu. The
wedding, a classic talk-of-the-town, was attended by the glitterati and
high-class clique of Nigeria, but the union ended in a divorce. The marriage
produced a child. Zainab turned not a few heads during her father’s reign when
she had her own office designated as the Office of the Daughter of the
Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Not too long ago,
she had her second marriage, with Senator Yakubu Lado.
7. GUMSU (FATIMA GUMSU aka G_sparking): Of all of Abacha’s
children, Gumsu is the most sociable and visible. Quite jovial and funny, she
responds with maturity to people on Facebook and Twitter who pour vituperations
upon her family. She tweeted recently: The buttocks are like a married
couple though there is constant friction between them; they will still love and
live together.
Gumsu is happily married with kids to Mohamadou Bayero Fadil, one of the
richest and most powerful men in Cameroon where he may emerge as the President
in future. If that happens, Gumsu will become the first Nigerian woman to
become the First Lady of another nation.
8. RAKIYA: She is popularly referred to as Mami. She got married in
Kano in August 2009
9. ABDULLAHI ‘MOGLEE’: In September 2012, he was splashed on the
pages of Nigerian newspapers when one of the suspects, a telephone operator in
their house, arrested for stealing her mother’s jewelry stated Abdullahi gave
him the gold to sell and use the money to get him cocaine in Sabon Gari
quarters.
He also accused
Abdullahi of almost killing him when he refused an earlier directive. However,
Abdullahi has emphatically denied having anything to do with the robbery
incident and unknown to many, he was even in Abuja at the time but believed
that the suspect named him believing that it would be easier to make Abdullahi
an easy target. He studied History at the University of Maiduguri, Borno
State.
10. AL
MUSTAPHA ABACHA: Nicknamed Musty, he was born while his father was still
the head of state, Al Mustapha is the last child of the Abachas. He was named
after Abacha’s late elder brother, Mustapha Abacha. On 7th December 2011,
the 17-year-old Al-Mustapha was shot by armed robbers while at the home of his
sister, Zainab, in Kano State. He was shot by one of the robbers who saw him
making a call for help on his mobile phone and left for dead. He survived the
ordeal.
-INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT HIM
NIGERIAN?
NIGERIEN OR CHADIAN? BOKO HARAM?
-Some
Nigerians claim that Abacha was a Chadian, some even say Niger (Naiwu Osahon
states that Vatsa told him Abacha was from a neighboring republic shortly
before he was killed). Well, this rumour about the Borno general seems to be
based on the fact that many members of his Kanuri ethnic group are also found
in Chad, Cameroon and Niger Republic (former President Mamadou Tandja is Kanuri
while the current one, Mahamadou Issoufou is Hausa).
However,
about 80% of all Kanuris are found in Nigeria, Bornu State to be precise. Other
prominent Kanuris in Nigeria include Sir Shettima Kashim Ibrahim, Senator Ali
Modu Sheriff (former Bornu State Governor), Shettima Ali Monguno, Ambassador
Baba Gana Kingibe (former minister under Abacha, MKO Abiola’s running mate (he
actually defeated MKO at the first round of nomination at the SDP Jos
Convention in 1993 but later agreed to support MKO) and Secretary to the
Federal Government before he was fired). He loves referring to himself as King
I Be.
it is
also quite interesting to know that the most wanted man in Nigeria and leader
of the dreaded Boko Haram sect, Imam Abubakar Shekau is Kanuri, who also speaks
Hausa and Arabic but no English, according to reports by the BBC. He was born
in Shekau village in Yobe State, where al-Mustapha also comes from. Boko
Haram’s hottest spots are the two states with the most significant Kanuri
population: Yobe and Borno. The founder of Boko Haram, Mohammed Yusuf who was
killed extrajudicially was a Kanuri from Borno State. The two senators also
named in connection with the sect, Senator Ahmed Khalifa Zanna and Senator Ali
Ndume are also Kanuris. While this is not to malign the Kanuri ethnic group,
this aspect of the saga is not too apparent. When Mohammed Abacha berated the
Federal Government for insecurity in the land stating that his father would
have suppressed Boko Haram, his words made perfect sense. When the spokesperson
for Boko Haram, Abu Qaqa (also known as Abu Dardaa, Mohammed Shuaibu and Abu
Tiamiyu) was arrested, he stated: “What was bad about those handpicked for the suicide mission was
that all of them were non-Kanuri. They were always Chadians, Nigeriens,
Camerounians, Hausa, Fulani and others. No Kanuri. That was why some of us had
divided opinion on it.”
-Also,
Habib Bama (Shuabu Bama, Habib Mamman), an ex-soldier and Boko Haram member
declared wanted by the Federal Government is also a Kanuri from Bama, Borno
State. He was accused of being the mastermind behind the 2011 Nigeria Police
Force Headquarters bomb attack, the United Nations building bomb blast and the
Christmas Day bombing of the St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Madalla, Niger
State in which over 40 people died. In June 2012, Bama was reported to have
died in his cell in Damaturu, Yobe State from gunshot injuries. He was captured
in an ambush by the Joint Task Force and then whisked off to a military
facility for interrogation. He didn’t survive it.
-Whatever
is said about the late Abacha, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever about
his incredible guts and the stupefying level of bravery and courage he
possessed . What he lacked in height, the General had abundantly in sheer
fearlessness. On many occasions, the General stared at Death right into his
eyeballs. He fought in the Nigerian Civil War and in 1978, Abacha, then was the
commander of the Nigerian troops in Chad during the border skirmishes.
When
IBB was almost killed in a coup attempt, it was General Sani who launched a
daring counterattack against the coup plotters and almost singlehandedly saved
IBB’s life. It was in April 1990, when middle-ranking officers led by Major
Gideon Ngwozor Okar made attempts to topple IBB, and what ensued was a very
bloody encounter. The gunbattle in Lagos was so heavy that Lt. Col UK Bello,
IBB’s ADC was killed. Rebellious soldiers and loyal troops battled for the soul
of the nation’s capital, then Lagos, but a brave Abacha saved the day, and
IBB’s life. With the rattle of heavy gunfire and exploding mortar shells all
over the State House and the military headquarters, he also organized a safe
passage for the Minna general and his traumatized family while the ordeal
lasted. He saw to their welfare and dutifully briefed his C-in-C from time to
time as to the situation of things. Babangida would later state to reporters:
“The unfortunate situation in Lagos this morning has been brought under
control.” In Ibadan, thousands of students trooped out in support of the coup
plotters. Eleven hours after the heavy gunfight, Abacha, then a Lieutenant
General and the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, announced to the nation that
the attempt has been quashed. Once again, Abacha proved himself to be a soldier
of ruthless bravery and legendary courage. That singular act cemented the
relationship of the two buddies and IBB would later promote him to a full
general, a rank meant for the Head of State alone, for the first time in the
nation’s history, there will be two full generals at the very helm of affairs.
