Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), has described the circumstances surrounding the death of the late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, as suspicious, saying the events of that day left him feeling that “something was fishy.”
Abacha died suddenly on June 8, 1998, while still serving as Nigeria’s Head of State, with the official explanation pointing to a heart attack. In a new account contained in his book, Call of Duty, and recent media interviews, Abdulsalami recalls that he and the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi, were mysteriously locked inside a waiting room at the Presidential Villa for nearly an hour before being told Abacha had died.
According to Abdulsalami, he was urgently summoned to the Villa that morning but, on arrival, was led into a room and the door was shut with no explanation. He said he and Bamaiyi waited there, confused and cut off from information, until the then Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, eventually opened the door and informed them that the Head of State was dead.
Abdulsalami writes that the way they were confined without any briefing, and only later told of Abacha’s death, made him suspect that some officers within the military hierarchy had “other plans” as events unfolded in Aso Villa. Although he stops short of accusing anyone directly, he suggests that the handling of the situation and the secrecy around it were not normal, reinforcing his sense that the circumstances were suspicious.
The former Head of State’s revelations add fresh detail to long-standing questions about what really happened before and immediately after Abacha’s sudden death. His account also highlights the intense intrigue and manoeuvring that followed in the hours leading to his own emergence as Nigeria’s new military leader.
Abdulsalami’s comments come as part of broader reflections in his book on key moments in Nigeria’s recent history, including the June 12 election annulment and the deaths of prominent political figures such as Chief M.K.O. Abiola. He maintains that, just as Abiola’s autopsy pointed to natural causes, Abacha’s passing officially remains attributed to a sudden medical crisis, even though many Nigerians continue to view both deaths with deep suspicion.
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