fbpx
Wikipedia

Sani Abacha

Sani Abacha (listen) GCFR (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state after seizing power in 1993 until his death in 1998. Abacha's seizure of power was the last successful coup d'etat in the Nigerian military history.

Sani Abacha
10th Head of State of Nigeria
In office
17 November 1993 – 8 June 1998
Chief of General StaffOladipo Diya
Preceded byErnest Shonekan
Succeeded byAbdulsalami Abubakar
Minister of Defence
In office
August 1990 – 17 November 1993
Preceded byDomkat Bali
Succeeded byTheophilus Danjuma
Chief of Defence Staff
In office
August 1990 – 17 November 1993
Preceded byDomkat Bali
Succeeded byOladipo Diya
Chief of Army Staff
In office
August 1985 – August 1990
Preceded byIbrahim Babangida
Succeeded bySalihu Ibrahim
Personal details
Born(1943-09-20)20 September 1943
Kano, Northern Region, British Nigeria
(now Kano, Nigeria)
Died8 June 1998(1998-06-08) (aged 54)
State House, Abuja, Nigeria
Cause of deathUnnatural Death (alleged)
Political partynone (military)
SpouseMaryam Abacha
Children
See
  • Ibrahim
    Mohammed
    Abba
    Mahmud
    Sadiq
    Zainab
    Fatima Gumsu
    Rakiya
    Abdullahi
    Mustapha
Signature
Military service
Allegiance Nigeria
Branch/service Nigerian Army
Years of service1963–1998
Rank General
Battles/warsNigerian Civil War
First Liberian Civil War

Abacha served as Chief of Army Staff from 1985 to 1990, as Chief of Defence Staff from 1990 to 1993, and as Minister of Defence. Abacha is noted for having been the first Nigerian Army officer to attain the rank of a full military general without skipping a single rank.[1]

His rule saw the achievement of several economic feats and also recorded human rights abuses and several political assassinations.[2][3] He has been dubbed a kleptocrat and a dictator by several modern commentators.[4][5][6][7][8] He was succeeded as Nigeria's head of state by Abdulsalami Abubakar.

Early life

Abacha was born and brought up in Kano.[9][10] He attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna, and was commissioned in 1963 after he had attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England.[11]

Military career

Abacha was involved in all the military coups in Nigeria during his military career: In 1966, when he was still a second lieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in Kaduna, he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian counter-coup from the conceptual stage.[12] He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup the previous January as well.[13] In 1969, he fought during the Nigerian Civil War as a platoon and battalion commander. He later became commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in 1975.[14] In 1983, Abacha was general officer commanding of the 2nd Mechanised Division, and was appointed a member of the Supreme Military Council.[15]

In 1983, Abacha played a prominent role in the 1983 Nigerian coup d'état which brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power; and the 1985 Nigerian coup d'etat which removed Buhari and brought General Ibrahim Babangida to power.[16] 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.[17][18][19]

Year Insignia Rank
1963   Second lieutenant (Commissioned)
1966   Lieutenant
1967   Captain
1969   Major
1972   Lieutenant colonel
1975   Colonel
1980   Brigadier general
1984   Major general
1987   Lieutenant general
October 1990   General

Seizure of power

Abacha was the defence minister and most senior official within the military hierarchy during the crisis of the Third Republic. He orchestrated the coup d'etat of 1993 which overthrew the Interim National Government of Ernest Shonekan.[20] In his nationwide broadcast, Abacha portrayed the overthrow as an act of stability brought about through the socio-political uncertainties caused by the 1993 presidential election.[21]

Head of state

Abacha ruled as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998. In September 1994, he issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts[22] effectively giving him absolute power. Another decree gave him the right to detain anyone for up to three months without trial. He further abrogated Decree 691 of 1993.[23][24]

Regime maintenance

Abacha assembled a personal security force of 3,000 men trained in North Korea. Abacha's chief security officer Hamza al-Mustapha had an iron grip on the apparatus of military-security. the Nigeria Police Force underwent a large scale retraining. The state cracked down ruthlessly on criminals and dissidents, the National Democratic Coalition was attributed with several bombings across the country, and several members were arrested.[25] When Moshood Abiola proclaimed himself president, he was jailed for treason and subsequently died in custody.[26] Also, former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo was jailed for treason and accused of plotting a coup together with General Oladipo Diya.[27] In 1997, General Shehu Yar'Adua who was also jailed died in custody. Abacha's regime was accused of human rights abuses, especially after the hanging of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa (only one of several executions of Ogoni activists opposed to the exploitation of Nigerian resources by the multinational petroleum company, Royal Dutch Shell), whose death later led to the eviction of Nigeria from the Commonwealth Nations.[28] Wole Soyinka was charged in absentia with treason.[18] Abacha's regime suffered opposition externally by pro-democracy activists.