IBB would later refer to Abacha as the Khalifa, an Arabic word
meaning ‘Successor’ or can be loosely translated to mean ‘King-In-Waiting’. Give
it to him, Abacha was a man.
-CAREER & COUPS
Here is an overview
of Abacha’s rise through the ranks in the Nigerian Army: -Commissioned
as 2nd Lieutenant: 1963 -Lieutenant: 1966 -Captain:
1967 -Platoon and Battalion Commander, Training Department,
Commander, 2nd Infantry Division, Major: 1969 -Lieutenant
Colonel: 1972 -Commanding Officer, 2nd Infantry Brigade,
Colonel: 1975 -Brigadier: 1980
Chief of Army
Staff: 1985
-Member, Armed
Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC): 1985
-Lieutenant-General:
1987 -Chairman,
Joint Chiefs of Staff: 1989
-Minister of
Defence: 1990
-Secretary of Defence: 26th August, 1993
-Head of State
& Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces: 17th November 1993.
There was virtually
no coup in Nigeria that Abacha did not have an input or involvement. He took
active part in the bloody but successful countercoup (Operation Aure) of
July 1966 organized by northern military officers and was also believed to be
one of the participants the January 1966 coups with him taking part in either
the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the saga although the extent of his role is not
too lucid. When Shagari with the skyscraper cap was shoved aside, Abacha was
one of the masterminds. By the time Buhari was also ‘axed’ and ‘exed’, Abacha
was one of the planners. He operated silently, stealthily and steadily until
1993, when he took over the reins of power himself in a dramatic and
action-packed palace coup.
On the 17th of
November, 1993, at around 10.am, three generals: Abacha, Oladipo Donaldson Diya
and Aliyu Gusau stormed the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Nigeria’s most
fortified complex. They were followed by army trucks full of heavily-armed
soldiers. The soldiers were under the control of Brigadier Bashir Magashi of
the Brigade of Guards and Colonel Lawan Gwadabe of the National Guard.
The three ‘guys’
then calmed but smartly strolled into the fortress with the swagger of an
Alexander the Great and settled down for a ‘private meeting’ with Chief Ernest
Shonekan who agreed to vacate the position since it was very
clear he was in no position to command any troops. Here was his own chief of
defence staff telling him to surrender and a court just declared the interim
government illegal.
Shonekan bowed to
their pressure and they treated him like a gentleman: he was allowed to give a
farewell speech. After that, he was on the next flight to Lagos. Shonekan’s
reign remains the shortest in Nigerian history: 84 days.
Once
he took the reins of power on the 17th of November 1993, Abacha announced
to the dazed nation that Shonekan had resigned and that he has graciously
accepted his resignation and dutifully taken over so as to prevent the country
from drifting further into collapse. He then let the whole nation realize he
was in for serious business and his choice of words meant Nigerians were in
big trouble. He had no illusions to being popular and was out
to please no one. He made it abundantly clear that if you step on a scorpion’s
tail, you will limp home.
He even did what was long considered unthinkable: he dethroned the
18th Sultan of Sokoto, Ibrahim Dasuki, Nigeria’s most influential monarch
and the Spiritual Head of her millions of Muslims. Abacha did not stop there,
he declared Dasuki’s son who was away on a course in the United States a
conspirator and had ‘wanted’ posters plastered all over the Sultan’s palace and
in April 1996, had him exiled. According to the deposed Emir of Gwandu, Abacha
had Dasuki deposed for so many reasons, some boiling down to personal issues
and of course, money.
Upon getting to power, Abacha dismantled all existing democratic institutions,
from the Constitution to the National Assembly. He went ahead to replace
the state governors with military administrators and placed a ban on all
political activity. Then he embarked on an unprecedented wave of clamping down
on the opposition and advocates of democracy. Some of his opponents and critics
of his regime just woke up one day and discovered that the four walls of their
cosy bedrooms had magically transformed into that of a jail.
His aides too towed
his path with the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie
releasing a statement: “Any person, whether a politician or a retired military
officer or a pro-democracy crusader who thinks he is in a position to install
another government is advised in his own interest to tread with caution as
security agencies are prepared to act decisively on such matters.” The irony of
life, Abacha was a dictator but spared nothing to ensure that democratic
regimes in Sierra Leone and Liberia (he saw to the Abuja Peace Accord of 1995,
to which Charles Taylor was a signatory) had a strong foothold.
Under Abacha, the refineries were working to a degree but towards the end of
his regime, the refineries collapsed and Nigeria had to import
refined petroleum, and the external debt stood at a headache-inducing $30
billion and foreign reserves were about a third of that. Abacha’s government
was realizing an average of $10 billion per annum from oil revenues.Even though
Abacha was shunned by many world leaders in a bid to isolate him like Robert
Mugabe, Abacha found a way to make bold statements on the international arena,
even while he was holed up in his Aso Rock.
In 1994 and 1995, Abacha was battling a toxic combination of political unrest
and a plethora of economic crises. It was so serious Abacha could not attend
the ECOWAS summits and other crucial events in the subregion. But by 1996,
things fared better and he was made the Chairman of ECOWAS. For many analysts,
that was just one of his moves aimed at his grand ambition of becoming a
civilian president come August 1998 But he never saw July.
STYLE OF LEADERSHIP
It is quite interesting to know that despite the fact that he
wielded incredibly vast powers, Abacha operated a complicated style of
leadership, and he gave a free hand to all those working under him. He allowed
them to carry out their duties without interfering.
Abacha
himself very rarely spoke during the meetings, and when he did, it was almost
in whispers, and aides said you had to strain your ears to pick his words. He
was also described as a very attentive listener who enjoyed listening to others
rant. Atimes, he dozed off during cabinet meetings or as his best friend Lt.
General Jeremiah Timbut Useni put it: he seemed to sleep off during
meetings but he was not asleep, he was listening. It was said: Abacha
spoke softly, almost inaudibly, like in a whisper and you have to strain your
ears to hear him. Perhaps this was a strategy, the strategy of a consummate
wielder of power to get his listeners to truly listen…Some who know Abacha
think he is a shy man but that may not be the reason for his near-whisper level
of discussion. They think he is not a man of emotion, that he never really
raises his voice even when he is angry but that he lets actions, not thunderous
words, speak for him. Which is why some who don’t know him well, but who have
listened to him talk softly are surprised by his tough guy actions. (Newswatch,
24th November 1997, page 10-11).
