Revisiting the day Nigeria’s former military head of state, Sani Abacha died, 22 years ago
In a swift errand of time, 22 years have now passed since one of Nigeria’s most ruthless and corrupt heads of state, General Sani Abacha died at the age of 54. The dictator who came into power after overthrowing the interim civilian government of Ernest Shonekan in 1993 died on June 8, 1998, after five years of presiding over a regime that was marked with a high rate of human rights abuse.
Although Abacha died of a suspected heart attack, many conspiracies have emerged over the circumstances surrounding his sudden death. In a story published by the New York Times on July 11, 1998, some United States Intelligence analysts said there was evidence that the former head of state “was poisoned while in the company of three prostitutes”.
”We’ve heard rumors that General Abacha was poisoned while drinking juice, carousing with young women, eating an apple, even experimenting with Viagra,” the New York Times quoted an official from Western Nigeria.
Despite his close acquaintances insisting that he died of heart attack, this version of the story gained popularity in Nigeria and has been passed down to this day.
However, on the particular day that Abacha’s death was announced, members of the military council had concluded consultations as his body was brought out of the presidential villa and taken away in an ambulance. He was buried within hours of his death amid heavy press coverage which stirred jubilations across some parts of the country.
“I thought it was NEPA who had done the needful. You know that feeling when NEPA restores power after a week, the whole neighbourhood goes into some sort of short-lived frenzy,” recalls Nigerian journalist, Mayowa Tijani.
“This time, it was not NEPA. It was more; ladies and gentlemen, the dictator is dead! The streets soon burst into singing and dancing and drumming and drinking.”
Abacha had lost all affection with most Nigerians due to his authoritarian rule which among many other painful atrocities included the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, a highly regarded Niger-Delta writer, environmental and human rights activist, alongside his eight other Ogoni comrades. The action was met with international outrage and sparked a desire to put an end to his reign of terror.
With his death, many people saw it as providence, a chance for Nigerians struggling under his brutal regime to finally have a reprieve. Chief MKO Abiola who was adjudged the winner of the June 12 elections in 1993 was still held in detention at this time, and the expectation was that he would replace Abacha as a democratic president. This did not materialize as Abiola died a month later on July 11, 1998, while still in detention.
This was a big blow to many who wanted new democratic leadership. But Abacha’s death, however, had paved the way for the end to military rule in Nigeria. It set things in motion for the eventual transition to democracy in 1999.