National economy

Abacha's administration oversaw an increase in the country's foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997, and reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997.[29][30] Abacha also constructed between 25–100 km of urban road in major cities such as Kano, Gusau, Benin, Funtua, Zaria, Enugu, Kaduna, Aba, Lagos, Lokoja and Port Harcourt.[31] Abacha brought the privatisation programs of the Ibrahim Babangida administration to a halt, reduced an inflation rate of 54% inherited from Ernest Shonekan to 8.5% between 1993 and 1998, all while the nation's primary commodity, oil was at an average of $15 per barrel.[30] GDP growth, despite being estimated to be higher than the 2.2% growth in 1995, was largely limited to the petroleum sector.[32]

Embezzlement of state funds

The unprecedented economic achievements coincided with the rapid expansion of embezzlement hitherto unseen in the history of corruption in Nigeria in the alleged saga known as "Abacha loot".[33] Abacha's national security adviser, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, was accused by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to have played a central role in the looting and transfer of money to overseas accounts.[34] Abacha's son, Mohammed Abacha and best friend Alhaji Mohammed M. Sada were also involved. A preliminary report published by the Abdulsalam Abubakar transitional government in November 1998 described the process. The report mentioned that Sani Abacha told Ismaila Gwarzo to provide fake national security funding requests, which Abacha approved. The funds were usually sent in cash or travellers' cheques by the Central Bank of Nigeria to Gwarzo, who took them to Abacha's house. Mohammed Sada then arranged to launder the money to offshore accounts. An estimated $1.4 billion in cash was delivered in this way.[35]

In 2004, a list of the ten most self-enriching leaders in the previous two decades was released;[36] in order of amount allegedly stolen, the fourth-ranked of these was Abacha and his family who are alleged to have embezzled $1 billion – $5 billion.[37] In 2002, false rumours circulated that Abacha's family purportedly agreed to return $1.2 billion. Sources in the Obasanjo administration disclosed that the whole Abacha loot was politicised by the administration for his re-election bid.[38] On 7 August 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced the forfeiture of US$480 million, the largest in its history, to the Nigerian government.[39] Jersey discovered more than $267 million dollars in funds that were allegedly laundered through the U.S. banking system and deposited in a Jersey account (£210m in British pounds). The U.S. Justice Department, Jersey courts and the government of Nigeria completed a civil asset forfeiture against the funds and they will be divided between those countries.[40]

National politics

Abacha oversaw the reorganisation of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones,[41] in order to reflect cultural, economic, and political realities of the regions;

Abacha held a constitutional conference between 1993 to 1995. Early in 1998, Abacha announced that elections would be held on 1 August, with a view toward handing power to a civilian government on 1 October. It later became apparent that Abacha had no intention of relinquishing power. By April 1998, Abacha had coerced the country's five political parties into endorsing him as the sole presidential candidate.

Foreign policy

In 1995, following the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations.[42][43] While hosting Nelson Mandela, Abacha admitted he was advised against interfering with the Saro-Wiwa's trial—but made assurances that he would use his rank in government to commute the sentence if death sentence was pronounced. Justice Ibrahim Auta was the judge presiding over the proceedings, and sentenced Saro-Wiwa to death by hanging.[44] Abacha did not commute the sentence.[citation needed]

In 1997, Muammar Gaddafi's West African Tour to Sani Abacha to mark the new Islamic year directly infringed United Nations Sanctions on Libya, yet he was greeted by thousands of Abacha's supporters who came out to demonstrate their loyalty in Kano.[45] The Libyan leader made no commitments to Nigeria but merely sought to strengthen relations with the country, many saw the visit as a way to strengthen his agenda of Pan-Africanism.[citation needed]

Abacha intervened in the Liberian Civil War. Through the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, Abacha sent troops to Liberia to fight against the rising insurgency in the country and political tensions. The Civil War, which began in 1989, saw an influx of Nigerian troops from 1990 when Abacha was defence minister.[citation needed]

Despite being repeatedly condemned by the US State Department,[46] Abacha did have a few ties to American politics. In 1997, Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) travelled to Nigeria to meet with Abacha as a representative of the "Family", a group of evangelical Christian politicians and civic leaders. Abacha and the Family had a business and political relationship from that point until his death.[47][48] Abacha also developed ties with other American political figures such as Senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-Illinois) Rev. Jesse Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan. Several African American political leaders visited Nigeria during his reign and Farrakhan supported his administration.