Like other maximum rulers, Abacha was extra cautious and did not
joke about his personal security. Most of the time, he was holed up in his
fortress, the Aso Rock Presidential Villa and rarely travelled out of the
country. He was comfortable in his cocoon and left General Diya, also a trained
lawyer and an eloquent Odogbolu man, to do much of the travelling, holding
press conferences and other functions. He was protected by three rings of
impressive security made up of officials and operatives trained to take bullets
for him, and trust me, they were fiercely loyal to the Head of State.
These
were the Strike Force (SF), Brigade of Guards (BGs) and the Military Police.
Around the nation’s leader, these three concentric rings of brute force
shielded him from the prying eyes of 120 million Nigerians. -The Strike
Force, derisively referred to as ‘Abacha’s assassination squad’ had
its members trained in North Korea where Lt. General Jeremiah Timbut Useni
visited them, Israel (teams of Israeli forces were in the country to train
members of the squad, and between June 1993 and June 1996, there were fourteen
major bombings in various parts of the country, with the Southwest of the
Yorubas bearing the heaviest hit) and Libya, it was commanded by
Lieutenant-Colonel Ibrahim Yakassai, a medical doctor (would later fall out of
favour with Al Mustapha in 1997), and Ibrahim Umar (former deputy commander of
the sophisticated who would later accuse Al Mustapha of orchestrating his exit
and implicating him in the 1997 coup plot) while the Brigade of Guards and the
Strike Force were both referred to as Al Mustapha’s army (Yakassai took orders
from Al-Mustapha even though he was his inferior in the army).
-To
be in Abacha’s good books, the Minister for Works and Housing, Major General
Abdulkarim Adisa spoilt the Strike Force silly with gifts and was supergenerous
with funding the unit. Although these were the three main visible rings of
security, it has been estimated that the force marshalled for Abacha’s personal
security alone was up to 3,000 men. The soft-spoken Al Mustapha, now with a
death penalty hanging upon him (he was later freed in 2013), eventually became
the most dreaded man in the regime with generals melting at the mention of his
name and accused of being the brain behind the orgy of killings and bomb
explosions around the terrified nation. The graphic details of the torture,
incarceration and harassment that many Nigerians faced in the hands of Abacha’s
men are better left unveiled.
According to Lt. General Oladipo Diya, the former Chief of
General Staff (CGS) and de facto Vice President, ‘the
fear of Al Mustapha is the beginning of wisdom.’ For those who were
perceived or confirmed to be the General’s foes, they were silenced by the
lethal weapons of an assassin. During this time, Kudirat Abiola (4th June
1996), Pa Alfred Rewane (October 6, 1995), Alhaja Suliat Adedeji
(14th November, 1996) and Toyin Onagoruwa were all murdered in cold blood.
Alhaja Adedeji was a well-known Ibadan political activist and
businesswoman. Although, her death is often linked to Abacha’s forces, the
whole scenario becomes quite confusing when one realizes that she was actually
on good terms with Abacha, and had collected a sum of N50 million to organize a
rally in support of the dictator. She was even one of those who established the
Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) which encouraged Abacha to become a civilian
president. (If you are wondering how the two met and how he cultivated his
relationship with Adedibu also, remember that Abacha was the GOC in Ibadan.)
There was also the unresolved daylight murder of an 80-year-old
grandmother, prominent Abeokuta businesswoman, the third Iyalode of Egbaland
and Nigeria’s first female industrialist, Chief (Mrs). Bisoye Esther Tejuoso
OON (nee Karunwi) on the 29th September, 1996.
Many others like Gani Fawehinmi and Beko Ransome-Kuti were flung
into gulags while others like Professor Wole Soyinka negotiated with their legs
and escaped via the famed NADECO route.
Major Hamza al-Mustapha was the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to
Abacha. Al-Mustapha took his work very seriously, and his zealousness was quite
visible. At a point, he even hired a marabout (spiritualist) who instructed
Abacha to remove Ismaila Gwarzo as the National Security Adviser. Abacha never
read any publications, forget the newspapers and magazines, he primarily relied
on the information given to him by his security officers, Al-Mustapha and
Gwarzo in particular. Al Mustapha is also a Kanuri man hailing from the Nguru
District of Yobe State.
Al Mustapha, was so incredibly powerful that according to
General Diya, he single-handedly reversed the decision of the Provisional
Ruling Council to release MKO Abiola not once or twice but FOUR times. He was so
powerful that not even state military governors (MILADs) messed with him. He
decided who would see the C-in-C and even scheduled when the C-in-C is to
venture out of the Presidential Villa. Abacha and others also respected him as
it was believed that he was gifted with certain spiritual powers to the extent
that the General himself consulted him for spiritual matters, turning Abacha
into a recluse holed up in the Villa, cutting him off from the rest of the
world, creating a new world for the late dictator.
Although he rarely appeared in public, his image was everywhere
and you always knew who was El Jefe (The Boss). There were
also countless plainclothed security operatives working assiduously to
fish out dissenters and enemies of the Khalifa. -The Recce
(reconnaissance) units of the Nigerian Army proved to be very crucial to the
success of the many coups in the past. Thus, when Abacha came to power, he
ensured that there was the restructuring of the armoured units so as to
decrease the risk of coup plotting that came with the Recce Units. As a result,
the Recce Units 241, 242, 243 and 245 were relocated to relatively unknown
locations like Nguru, Badagry, Monguno and Ikom. Cameroon and Chad might also
have been factors behind Abacha’s decision to relocate these units.
Abacha tolerated no opposition and brooked no dissent in any
form. As for the Yorubas who formed a massive bloc of opposition against him,
he dealt with them decisively, at the same time making their son, General
Oladipo Donaldson Diya, his Chief of General Staff and de facto Vice
President. Diya would later be roped in a coup attempt and escaped death by
whiffs of the white patch of his hair. MKO Abiola was flung into jail and did
not make it out alive. When Obasanjo was becoming too loud and irritating, he
simply locked up the former military head of state.
