A Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), said the hours surrounding the death of Gen. Sani Abacha on June 8, 1998, left him with a lingering sense that “something was fishy.”
He disclosed that he and the late 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 informed that the Head of State had died.
The revelations are contained in Chapter 19 of Abubakar’s 264-page, 27-chapter autobiography titled ‘Call of Duty,’ launched on Saturday at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.
The presentation was held to mark the former Head of State’s 84th birthday and was attended by President Bola Tinubu who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima as Special Guest of Honour.
Abubakar wrote that the chain of events began with a phone call on the morning of Monday, June 8, 1998, while he was waiting to be informed about his own impending retirement from the military after 35 years of service.
He wrote, “On Monday, 8 June, I was waiting for him concerning the assignment he said he had for me. I received a call very early in the morning that he was going to be retired. There was no other way to interpret that.
“I quietly prayed that he would not send me to Togo where there was going to be an ECOWAS summit. I was tired of going everywhere.
“I was effectively in detention, I didn’t want to travel to Togo. I told my wife I was not happy with the call because I was still hoping I wouldn’t have to travel to Togo.”
Later that morning, he received another instruction to meet the Head of State.
“As I entered the bathroom, there was another call. I was told that the Head of State wanted to see me.
“Out of frustration, I asked if it was travelling to Togo and the caller replied that it was on a different issue.
“Because of the urgency, I didn’t wear my uniform. I wore a tracksuit and slippers and proceeded to the Presidential Villa. On getting to his residence, I was told he was not in the office,” he stated.
At the Villa, Abubakar said he could not make sense of events that followed as they were strange.
He narrated, “One of the guards informed me that anytime I went to see him, regardless of who was with him, I would still go in. After waiting for about half an hour, I wondered why he would be that early in the office.
“As I was climbing the stairs, (One of the guards informed me) that Abacha said I should stay in the waiting room. What struck me was that Abacha said I should stay in the waiting room.
“Major-General Ishaya Bamaiyi joined me shortly after. We waited for about an hour. I decided to go and see Abacha by any means because I could not understand why we should be kept that long.”
According to him, the door of the waiting room had been locked without the knowledge of the two men.
“I asked Bamaiyi if he was aware that we had been locked inside.
“Something kept telling me that something was wrong but I could not place a finger on it,” he stated.
He said when the door was eventually opened, it was not by an aide, but by the country’s most senior police officer.
“After some time, the door was opened and the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, came in.
“He said: ‘Let’s go.’ We walked towards the office and I informed him that I was told Abacha was at the residence.
“It was at this stage that he informed me that Abacha was dead. I was shocked. I asked him what happened and he insisted we proceed first. He did not tell me anything else,” said the former Head of State.
Abubakar described arriving at Abacha’s residence and being confronted with the reality of the moment.
According to him, “When we got to the residence, I asked to see Abacha’s body. I was told it was inside. I entered the room and removed the covering.
“I was in shock at the sudden development. I prayed for him and left the room. Then lots of conversations began.”
He recalled the chaotic scene and conversations surrounding succession that unfolded around him as senior figures converged on the residence.