Death

On 8 June 1998, Abacha died in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. He was buried on the same day according to Muslim tradition and without an autopsy, fueling speculation that he may have been assassinated.[49] The government identified the cause of death as a sudden heart attack.[50] It is believed by foreign diplomats, including United States Intelligence analysts, that he may have been poisoned.[51] His chief security officer, Hamza al-Mustapha, believed he was poisoned by Israeli operatives in the company of Yasser Arafat.[52] At his death, he was about to transfer power to a civilian government in October 1998, implemented in October 1995.[53]

After Abacha's death, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became head of state, whose short tenure ushered the Fourth Nigerian Republic into existence.[54]

Personal life

Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha and had seven sons and three daughters, he became a grandfather posthumously; as of 2018 he had thirty-three grandchildren.[55]

See also

References

  1. ^ Paden, John N. (2005) Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution, Brookings Institution Press. p. 240. ISBN 0-8157-6817-6.
  2. ^ Kaufman, Michael T. (9 June 1998). "NEW CHAPTER IN NIGERIA: THE OBITUARY; Sani Abacha, 54, a Beacon of Brutality in an Era when Brutality Was Standard". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "Nigeria: Statements on Assassination, 6/5/'96".
  4. ^ Barrett, Devlin (5 March 2014). "U.S. Seizes Largest Ever Embezzlement by Foreign Dictator". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  5. ^ "African kleptocrats are finding it tougher to stash cash in the West". The Economist. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  6. ^ Olawoyin, Oladeinde (23 May 2018). "Again, Buhari lauds late kleptocrat dictator, Sani Abacha". Premium Times (Nigeria). Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  7. ^ "U.S. Freezes More Than $458 Million Stolen by Former Nigerian Dictator in Largest Kleptocracy Forfeiture Action Ever Brought in the U.S." US Department of Justice. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  8. ^ "Nigeria to recover $300m stolen by its former military ruler". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  9. ^ "20 things to remember about Abacha". TheCable. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Sani Abacha | Nigerian military leader". Encyclopedia Britannica.
  11. ^ "NEW CHAPTER IN NIGERIA: THE OBITUARY; Sani Abacha, 54, a Beacon of Brutality In an Era When Brutality Was Standard". The New York Times. 9 June 1998. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
  12. ^ Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966–1976). Algora. p. 97. ISBN 9780875867090.
  13. ^ Siollun, Max (2009). Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966-1976). Algora Publishing. ISBN 978-0-87586-709-0.
  14. ^ Akyeampong, Emmanuel Kwaku; Gates, Henry Louis (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.
  15. ^ Balogun, M. J. (2009), Balogun, M. J. (ed.), "Leadership as an Imposition: the Military Shortcut to Power", The Route to Power in Nigeria: A Dynamic Engagement Option for Current and Aspiring Leaders, Palgrave Macmillan US, pp. 163–193, doi:10.1057/9780230100848_9, ISBN 978-0-230-10084-8
  16. ^ "Nigeria: Palace Coup of 1985 By Dr. Nowa Omoigui". www.waado.org. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  17. ^ Oyewole, A. (1987) Historical Dictionary of Nigeria, Scarecrow Press. p. 385. ISBN 0-8108-1787-X.
  18. ^ a b "Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia". eb.com.
  19. ^ Siollun, Max (29 August 2019). Nigeria's Soldiers of Fortune: The Abacha and Obasanjo Years. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-1-78738-202-2.
  20. ^ "Nigerian Military Leader Ousts Interim President". The New York Times. Associated Press. 18 November 1993. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Nigeria Coup Video, Abacha Coup". YouTube. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021.
  22. ^ Gros, Jean-Germa (24 September 1998). Democratization in Late Twentieth-Century Africa: Coping with Uncertainty: Coping with Uncertainty. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-37090-8.
  23. ^ "Nigerian Military Ruler Assumes Absolute Power". AP. 7 September 1994 – via The New York Times.