OPPOSITION, ATTEMPTS
TO OVERTHROW ABACHA
Formed
by 49 Nigerians, the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) proved to be the
greatest thorn in Abacha’s smooth skin. Members and allies of NADECO included
Pa Abraham Adesanya (who was almost assassinated), Anthony Enahoro (the man who
moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence was charged for treason and
detained for 121 days by Abacha and later forced into exile), Bola Ige, Olabiyi
Durojaiye (former Senator and lawyer, jailed for 18 months), Senator Cornelius
Adebayo, Admiral Godwin Ndubuisi Kanu, Bola Ahmed Tinubu (went on exile but
heavily funded NADECO’s activities), Michael Adekunle Ajasin (dared Abacha to
the very last), Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, Air Commodore Dan Suleiman (in 1994,
gunmen tried to kill him in his car while there were attempts to set his house
on fire while his family was asleep, he denounced the attempts as
‘state-sponsored terrorism’ ), Lt. Gen. Alani Akinrinade, Dr. Tunji
Braithwaite, Odigie Oyegun, Segun Osoba, Chief Bisi Akande, Ayo Adebanjo, Olu
Falae, Ambassador Ralph Uwechue (Ohanaeze Ndigbo President), Christian
Onoh, Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Dr. Frederick Fasheun, Chief Great Ogboru, Professor
Ade Segun Banjo, Lady Kofoworola Akerele-Bucknor, Chief Ralph Obiora, Chief Lai
Balogun, Ayo Opadokun, Professor Ben Nwabueze and Arthur Nwankwo. They got
support from nations as Norway, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Uganda and Burkina
Faso.
Other
vocal opponents of the Abacha regime included Shehu Sanni, Christine Anyanwu
(then a journalist, now a Senator representing Imo State ), late Chime Ubani
(rights activist), Kunle Ajibade and Ben Charles Obi (journalists), Adewale
Adeoye (also a journalist and now Senior Special Assistant to Ekiti State
Governor on Public Affairs). Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of
the Commonwealth was also in the opposing camp. He had a proposal for Abacha on
how MKO would become President but he rejected it.
-He also dealt with other organized opposition groups: the National Union of
the Nigerian Students (NUNS) was proscribed and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities was severely restricted with many professors losing their jobs
(some fled overseas). The Nigerian Bar Association was also proscribed. Strikes
broke out and there was general unrest in Africa’s greatest hope.
Even though it was said that Abacha manufactured coup plots against himself to
cage some individuals, it is not out of imagination for some to rebel against
his authority and orchestrate his toppling. As expected, there were some people
who felt that Abacha was too dangerous for them to watch him rule the
nation with absolute power. They needed to clip his wings, and attempts were
(reportedly) made. But trust Abacha, himself a master strategist and a
dyed-in-the-wool coup plotter, he nipped all the attempts (and assumed
attempts) in the bud with a degree of mercilessness. One of the said plans of the
coup plotters involved storming the Aso Rock Presidential with troops loyal to
and commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Happy Kefas Bulus with other principal
actors being Colonel RSB Bello-Fadile and Colonel Lawan Gwadabe.
-On the 14th of July1995, an announcement was made as to their conviction.
The trio would face the death penalty. But that was not all . General Olusegun
Obasanjo, Major General Shehu Musa Yar’adua (both arrested in March 1995),
Christine Anyanwu, Ben Charles Obi, Shehu Sani (Vice Chairman of the Campaign
for Democracy) were given long jail terms.
-Others that included Major Akinloye Akinyemi, Colonel Emmanuel Ndubueze,
Lieutenant Colonel I. Shuaibu, Alhaji Sanusi Mato (said to be an in-law of
Gwadabe), Julius Badejo (State Security Service Officer) and Quinnet Ajogo (a
girlfriend of Gwadabe). As for Bayo Onanuga, Chief A.M. Adisa Akinloye, Chief
(Mrs.) Titilayo Ajanaku and about six others, they were released without
charges. It was a dark time upon the nation. Amnesty International launched
salvos of appeals to Generals Abacha and Diya, Alhaji Aminu Saleh (then the
Secretary to the Government of the Federation of Nigeria, he was later fired by
Abacha in October 1995 for exercising powers beyond his office, and was
replaced by Gidado Idris, the former Director-General (DG) of the Finance
Ministry) and Chief Tom Ikimi (Foreign Affairs Minister). -A total of 40
defendants convicted were tried secretly by the Special Military Tribunal . Three
more people were sentenced in absentia.
-Owing to the fact
that the Tribunal did not disclose the exact details of the rulings (but was
later learnt that Bulus was convicted on two accounts of conspiracy to commit
treason and concealment and was sentenced to death by firing squad on both
accounts), number of those reportedly sentenced to death ranged from 12-15
(with that of Gwadabe, Bello-Fadile and Bulus as sure banker). Some
of the others like Generals Obasanjo and Yar’adua, Anyanwu and Obi were dashed life
imprisonment or 25 years in prison. Sani got seven years after he was convicted
of ‘managing an unlawful society’. Sani refused to disclose the other leaders
of the Campaign for Democracy (CD) in exchange for his freedom. Fadile
reportedly made numerous contacts and met with Yar’adua and later Gwadabe and
Obasanjo to get his support.
Professor
Wole Soyinka also formed the National Liberation Council of Nigeria (NALICON)
in opposition to Abacha. Those who contributed to this goal included the late
activist, Beko Kuti, Chief Harry Akande, Prince Dipo Eludoyin, Ambassador
Antonio Oladehinde Fernandez, Major Cletus Obahor and Ilemakin, Wole Soyinka’s
son. At a point, he accused Maryam’s wife of her complicity with her
husband’s crimes. He blasted: ‘She knew her husband could not earn up
to half a million naira in a year yet she was acquiring properties worth
millions.’ For daring to launch scathing verbal assaults against the
Commander-in-Chief, the late Gani would become a regular face in squalid prisons
and a special guest in terrible jails.
Kenule KEN Saro-Wiwa. Poet, writer, environmentalist and activist, it was the
execution of Saro-Wiwa and eight others (called the Ogoni Nine) that cemented
and sealed Abacha’s place in the minds of millions of Nigerians as a most
ruthless leader. He was arrested in connection with the killing of four
pro-government Ogoni chiefs. He alongside others were arraigned for
murder. Abacha was said to have stated who any man who killed another
citizen was not fit to live.
And to worsen matters, Abacha chose a most inauspious time to hang the Ogoni
Nine. On the eve of the 14th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in
1995 in New Zealand, Ken Saro-Wiwa and others were sent to the Great Beyond. In
a fit of fury, the Commonwealth suspended Nigeria for over three years but like
President GEJ, Abacha did not give a damning damn!
