Sani Abacha
| General Sani Abacha | |
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10th Head of State. Nigeria
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| In office November 17, 1993 – June 8, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Ernest Shonekan |
| Succeeded by | Abdulsalami Abubakar |
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Chief of Army Staff (Nigeria)
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| In office August 1985 – August 1990 |
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| Preceded by | Ibrahim Babangida |
| Succeeded by | Salihu Ibrahim |
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| Born | 20 September 1943 Kano, Nigeria |
| Died | 8 June 1998 (aged 54) Abuja, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Political party | none (military) |
| Spouse(s) | Maryam Abacha |
| Religion | Islam |
General Sani Abacha (20 September 1943 in Kano – 8 June 1998 in Abuja) was a Nigerian military leader and politician. He was the de facto President of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998.[1] He is noted for being a monumental kleptocrat and a notorious dictator whose regime executed political opponents, notably Ken Saro-Wiwa. The Abacha family is regarded as organised crime by the Swiss authorities.[2]
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Political life
Abacha was a Muslim of Kanuri extraction. He was commissioned in 1963, after he had attended the Mons Defence Officers cadet Training College in Aldershot, England. Before then, he had attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. He took part in the countercoup of July 1966, from the conceptual stage, and may have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the January 1966 coup. He was also a prominent figure in three coup d'etats of later decades, the first two of which brought and removed General Muhammadu Buhari from power in 1983. When General Ibrahim Babangida was named President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1985, Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff. He was later appointed Minister of Defence in 1990.[3][4]
Abacha took over power from the caretaker government of Chief Ernest Shonekan, who was put into place by General Ibrahim Babangida after his annulment of the 12 June 1993 elections (won by Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola) caused a massive popular uproar causing untold hardship to millions of nigerians.
Human rights abuses
Abacha's government was accused of human rights abuses, especially after the hanging of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa by the Oputa Commission (only one of several executions of Ogoni activists opposed to the exploitation of Nigerian resources by multinational petroleum companies); Abiola and Olusegun Obasanjo were jailed for treason, and Wole Soyinka charged in absentia with treason.[5] His regime suffered stiff opposition internally and externally by pro-democracy activists who made the regime unpopular, and responded by banning political activity in general and by controlling the press in particular; a significant fraction of the military was purged. Abacha surrounded himself with approximately 3,000 armed men loyal to himself.[5] His government compared to other Nigerian governments was characterised by an inconsistent foreign policy. He supported the Economic Community of West African States and sent Nigerian troops to Liberia and Sierra Leone to restore democracy to those countries while denying it at home.[5] Abacha scoffed at the threat of economic sanctions on account of the world's dependence on petroleum, of which Nigeria is a major producer.[6]
Corruption allegations
During Abacha's regime, a total of £3 billion was reported siphoned out of the country's coffers by the head of state and members of his family[7]. At that time Abacha was listed as the world's fourth most corrupt leader in recent history.[8][9]
Death
General Abacha died in June 1998 while at the presidential villa in Abuja in the company of Jeremiah Useni who was Chief of Staff from 1997 to 1998 and one Musa Abdullahi who sources close to the military junta claimed was the unofficial strategist and mastermind of Abacha's plan to transform himself into a democratically elected dictator. He was 54. He was buried on the same day, according to Muslim religion, without an autopsy, fuelling speculations that he may have been poisoned by political rivals (via prostitutes)[10]. there was an allegation that the prostitutes were imported from either India or Egypt
After his death, Maj. Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, Nigeria's defence chief of staff, was sworn in as the country's head of state. Abubakar had never before held public office and was quick to announce a transition to democratic civilian rule which led to the election of President Olusegun Obasanjo.[4]
Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha and had seven sons and three daughters.[11]
Recovery of stolen billions
The government of Obasanjo has implicated the deceased general and his family in a wholesale looting of Nigeria's coffers. According to post-Abacha governmental sources, some $3[5] or $4 billion USD in foreign assets have been traced to Abacha, his family and their representatives, $2.1 billion of which the Nigerian government tentatively came to an agreement with the Abacha family to return, with the quid pro quo being that the Abachas would be allowed to keep the rest of the money. Although this proposal caused a massive outcry at the time for seeming to reward the theft of public funds, it was subsequently rejected by the late dictator's son, Mohammed Abacha, who continues to maintain that all the assets in question were legitimately acquired.[12][13] In 2002, Abacha's family agreed to return $1.2 billion that was taken from the central bank.[14]
False usage of Sani Abacha's name by advance fee fraud conmen
The names of Sani Abacha, his wife Maryam, and son Mohammed[15] are often used in advance fee fraud (419) scams; he is "identified" in scam letters as the source for "money" that does not exist.[16][17]
References
- ↑ Paden, John N. (2005) Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution, Brookings Institution Press. p. 240. ISBN 0-8157-6817-6.
- ↑ http://www.newstimeafrica.com/archives/8904
- ↑ Oyewole, A. (1987) Historical Dictionary of Nigeria, Scarecrow Press. p. 385. ISBN 0-8108-1787-X.
- ↑ http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9389478 "Abacha, Sani."
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Abacha, Sani." Encyclopædia Britannica. 3 February 2007
- ↑ "Shakedown" by Kenneth Timmerman
- ↑ "Late Nigerian Dictator Looted Nearly $500 Million, Swiss Say". The New York Times. 19 August 2004. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/world/late-nigerian-dictator-looted-nearly-500-million-swiss-say.html. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ↑ http://www.transparency.org.
- ↑ TI press release Introduction to Political Corruption pg. 13, London, 25 March 2004. Interestingly, during a service marking the 10th year anniversary of the death of the dictator, several former Nigerian heads of state, including Gen. M Buhari(rtd.), refuted claims that Abacha looted the country, claiming such accusations are "baseless".id=113628, [1] http://www.transparency.org/publications/gcr/download_gcr/download_gcr_2004]
- ↑ Weiner, Tim (11 July 1998). "U.S. Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/11/world/us-aides-say-nigeria-leader-might-have-been-poisoned.html?scp=8&sq=abacha&st=cse. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ↑ "Newsmaker Profiles: Sani Abacha Nigerian President," CNN
- ↑ Norris, Floyd (21 April 2002). "Ideas & Trends; A Nigerian Miracle". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/21/weekinreview/ideas-trends-a-nigerian-miracle.html. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
- ↑ Easterly, William. (2002) The Elusive Quest for Growth, MIT Press. p. 245. ISBN 0-262-55042-3.
- ↑ The Worldwatch Institute. (2003) Vital Signs 2003, The Worldwatch Institute. p. 115. ISBN 0-393-32440-0.
- ↑ "Nigeria recovers Abacha's cash". BBC News. 1998-11-10. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/211324.stm. Retrieved 2006-10-21.
- ↑ Zuckoff, Mitchell. "The Perfect Mark." The New Yorker. [2], page 3.
- ↑ Who wants to be a millionaire? - An online collection of Nigerian scam mails
External links
- "Abacha dies at 54" - BBC
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ibrahim Babangida |
Chief of the Army Staff 1985 – 1990 |
Succeeded by S Ibrahim |
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ernest Shonekan |
Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria 1993 – 1998 |
Succeeded by Abdulsalami Abubakar |
| Preceded by Jerry Rawlings |
Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States 1996 – 1998 |
Succeeded by Abdulsalami Abubakar |
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