  24. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Refworld | U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1998 - Nigeria". Refworld. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  25. ^ Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for. "Nigeria: Bombing incidents at Lagos airport between June 1996 and November 1997, including identity of persons injured, reaction of authorities and outcome of investigations or prosecutions". Refworld. Retrieved 13 May 2020.
  26. ^ "Nigeria: Human Rights Watch Africa". www.africa.upenn.edu. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  27. ^ "NEW NIGERIA CHIEF PLEDGES A RETURN TO CIVILIAN RULE". The New York Times. 10 June 1998.
  28. ^ Arnold, Guy (2005). Africa: A Modern History. London: Atlantic Books. p. 789. ISBN 9781843541769.
  29. ^ "Why we honoured Abacha - Nigerian government - Premium Times Nigeria". 1 March 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  30. ^ a b "Why we honoured Abacha – Nigerian government – Premium Times Nigeria". Premium Times Nigeria. March 2014.
  31. ^ Editor. "Why did a U.S. magazine label Nigerian leader Sani Abacha as 'Thug of the Year' in 1995?". Ogoni News. Retrieved 24 May 2020. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  32. ^ United States Department of State, Nigeria Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996, 30 Jan 1997, available at: https://1997-2001.state.gov/global/human_rights/1996_hrp_report/nigeria.html
  33. ^ "Sani Abacha - the hunt for the billions stolen by Nigeria's ex-leader". BBC News. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  34. ^ Elizabeth Olson (26 January 2000). "Swiss Freeze A Dictator's Giant Cache". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
  35. ^ Lewis, Peter (2007). Growing apart: oil, politics, and economic change in Indonesia and Nigeria. University of Michigan Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-472-06980-4.
  36. ^ "Introduction to Political Corruption" (PDF). transparency.org. London. 25 March 2004. p. 13.
  37. ^ "Late Nigerian Dictator Looted Nearly $500 Million, Swiss Say". The New York Times. 19 August 2004. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  38. ^ The Worldwatch Institute. (2003) Vital Signs 2003, The Worldwatch Institute. p. 115. ISBN 0-393-32440-0.
  39. ^ "U.S. Forfeits Over $480 Million Stolen by Former Nigerian Dictator in Largest Forfeiture Ever Obtained Through a Kleptocracy Action". The United States Department of Justice. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  40. ^ "Dictator's £210m seized from Jersey account". 4 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  41. ^ Nwala, Uzodinma T. (1997). "Nigeria: Path to Unity and Stability Abuja National Constitutional Conference (1994-95)" (PDF).
  42. ^ "Commonwealth Suspends Nigeria Over Executions". New York Times. 12 November 1995. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  43. ^ Falola & Heaton (24 April 2008). A History of Nigeria. Cambridge University Press, 2008. p. xix. ISBN 9781139472036. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  44. ^ "Ken-Saro Wiwa Killer Judge Becomes Acting Chief Judge Of Nigeria". saharareporters.com. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  45. ^ AP Archive (21 July 2015), Nigeria - Gaddafi arrives to celebrate holiday, archived from the original on 17 November 2021, retrieved 31 March 2019
  46. ^ "Return of the ugly American". salon.com. 10 November 1999.
  47. ^ "Junkets for Jesus". Mother Jones.
  48. ^ "A Different Perspective On 'The Family' And Uganda". NPR.org. 22 December 2009.
  49. ^ "General Sani Abacha Profile". Africa Confidential. Retrieved 19 June 2012.
  50. ^ Weiner, Tim (11 July 1998). "U.S. Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned". The New York Times. Retrieved 9 April 2010.
  51. ^ Weiner, Tim (11 July 1998). "U.S. Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned". The New York Times.
  52. ^ Opejobi, Seun (19 June 2017). "Details of how Abacha died in 1998 – Al-Mustapha". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  53. ^ "BBC News | Analysis | Nigeria: General Abacha's era of dictatorship".
  54. ^ "Sani Abacha: Timeline of the late Nigerian dictator's life". BBC News. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  55. ^ . CNN. Archived from the original on 8 April 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2014., CNN.