The UN, US and Canada issued high-sounding condemnation, with the American
government placing travel restrictions on senior members of the junta and
President Clinton ordered US weapon sales to Nigeria halted, US Britain,
France, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, South Africa and Germany all recalled
their ambassadors, and the Time magazine branded Abacha ‘Thug
of the Year’. Even Zimbabwe and South Africa condemned the brutality of
Saro-Wiwa’s execution. Nigeria effectively became a pariah nation. Mandela,
Bill Clinton and John Major, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom were some
of the world leaders who pleaded with Abacha to spare the lives of the nine
Ogoni men .
ACHIEVEMENTS, ACTIVITIES & EVENTS UNDER ABACHA.
Restoring
President Ahmed Tejan Kabbah of Sierra Leone back to power. He had said he
would send the entire Nigerian Army to Sierra Leone if that was what would
bring peace.
Under Abacha, serious efforts were made to decrease the amount of the raw
materials that were being imported into the country by increasing domestic
production. The government, represented by the Minister of Industries encouraged
the manufacturers and industrialists to make use of raw materials sourced
locally. In order to ensure that this goal was achieved, a Talc Processing
Company in Niger State was commissioned in1995, (a result of public-private
joint venture; between the Raw Materials Research Development Council of
Nigeria and business executives).
The plant was
supposed to take care of all the talc needs of the industrial plants in Nigeria
and put an end to the revenue spent on the importation of 3,000 metric tonnes
of talc every year. Abacha made the exports of Nigerian goods and commodities a
priority throughout his time in power. In trying to achieve this, there was the
Iwopin Pulp and Paper Project, commissioned in Ogun State by his Defence Chief,
Major-General Abdulsalami Abubakar. Plans were in place to construct more
Export Processing Zones (EPZ) while concerted efforts were made to complete the
Calabar EPZ.
-Abacha established
the Ministry of Solid Minerals Resources which was mandated to explore and
market Nigeria’s vast natural minerals. He would later reactivate the Ajaokuta
Steel Rolling Mill but till date, that complex is one huge stinking cesspit of
corruption. His government also did some dredging of the River Niger and
established the Aluminum Smelting Company.
-Construction of
the Federal House of Representatives Complex in Abuja and introduced the
National Constitutional Conference.
-At a time in 1996,
in order to address skyrocketing prices of food, Abacha ordered the massive
importation of rice, and Dangote flooded the entire market with so much rice
that the price crashed.
-Abacha also
established the Federal Character Commission (FCC) which sees to it that the
allocations of appointments are fairly distributed all over the country. The
FCC also was to address the imbalance and lopsided appointments in the civil
service and parastatals.
-Abacha also
established the National Reconciliation Committee to quell disputes via
diplomatic resolutions. He also saw to the establishment of the Ministry of
Women Affairs and Social Development, and it must be noted that his junta made
funds available for the National Programme on Immunization (NPI).
-Abacha also
saw to the construction of an international natural gas pipeline network
between Nigeria, Togo and Ghana. This ensured that Nigerian gas products could
be sold to these nations. Work on the pipeline network started in September
1995.
-On the 2nd of
April, 1996, Abacha commissioned the Nigeria Police Academy, Kano with the hope
that the institution will be affiliated to a degree-awarding university. He
also saw to the establishment of the National War College and embarked on
renovation of barracks.
-In order to
address the problem arising from foreign exchange, he introduced the Autonomous
Foreign Exchange Market (AFEM) policy while also keeping the Official
Exchange Rate which was N22.05 to $1 in 1993 but jumped to N85 in 1998.
Professor Sam Aluko and Chief Ani were the brains behind Abachanomics (Abacha’s
economic policies). Abacha did not collect a penny of foreign
loans, and that’s quite impressive. In January 1994, he dumped IBB’s Structural
Adjustment Programme (SAP) and embarked on his own populist economic policies.
He also established the Economic Intelligence Commission (EIC).
-The Chairman of
ECOWAS from 27th July 1996 until he died, he gave a solid backing to regional
plans and fully supported innovations like the ECOWAS Traveller’s Cheque. The
cheques were released in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 West African
Unit of Account (WAUA) and were to serve as legal tender in the sub region.
They had indigenous designs such as the ECOWAS logo and the flags of the Member
Nations. The WAUA was convertible to any of the currencies in the ECOWAS
subregion.
-Abacha saw to the creation of six new states: Ebonyi, Bayelsa,
Nasarawa, Zamfara, Gombe and Ekiti, and a total of 182 new Local Government
Areas (LGAs). He was also the one who introduced the concept of the six
geopolitical zones we have today and the rotational framework on October 1,
1995 when he announced a transition to civilian rule in three years. The new
package also provided for a President, Prime Minister, Vice President and a
Deputy Prime Minister.
-Ostensibly
responding to increasing calls for democratic changes, he had the ambitious
plan of succeeding himself in power, forming five political parties (Democratic
Party of Nigeria, DPN, United Nigerian Congress Party, UNCP, Congress for
National Consensus, CNC, Grassroots Democratic Movement, GDM and the National
Center Party of Nigeria, NCPN with opposition parties carefully excluded) after
setting up the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON), which Bola Ige
referred to as the ”five fingers of a leprous hand.’
Even before Abacha
declared his intention to run for the Presidency (death never gave him the
opportunity), all the five political parties adopted him as their flag bearer
and presidential aspirant on the 20th of April, 1998. with Abacha
positioned as a sole candidate, most retraced their steps and only Tunji
Braithwaite and Alhaji MD Yusufu, a former police chief, were bold enough to
also declare their interest in running for the Nigerian presidency. The five
parties were shunned by most Nigerians and the participation rate was
embarrassingly low, less than 5% in some places. He had planned a handover date
of October 1998 and even had a draft constitution kept in secret but later
revealed by Abdulsalami.
-Alongside the
redesigning and completion of Abuja Phase II, Abacha saw to the construction of
Gwarimpa Housing Estate, Abuja, the largest of its type in Africa and also
established the Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund (PTF) and there was reasonable
trickle-down effect of the benefits of the removal of fuel subsidy in addition
to stabilizing fuel pump prices at about N25 per liter. Overall, he was also
able to reduce Nigeria’s external debt profile. Foreign reserves stood at about
$10 billion but fell rapidly months after his death to $4billion during the
Abdulsalami regime. PTF proceeds went to the building of schools, barracks,
roads and bridges across the nation and also funded the Drug Revolving Scheme
and the construction of the International Trade Fair Complex in Kaduna.There
was also the establishment of Nigeria’s first natural gas superficiality, the
Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) which commercialized Nigeria’s
vast natural gas reserves and reduced flaring. In addition to this, there was
the exploration of crude oil in other places like Gombe, Borno and Bauchi
states.
