Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that former military Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha, allegedly planned to eliminate him because he wanted to prevent him from interfering with his government.
Obasanjo made the revelation in a video published by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), where he recounted his arrest during Abacha’s military administration and the events leading to his detention.
The former president also spoke about his decision to venture into farming after retiring from the Nigerian Army, explaining that he had attained the highest possible positions in both the military and government before turning to agriculture.
According to Obasanjo, he retired from the Army at the age of 42 after attaining the rank of a four-star general and serving as Nigeria’s military Head of State.
He said, “When I was leaving the government as the military Head of State, I was leaving too early. I didn’t join the Army to retire at the age of 42.
“At the age of 42, I had become a four-star general. There was nothing I could do in the Army. I had become the military Head of State, the highest political office.
“So what can I do? I decided I would go into farming. It really was going well, and it went well until I was arrested.”
Narrating how Abacha allegedly planned his elimination, Obasanjo said he was unaware of the former military ruler’s intentions until he received a warning from the American ambassador in Nigeria.
He disclosed that the ambassador informed him that the United States had offered him political asylum because of intelligence that he would be arrested if he returned to Nigeria.
However, Obasanjo said he rejected the offer, insisting that he had committed no offence that would warrant seeking asylum outside his country.
He explained that upon his return to Nigeria, his international passport was seized, while security operatives surrounded his farm.
According to him, a man dressed in civilian clothes subsequently arrived at the farm, claiming that he had been sent by the Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) to invite him for assistance.
Obasanjo, however, said he questioned the invitation, arguing that if the AIG genuinely needed his assistance, he would have personally visited the farm.
He further revealed that he drove his own vehicle to the police station, where the AIG informed him that he had been instructed to arrest him.
Obasanjo said, “Abacha had decided that I must be liquidated; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to have his way. I didn’t know that.
“I travelled and was coming back. The American ambassador in Nigeria called me and said his country had offered me political asylum because they knew that I would be arrested if I returned home.
“I haven’t done anything. What would they arrest me for? Why would I want political asylum?
“When I arrived, they seized my passport, and at the gate of my farm, my security said security had surrounded the farm.
“And not up to 15 minutes, this man came in mufti, not uniform, and said I had been invited by the AIG to come and help. I said if the AIG wants me to help, he will not invite me; he will come here.
“It was my own car I drove to the police station, and the AIG said, ‘I have been instructed to arrest you.'”
The former president added that he later realised that Abacha had decided that some people, including himself, should not remain free during his administration.
Obasanjo’s account provides further insight into the circumstances surrounding his arrest and detention under Abacha’s military government.
About The Author