External links

sani, abacha, listen, gcfr, september, 1943, june, 1998, nigerian, military, officer, politician, ruled, military, head, state, after, seizing, power, 1993, until, death, 1998, abacha, seizure, power, last, successful, coup, etat, nigerian, military, history, . Sani Abacha listen GCFR 20 September 1943 8 June 1998 was a Nigerian military officer and politician who ruled as the military head of state after seizing power in 1993 until his death in 1998 Abacha s seizure of power was the last successful coup d etat in the Nigerian military history GeneralSani AbachaGCFR10th Head of State of NigeriaIn office 17 November 1993 8 June 1998Chief of General StaffOladipo DiyaPreceded byErnest ShonekanSucceeded byAbdulsalami AbubakarMinister of DefenceIn office August 1990 17 November 1993Preceded byDomkat BaliSucceeded byTheophilus DanjumaChief of Defence StaffIn office August 1990 17 November 1993Preceded byDomkat BaliSucceeded byOladipo DiyaChief of Army StaffIn office August 1985 August 1990Preceded byIbrahim BabangidaSucceeded bySalihu IbrahimPersonal detailsBorn 1943 09 20 20 September 1943Kano Northern Region British Nigeria now Kano Nigeria Died8 June 1998 1998 06 08 aged 54 State House Abuja NigeriaCause of deathUnnatural Death alleged Political partynone military SpouseMaryam AbachaChildrenSee IbrahimMohammedAbbaMahmudSadiqZainabFatima GumsuRakiyaAbdullahiMustaphaSignatureMilitary serviceAllegiance NigeriaBranch serviceNigerian ArmyYears of service1963 1998RankGeneralBattles warsNigerian Civil WarFirst Liberian Civil WarAbacha served as Chief of Army Staff from 1985 to 1990 as Chief of Defence Staff from 1990 to 1993 and as Minister of Defence Abacha is noted for having been the first Nigerian Army officer to attain the rank of a full military general without skipping a single rank 1 His rule saw the achievement of several economic feats and also recorded human rights abuses and several political assassinations 2 3 He has been dubbed a kleptocrat and a dictator by several modern commentators 4 5 6 7 8 He was succeeded as Nigeria s head of state by Abdulsalami Abubakar Contents 1 Early life 2 Military career 3 Seizure of power 4 Head of state 4 1 Regime maintenance 4 2 National economy 4 3 Embezzlement of state funds 4 4 National politics 4 5 Foreign policy 5 Death 6 Personal life 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEarly life EditAbacha was born and brought up in Kano 9 10 He attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna and was commissioned in 1963 after he had attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot England 11 Military career EditAbacha was involved in all the military coups in Nigeria during his military career In 1966 when he was still a second lieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in Kaduna he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian counter coup from the conceptual stage 12 He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup the previous January as well 13 In 1969 he fought during the Nigerian Civil War as a platoon and battalion commander He later became commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in 1975 14 In 1983 Abacha was general officer commanding of the 2nd Mechanised Division and was appointed a member of the Supreme Military Council 15 In 1983 Abacha played a prominent role in the 1983 Nigerian coup d etat which brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power and the 1985 Nigerian coup d etat which removed Buhari and brought General Ibrahim Babangida to power 16 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 17 18 19 Year Insignia Rank1963 Second lieutenant Commissioned 1966 Lieutenant1967 Captain1969 Major1972 Lieutenant colonel1975 Colonel1980 Brigadier general1984 Major general1987 Lieutenant generalOctober 1990 GeneralSeizure of power EditMain article 1993 Nigerian coup d etat Abacha was the defence minister and most senior official within the military hierarchy during the crisis of the Third Republic He orchestrated the coup d etat of 1993 which overthrew the Interim National Government of Ernest Shonekan 20 In his nationwide broadcast Abacha portrayed the overthrow as an act of stability brought about through the socio political uncertainties caused by the 1993 presidential election 21 Head of state EditAbacha ruled as Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998 In September 1994 he issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts 22 effectively giving him absolute power Another decree gave him the right to detain anyone for up to three months without trial He further abrogated Decree 691 of 1993 23 24 Regime maintenance Edit Abacha assembled a personal security force of 3 000 men trained in North Korea Abacha s chief security officer Hamza al Mustapha had an iron grip on the apparatus of military security the Nigeria Police Force underwent a large scale retraining The state cracked down ruthlessly on criminals and dissidents the National Democratic Coalition was attributed with several bombings across the country and several members were