-Abacha also
embarked upon the rehabilitation and modernization of the railway system.
Abacha also launched the Federal Urban Mass Assisted Bus Service all over the
country at subsidized rates.
BOMB EXPLOSIONS: During
Abacha’s era, a series of explosions were also recorded. In January 1996, a
small bomb went off inside the public toilet on the ground floor of the Durbar
Hotel, Kaduna. A man was killed in the blast and he was with a copy of Wole
Soyinka’s The Man Died, which he just purchased from the
hotel’s bookshop. The police said the bomb went off as the man was trying to
assemble it even though many thought he was just an innocent victim. The dead
man, according to the police, was Bagauda Kaltho, a journalist with TheNEWS magazine.
As the man’s face was already blown off, it created some degree of doubt as to
the identity of the man. Kaltho’s family insisted the government was still
detaining their child but this was strongly denied.
-Later on, there
was another explosion at the car park of the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Ikeja, Lagos. By the time the smoke disappeared, the Chief
Security Officer of the airport, Dr. Sola Omatshola was dead. The police, under
Biu, accused him of being a NADECO member. Someone had called Omatshola on the
phone, he went out of his office, entered his car and the bomb exploded. Former
Police Commissioner for Lagos State under Abacha, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav
narrated: There was a time when I was Commissioner of Police in Lagos
State, there was this bomb blast that killed Dr. Omatsola, the Security Officer
of the Murtala Mohammed Airport. My command was directly involved in the
investigation. So from what happened during the investigation, I knew that the
security units of this country were the ones throwing the explosives. They will
throw the bomb and go and tell lies to Abacha that it was NADECO.
“In the case of
Omatsola, for instance, my command was directly involved in the investigations.
The evidence we had was that somebody telephoned Dr. Omatsola, he went out of
his office and entered his car and the bomb went off and killed him. So I
minuted the file that they should go to NITEL, because there was no GSM then. I
asked them to go to NITEL and find out who telephoned him, from what number and
from where. We were working on this when they took the file away from us and
handed it over to a unit they called anti-terrorist squad (headed by Biu).
-CORRUPTION
It is widely
believed that General Abacha is one of the most corrupt leaders not only in
Nigeria but in the history of mankind and the first allegations against him had
to do with skimming from Army contracts in the 1980s when he became GOC, and
continued over time. The amount he was alleged to have stolen is on such a
massive scale that no definitive figure has been given yet. Today you hear $1
billion has been recovered, and tomorrow the Swiss government is talking about
one tranche of 700 million pounds sterling.
But according to
many sources, Abacha spirited an estimated $3-$5 billion from the Nigerian
treasury shooting him into the same league as Muhammad Suharto of Indonesia,
Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire and Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines.
Interestingly, there are those who vehemently deny that Abacha was corrupt, and
these include his widow, Maryam, who stated that he was just saving the money
for Nigeria in overseas accounts and during the 10th year remembrance
prayers for the soul of Abacha, former military heads of state, Generals
Ibrahim Babangida and Muhammadu Buhari wanted Nigerians to believe that Abacha
was closer to sainthood than cardinals of the Catholic Church. But that is an
extremely difficult thing to do, to convince the world that Abacha never took a
dime will be much more difficult than advanced nuclear physics.
-Just days before
General Abdusalami left power, one of the last things that he did was to issue
the Forfeiture of Assets, Etc (certain Persons) Decree No. 53 of 26 May, 1999
which provided legal backing for the illegally acquired cash, properties and
other cash seized from the Abacha family. The same General Abdusalami Alhaji
Abubakar on the 23rd of July 1998 set up the Special Investigation Panel
(SIP) whose sole purpose was to probe corrupt deals in the Abacha government
(although he was also part and parcel of the cabal). The report of the SIP was
damning and by the time it released its preliminary report in November 1998,
the whole nation was shocked at the ‘systematic pillage of the Central
Bank of Nigeria.’
It submitted that
the usual mode of operation was for Abacha to direct his National Security
Adviser, Ismaila Gwarzo to present phony requests for security operations or
equipment, of which the power of authorization was with him. Then the CBN would
be ordered to remit the millions or billions to Gwarzo either in cash or
travellers cheques which were then taken to the dictator for further laundering
abroad by his sons, Mohammed and Abba and his younger brother, Abdulkadir.
Other associates fingered in the money laundering include Abubakar Bagudu and the
Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Arisekola Alao, whose son was recently
embroiled in the fuel subsidy corruption saga.
-However, it must
be stated that the investigations done by the SIP also accused Abacha of
collecting up to $50,000 before approving any contract, and the evidence of
corruption unearthed were linked to financial transactions in offshore banks,
and not in Nigeria. On the 18th of September 2000 under the Obasanjo
presidency, the Attorney-General of the Federation slammed a 115-count charge
suit against receiving stolen property against Mohammed Abacha and Abubakar
Bagudu.
In 2009, Abacha, alongside Olusegun Obasanjo and Abdulsalami Abubakar were
named as beneficiaries of bribes running into millions of dollars handed out by
Halliburton in exchange for contracts to build Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas
plant, with Abacha alone pocketing $40 million (former US Vice President and
Halliburton chief Dick Cheney was also mentioned). Whatever the case, the fact
is that Nigeria has not been blessed with blessed leaders, and that we are
where are today is a reflection of their ‘leadership’
HIS DEATH
The steps that
eventually led to Abacha’s death might never be fully and truly unravelled. In
the absence of a lucid account of his sudden passing, there are various
narrations, but with common denominations. Said to suffer from liver cirrhosis,
Abacha succumbed to a heart attack on the 8th of July, 1998 and died in
circumstances that were clearly controversial with different kinds of tales
being spunned and vehement denials released. The Newswatch and DailyMailUK reported
the maximum ruler died after a heart attack induced by an overdose of Viagra (sildenafil
citrate) before an orgy. Viagra has actually killed
over 5,600 men since it was launched in 1998, the same year General Abacha
died. Viagra, is a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction and
pulmonary arterial hypertension but it has numerous adverse effects, such as
stroke, sudden hearing loss, severe drop in blood pressure (hypotension),
ventricular arrhythmias and heart attacks (myocardial infarction).
Some, like the late
Senator Uba Ahmed, Abacha’s former minister believed that his Viagra was
spiked with poison. Maryam Abacha was said to have grabbed Useni after
Abacha’s death accusing him of being complicit. She reportedly ordered the
Police IG, Ibrahim Coomassie to effect his arrest, forgetting that whatever
authority she had had died with the late Commander-in-Chief, her dear husband.