arrested 25 When Moshood Abiola proclaimed himself president he was jailed for treason and subsequently died in custody 26 Also former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo was jailed for treason and accused of plotting a coup together with General Oladipo Diya 27 In 1997 General Shehu Yar Adua who was also jailed died in custody Abacha s regime was accused of human rights abuses especially after the hanging of Ogoni activist Ken Saro Wiwa only one of several executions of Ogoni activists opposed to the exploitation of Nigerian resources by the multinational petroleum company Royal Dutch Shell whose death later led to the eviction of Nigeria from the Commonwealth Nations 28 Wole Soyinka was charged in absentia with treason 18 Abacha s regime suffered opposition externally by pro democracy activists National economy Edit Abacha s administration oversaw an increase in the country s foreign exchange reserves from 494 million in 1993 to 9 6 billion by the middle of 1997 and reduced the external debt of Nigeria from 36 billion in 1993 to 27 billion by 1997 29 30 Abacha also constructed between 25 100 km of urban road in major cities such as Kano Gusau Benin Funtua Zaria Enugu Kaduna Aba Lagos Lokoja and Port Harcourt 31 Abacha brought the privatisation programs of the Ibrahim Babangida administration to a halt reduced an inflation rate of 54 inherited from Ernest Shonekan to 8 5 between 1993 and 1998 all while the nation s primary commodity oil was at an average of 15 per barrel 30 GDP growth despite being estimated to be higher than the 2 2 growth in 1995 was largely limited to the petroleum sector 32 Embezzlement of state funds Edit The unprecedented economic achievements coincided with the rapid expansion of embezzlement hitherto unseen in the history of corruption in Nigeria in the alleged saga known as Abacha loot 33 Abacha s national security adviser Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo was accused by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to have played a central role in the looting and transfer of money to overseas accounts 34 Abacha s son Mohammed Abacha and best friend Alhaji Mohammed M Sada were also involved A preliminary report published by the Abdulsalam Abubakar transitional government in November 1998 described the process The report mentioned that Sani Abacha told Ismaila Gwarzo to provide fake national security funding requests which Abacha approved The funds were usually sent in cash or travellers cheques by the Central Bank of Nigeria to Gwarzo who took them to Abacha s house Mohammed Sada then arranged to launder the money to offshore accounts An estimated 1 4 billion in cash was delivered in this way 35 In 2004 a list of the ten most self enriching leaders in the previous two decades was released 36 in order of amount allegedly stolen the fourth ranked of these was Abacha and his family who are alleged to have embezzled 1 billion 5 billion 37 In 2002 false rumours circulated that Abacha s family purportedly agreed to return 1 2 billion Sources in the Obasanjo administration disclosed that the whole Abacha loot was politicised by the administration for his re election bid 38 On 7 August 2014 the United States Department of Justice announced the forfeiture of US 480 million the largest in its history to the Nigerian government 39 Jersey discovered more than 267 million dollars in funds that were allegedly laundered through the U S banking system and deposited in a Jersey account 210m in British pounds The U S Justice Department Jersey courts and the government of Nigeria completed a civil asset forfeiture against the funds and they will be divided between those countries 40 National politics Edit This provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject Please help improve the article by providing more context for the reader April 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Abacha oversaw the reorganisation of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones 41 in order to reflect cultural economic and political realities of the regions North Central Benue State Kogi State Kwara State Nasarawa State Niger State Plateau State and Federal Capital Territory Nigeria North East Adamawa State Bauchi State Borno State Gombe State Taraba State and Yobe State North West Jigawa State Kaduna State Kano State Katsina State Kebbi State Sokoto State and Zamfara State South East Abia State Anambra State Ebonyi State Enugu State and Imo State South South Akwa Ibom State Bayelsa State Cross River State Delta State Edo State and Rivers State South West Ekiti State Lagos State Ogun State Ondo State Osun State and Oyo State Abacha held a constitutional conference between 1993 to 1995 Early in 1998 Abacha announced that elections would be held on 1 August with a view toward handing power to a civilian government on 1 October It later became apparent that Abacha had no intention of relinquishing power By April 1998 Abacha had coerced the country s five political parties into endorsing him as the sole presidential candidate Foreign policy Edit In 1995 