Abacha was just 54. -Another report stated there were four ladies: two
Nigerians and two Indians, all presumably prostitutes. According to Kehinde
Olaosebikan, the Vanguard journalist who was the first to break
the news of Abacha’s death, the two Indian girls were from Mumbai and were
detained and not released until August 6, when a government investigation
showed that ‘General Abacha did not die of poison.’ The names of the Indian
girls, aged 17 and 19 could not be ascertained and they were released to the
Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Satinder Uppal. When Indian
Express called Mr. Uppal, he flatly denied: `I have no information, no
knowledge about the incident. I don’t know about any girls, I don’t even know
if they were Indian.”
Vanguard asserted
that the girls were flown in on the 4th of June without proper travel
documents and were received at the Presidential Wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, and from there to a five-star luxury hotel and kept in
the Presidential Suite. Thereafter, they were taken to the Head of State’s
Guest House, where the two Nigerian women were already waiting. The thing here
is that the exact circumstances surrounding his death have never been
investigated. So many unresolved murders and deaths in the Federal Republic of
Nigeria.
-Upon Abacha’s
sudden and surprising death, countless Nigerians took to the streets and danced
like they had just won the World Cup. The irony of the matter was that outside
the country, the loss of General Abacha was considered a huge tragedy.
African leaders flew to Nigeria to condole with the Nigerian government, citing
Abacha’s efforts, especially in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Some of the
first African leaders to visit the country to commiserate included: President
Idris Deby Itno of Chad, President Yahya Jammeh of the Gambia,
President Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara of Niger Republic and President
Ange-Felix Patasse of the Central African Republic. The outpouring of grief by
other African leaders was very noticeable, and more leaders were to pay
condolence visits. Shortly after his passing, not less than seven African heads
of state were in Abuja to express their grief. Many of them described him in
glowing terms, he was described as a man who gave ‘his body and soul to
his country’ and he was even regarded as ‘Africa’s most illustrious
son‘.
-As at the time of
his demise, Abacha’s death was the last thing people expected. The Sunday night
before, Abacha was very healthy on the TV, the press had no news of his
impending death and on the 8th of June when he died, activities were already
lined up for him. He was supposed to open the Plenary Session in Abuja of a
conference on the National Information Trust, organized by the Federal Ministry
of Information and Culture and he was supposed to grace the OAU Summit later in
the day at Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. But man proposes….
Here is a dramatic
narration by veteran journalist Orji Ogbonnaya Orji on what happened at the Aso
Rock Presidential Villa the day Abacha died. Orji worked as a journalist at the
Aso Rock Presidential Villa for Radio Nigeria and later wrote an enchanting
book on his experience, Inside Aso Rock. The author served as
Radio Nigeria State House correspondent in Aso Rock from 1993-2000. During that
period, five different Heads of State presided over Nigeria – three military,
and two civilian. He accompanied the leaders to all major events within and
outside Nigeria, and this book is his diary on people and events during that period.
Excerpts:
It was indeed a big
tragedy for the members of former first family as they packed their belongings
to join the convoy which took the corpse of the once powerful General home. I
wept when I saw Madam, Mrs. Abacha being helped into the waiting car. She stared
at Aso Rock in tears, a most difficult and tragic way to say good-bye. Tears
rolled freely from all gathered as Madam was driven out of the Villa with her
husband’s corpse in front of her in a moving ambulance. The ambulance is
normally one of the last vehicles in the usually long Presidential convoy. But
on June 8, 1998, the ambulance was in the front with General Abacha’s corpse.
All other vehicles lined behind in a day-light reversal of history. The
ambulance drove through the IBB bye-pass connecting the airport link road as
the entourage made its way to Nnamdi Azikiwe airport. I was surprised that
there was instant jubilation by passersby. Taxi drivers lined up at major
junctions shouting shame! shame!! as the convoy drove past. Men and women ran
after the convoy in utter disbelief of the turn of events.
Some other people
formed queues in groups with green leaves in their hands singing solidarity
songs in a loud tone that suggested liberation from bondage. It was a day in
which my biro refused to write and the lines in my jotter went blank. The
journalist in me was overtaken by emotions as most of us in the convoy found it
difficult to speak to one another. We simply lacked the words or the topic for
discussion as our minds went blank and our brains went asleep. On our
arrival at the airport, the body of General Abacha, which was still wrapped in
white cloth was carried into the hold of the presidential aircraft, zero-zero
one.
There was no
particular arrangement on who should be in the aircraft, except that members of
the first family and some PRC members were given priority. I however noticed
that most PRC members at the airport were not even keen in accompanying the
corpse of the late General to Kano. While the aircraft was being positioned,
Madam and her children waited at the Presidential Lounge with a cluster of
relatives and very few associates. The usual crowd around the first family had
begun to disappear. That day, it was as though the Abacha family was for the
first time in many years on a lonely journey to an unknown destination, even
though the aircraft was heading for Kano. It was incredible to imagine the
Abachas without General Sani Abacha. As the saying goes, “when the big tree
falls, all the birds will fly away”.
The aircraft ready,
Madam and her children left the lounge with the heavy burden of making their
last flight on the presidential jet, with the corpse of the former Head of
State on board. Mrs. Abacha climbed into the aircraft in tears with measured
steps. Her children joined too, then some few friends and relations. Inside,
the plane was taken over by grief, tears and open weeping.
We had already
boarded the aircraft and almost getting set to take-off when General Abubakar
curiously asked, “where is the corpse?” He was told that it was kept in the
hold. “No, no, no, bring it inside!” the General commanded. And it was brought
in and kept few seats away from where I sat. As the journey progressed,
whenever there was turbulence, the body would shake, exposing the legs, which
were partially covered. I sat in that aircraft speechless. My
reflections were on life, death, power, influence and the vanity of human
desires.
Our flight to Kano
was barely thirty minutes, but I felt it was more than two hours. The usual
conversation and jokes in zero-zero one was overtaken by subdued silence,
grief, pain and weeping. Everybody on board was on his own. I could imagine how
other people’s mind worked at that sober period. But mine went into a
comprehensive review of the Abacha era beginning from the night of November 16,
1993 when the General took over. Within my reflections, my mind was
everywhere, the good, the bad, the very bad and the ugly.
My mood was
interrupted by a sudden announcement from the cockpit that we were few minutes
away from Aminu Kano International Airport. The situation on our arrival at
Aminu Kano International Airport was rather chaotic. There was no precise
arrangement to receive the corpse on arrival. Apparently, our arrival caught
Kano and the people unaware. Apart from the first family, and few officials,
everybody was expected to sort out his/her own transport arrangement out of the
airport. Eventually I had to arrange for an airport taxi to convey me and two
others to the private residence of the late Head of State.
Unfortunately,
there were few taxis at the airport. While this arrangement was on, the main
convoy had left with the corpse. We therefore quickly hired a taxi at a
high fare dictated by the driver, who was very rude and uncooperative. We were
shocked that the driver showed little or no sympathy, but was rather quick to
explain that he never benefited anything from the Abacha regime. In his view,
his condition had even worsened. We discontinued the discussion as it was
becoming volatile. The Abacha family house on Gidado street, GRA, Kano is a
modest twin duplex located in a rather small compound. By the time we
arrived there, the place was already besieged by a large number of sympathizers
struggling to gain entry.
As there was no
time to start identifying who was who, we were all being pushed by the security
officials who had a very hectic time trying to contain the rapidly surging
crowd. In the midst of the pushing. and kicking, I suddenly realised that the
person who was being pushed against me was the highly respected Governor of
Lagos State, Col. Buba Marwa. It therefore became clear to me that at that
moment, everybody was regarded as equal, courtesy of the security at the gate.
I was then encouraged to continue pushing, until I finally managed to squeeze myself
inside the compound. Inside the compound, I observed scanty presence of
newsmen, because security was deadly. I also discovered that the grave was
still being prepared, an indication that no proper arrangement was
made. Earlier, the body of General Abacha was taken to Kano Central Mosque
for prayers.
From the Central
Mosque, the body was laid on the floor of his private mosque just by the gate
with two soldiers standing on guard. I peeped several times to assure myself
that it was actually the former powerful Commander-in-Chief of the Armed
Forces that was on the bare floor. One was expecting a more dignified
presidential burial, with due respect to the modest way the Muslims conduct
their burials. Even at a point, a soldier asked, “Why is there no burial party
here?” I immediately wanted to know what burial party was all about. I was told
that it was the usual twenty-one gun salute line-up of soldiers will give to a
fallen officer as his last military respect. But before any of such
arrangement could be made, the body of General Abacha had been lowered into the
grave. There was certainly no fanfare in the burial, it was simple and brisk.
In simple
comparison, I had accompanied General Abacha himself to the burial of a top
military officer and member of the Provisional Ruling Councils who had died
sometime ago and was buried in Minna during his regime. I observed that all the
procedures at that burial in all consideration was better managed, more
respectful and dignified than that of the former Head of State, their
difference in rank and position notwithstanding. There were
quite a number of very important personalities who witnessed the burial. But I
particularly took notice of former Military President, General Ibrahim
Babangida and his wife Mariam, who were seen talking with Mrs. Abacha, probably
trying to console her. There were also some Emirs and other top Northern
leaders who were able to make the trip at such short notice.
At about 9.48 p.m.
when Abacha’s grave was being covered with sand, a powerful businessman from
one of the South Eastern States who was very prominent in Abacha’s campaign for
self succession arrived and broke down weeping and wailing openly. Some
faithful Muslims who dominated the burial reacted negatively to such an
un-lslamic approach to the dead. They threatened to whisk the man out of the
premises if he failed to comport himself. The businessman was among those who
threatened to proceed on exile or commit suicide if General Abacha failed to
become President.
As the burial ended
at about 10.05p.m., we hurriedly left for Abuja. I expected that there could
probably be some other ceremonies. But I was wrong as we left barely twenty
minutes after the body had been interred. We arrived Abuja a few minutes to
twelve midnight and drove straight to Aso Council Chambers in the Villa for the
swearing-in of General Abdulsalami Abubakar as the new Head of State,
Commander-in-Chief of the Nigeria Armed Forces.
-AFTERMATH AND LEGACIES:
A lot has happened
after Abacha’s unexpected demise. From endless probes to court cases with the
Federal Government, Nigerian people have been treated to a lot of drama. While
General Abdusalami had his own probe of Abacha’s government (of which he was
also part of), Olusegun Obasanjo came with the Human Rights Violations Investigation
Committee (HRVIC) better known as the Oputa Panel. Out of a total of 10,000
petitions submitted to the Oputa Panel, a staggering 80% were connected to the
Abacha junta. Well, under the Yar’adua Presidency things calmed down a bit and
under Goodluck Jonathan, the heat on the Abacha family is not the same as it
was under OBJ, except for an occasional shout that some of Abacha’s ‘trillions’
have been discovered.
Quite a number of
places and structures have been named after Abacha within and outside Nigeria:
-Sani Abacha
Stadium, Kano: A multipurpose 25,000-seater stadium which also serves as the
base for Kano Pillars FC. It served as the venue of several international
competitions including the 2000 African Cup of Nations and the FIFA Under-17
World Cup in 2009.
-Sani Abacha Barracks, Abuja: Named after him. In December 2010, an explosion
ripped through the Mammy Market inside the barracks killing people who gathered
there to celebrate the New Year. Air Marshal Oluseyi Petinrin blamed ‘devilish
people’ for the attack. Formerly called Mogadishu Cantonment, Sani Abacha
Barracks has been renamed and is now Mogadishu Barracks.
-Sani Abacha Way,
Old Kiyawa Road, Dutse, Jigawa State.
-Sani Abacha Way,
Gusau, Zamfara State. -Sani Abacha Expressway, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State
-Sani Abacha Youth
Center, Kano State.
-Sani Abacha Way,
Abuja, Federal Capital Territory (for lovers of Yahuza Suya Spot…lol!).
-Sani Abacha Way
(formerly Kano Road), Kano State, Nigeria.
-Sani Abacha Road
(formerly Lagos Road).
-Sani Abacha
Junction, Robinson Street, Enugu State.
-Sani Abacha Way,
GRA (Government Residential Area) Phase 3, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
-Sani Abacha Way,
Sokoto State.
-General Sani
Abatcha Specialist Hospital, Damaturu, Yobe State
Sani Abacha Roundabout, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
-Sani Abacha
Mosque, Maiduguri, Borno State.
-In Freetown, Sierra Leone, there is the Sani Abacha Street also named after
him. This road lies between Wilberforce Street and Fourah Bay Road. Sani Abacha
Street is one of the most densely-populated areas of Freetown, and is a major
business area. There, Abacha is a folk hero, and held in much reverence as
people do in Kano where sugarcane sellers plaster their wheelbarrows with
Abacha stickers. In Kano, you can still see the maishayis (tea
sellers) talking about Abacha in the most glowing terms. Surely, he is very
well-loved in Kano, even in death.