following the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations 42 43 While hosting Nelson Mandela Abacha admitted he was advised against interfering with the Saro Wiwa s trial but made assurances that he would use his rank in government to commute the sentence if death sentence was pronounced Justice Ibrahim Auta was the judge presiding over the proceedings and sentenced Saro Wiwa to death by hanging 44 Abacha did not commute the sentence citation needed In 1997 Muammar Gaddafi s West African Tour to Sani Abacha to mark the new Islamic year directly infringed United Nations Sanctions on Libya yet he was greeted by thousands of Abacha s supporters who came out to demonstrate their loyalty in Kano 45 The Libyan leader made no commitments to Nigeria but merely sought to strengthen relations with the country many saw the visit as a way to strengthen his agenda of Pan Africanism citation needed Abacha intervened in the Liberian Civil War Through the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group Abacha sent troops to Liberia to fight against the rising insurgency in the country and political tensions The Civil War which began in 1989 saw an influx of Nigerian troops from 1990 when Abacha was defence minister citation needed Despite being repeatedly condemned by the US State Department 46 Abacha did have a few ties to American politics In 1997 Senator James Inhofe R Oklahoma travelled to Nigeria to meet with Abacha as a representative of the Family a group of evangelical Christian politicians and civic leaders Abacha and the Family had a business and political relationship from that point until his death 47 48 Abacha also developed ties with other American political figures such as Senator Carol Moseley Braun D Illinois Rev Jesse Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan Several African American political leaders visited Nigeria during his reign and Farrakhan supported his administration Death EditOn 8 June 1998 Abacha died in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja He was buried on the same day according to Muslim tradition and without an autopsy fueling speculation that he may have been assassinated 49 The government identified the cause of death as a sudden heart attack 50 It is believed by foreign diplomats including United States Intelligence analysts that he may have been poisoned 51 His chief security officer Hamza al Mustapha believed he was poisoned by Israeli operatives in the company of Yasser Arafat 52 At his death he was about to transfer power to a civilian government in October 1998 implemented in October 1995 53 After Abacha s death General Abdulsalami Abubakar became head of state whose short tenure ushered the Fourth Nigerian Republic into existence 54 Personal life EditAbacha was married to Maryam Abacha and had seven sons and three daughters he became a grandfather posthumously as of 2018 he had thirty three grandchildren 55 See also EditList of unsolved deathsReferences Edit Paden John N 2005 Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution Brookings Institution Press p 240 ISBN 0 8157 6817 6 Kaufman Michael T 9 June 1998 NEW CHAPTER IN NIGERIA THE OBITUARY Sani Abacha 54 a Beacon of Brutality in an Era when Brutality Was Standard The New York Times Nigeria Statements on Assassination 6 5 96 Barrett Devlin 5 March 2014 U S Seizes Largest Ever Embezzlement by Foreign Dictator Wall Street Journal Retrieved 26 May 2020 African kleptocrats are finding it tougher to stash cash in the West The Economist 10 October 2019 Retrieved 26 May 2020 Olawoyin Oladeinde 23 May 2018 Again Buhari lauds late kleptocrat dictator Sani Abacha Premium Times Nigeria Retrieved 26 May 2020 U S Freezes More Than 458 Million Stolen by Former Nigerian Dictator in Largest Kleptocracy Forfeiture Action Ever Brought in the U S US Department of Justice 5 March 2014 Retrieved 26 May 2020 Nigeria to recover 300m stolen by its former military ruler Al Jazeera Retrieved 8 October 2020 20 things to remember about Abacha TheCable 8 June 2016 Retrieved 24 May 2020 Sani Abacha Nigerian military leader Encyclopedia Britannica NEW CHAPTER IN NIGERIA THE OBITUARY Sani Abacha 54 a Beacon of Brutality In an Era When Brutality Was Standard The New York Times 9 June 1998 Retrieved 6 February 2019 Siollun Max 2009 Oil Politics and Violence Nigeria s Military Coup Culture 1966 1976 Algora p 97 ISBN 9780875867090 Siollun Max 2009 Oil Politics and Violence Nigeria s Military Coup Culture 1966 1976 Algora Publishing ISBN 978 0 87586 709 0 Akyeampong Emmanuel Kwaku Gates Henry Louis 2 February 2012 Dictionary of African Biography OUP USA ISBN 978 0 19 538207 5 Balogun M J 2009 Balogun M J ed Leadership as an Imposition the Military Shortcut to Power The Route to Power in Nigeria A Dynamic Engagement Option for Current and Aspiring Leaders Palgrave Macmillan US pp 163 193 doi 10 1057 9780230100848 9 ISBN 978 0 230 10084 8 Nigeria Palace Coup of 1985 By Dr Nowa Omoigui www waado org Retrieved 31 March 2019 Oyewole A 1987 Historical Dictionary of Nigeria Scarecrow Press p 385 ISBN 0 8108 1787 X a b Encyclopedia Britannica Online Encyclopedia eb com Siollun Max 29 August 2019 Nigeria s Soldiers of Fortune The Abacha and Obasanjo Years Oxford University Press ISBN 978 1 78738 202 2 Nigerian Military Leader Ousts Interim President The New York Times Associated Press 18 November 1993 ISSN 0362 4331 Retrieved 24 May 2020 Nigeria Coup Video Abacha Coup YouTube Archived from the original on 17 November 2021 Gros Jean Germa 24 September 1998 Democratization in Late Twentieth Century Africa Coping with Uncertainty Coping with Uncertainty ABC CLIO ISBN 978 0 313 37090 8 Nigerian Military Ruler Assumes Absolute Power AP 7 September 1994 via The New York Times Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Refworld U S Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1998 Nigeria Refworld Retrieved 24 May 2020 Refugees United Nations High Commissioner for Nigeria Bombing incidents at Lagos airport between June 1996 and November 1997 including identity of persons injured reaction of authorities and outcome of investigations or prosecutions Refworld Retrieved 13 May 2020 Nigeria Human Rights Watch Africa www africa upenn edu Retrieved 24 May 2020 NEW NIGERIA CHIEF PLEDGES A RETURN TO CIVILIAN RULE The New York Times 10 June 1998 Arnold Guy 2005 Africa A Modern History London Atlantic Books p 789 ISBN 9781843541769 Why we honoured Abacha Nigerian government Premium Times Nigeria 1 March 2014 Retrieved 24 May 2020 a b Why we honoured Abacha Nigerian government Premium Times Nigeria Premium Times Nigeria March 2014 Editor Why did a U S magazine label Nigerian leader Sani Abacha as Thug of the Year in 1995 Ogoni News Retrieved 24 May 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last has generic name help United States Department of State Nigeria Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996 30 Jan 1997 available at https 1997 2001 state gov global human rights 1996 hrp report nigeria html Sani Abacha the hunt for the billions stolen by Nigeria s ex leader BBC News 28 January 2021 Retrieved 24 February 2022 Elizabeth Olson 26 January 2000 Swiss Freeze A Dictator s Giant Cache The New York Times Retrieved 24 June 2011 Lewis Peter 2007 Growing apart oil politics and economic change in Indonesia and Nigeria University of Michigan Press p 178 ISBN 978 0 472 06980 4 Introduction to Political Corruption PDF transparency org London 25 March 2004 p 13 Late Nigerian Dictator Looted Nearly 500 Million Swiss Say The New York Times 19 August 2004 Retrieved 9 April 2010 The Worldwatch Institute 2003 Vital Signs 2003 The Worldwatch Institute p 115 ISBN 0 393 32440 0 U S Forfeits Over 480 Million Stolen by Former Nigerian Dictator in Largest Forfeiture Ever Obtained Through a Kleptocracy Action The United States Department of Justice 28 August 2014 Retrieved 23 August 2015 Dictator s 210m seized from Jersey account 4 June 2019 Retrieved 23 June 2019 Nwala Uzodinma T 1997 Nigeria Path to Unity and Stability Abuja National Constitutional Conference 1994 95 PDF Commonwealth Suspends Nigeria Over Executions New York Times 12 November 1995 Retrieved 23 August 2015 Falola amp Heaton 24 April 2008 A History of Nigeria Cambridge University Press 2008 p xix ISBN 9781139472036 Retrieved 23 August 2015 Ken Saro Wiwa Killer Judge Becomes Acting Chief Judge Of Nigeria saharareporters com 16 March 2011 Retrieved 5 March 2022 AP Archive 21 July 2015 Nigeria Gaddafi arrives to celebrate holiday archived from the original on 17 November 2021 retrieved 31 March 2019 Return of the ugly American salon com 10 November 1999 Junkets for Jesus Mother Jones A Different Perspective On The Family And Uganda NPR org 22 December 2009 General Sani Abacha Profile Africa Confidential Retrieved 19 June 2012 Weiner Tim 11 July 1998 U S Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned The New York Times Retrieved 9 April 2010 Weiner Tim 11 July 1998 U S Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned The New York Times Opejobi Seun 19 June 2017 Details of how Abacha died in 1998 Al Mustapha Daily Post Nigeria Retrieved 24 January 2020 BBC News Analysis Nigeria General Abacha s era of dictatorship Sani Abacha Timeline of the late Nigerian dictator s life BBC News Retrieved 27 May 2020 Newsmaker Profiles Sani Abacha Nigerian President CNN Archived from the original on 8 April 2004 Retrieved 26 September 2014 CNN External links Edit Nigeria portal Biography portalWorks by or about Sani Abacha in libraries WorldCat catalog Sani Abacha collected news and commentary at The New York Times Abacha dies at 54 BBC News 8 June 1998Military officesPreceded byIbrahim Babangida Chief of the Army Staff1985 1990 Succeeded bySalihu IbrahimPolitical officesPreceded byErnest Shonekan Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council of Nigeria1993 1998 Succeeded byAbdulsalami AbubakarPreceded byJerry Rawlings Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States1996 1998 Succeeded byAbdulsalami Abubakar Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sani Abacha amp oldid 1135184817, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.