Former Head of State, Abdulsalami Abubakar, has revealed that the circumstances surrounding the death of former military ruler Sani Abacha on June 8, 1998, left him convinced that “something was fishy.”
In his autobiography, Call of Duty, Abubakar recounted how he and the then Chief of Army Staff, Ishaya Bamaiyi, were unknowingly locked inside a waiting room at the Presidential Villa for nearly an hour before being informed by former Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, that Abacha had died.
According to him, the unusual sequence of events raised suspicions, especially after he discovered that some members of Abacha’s inner circle were already focused on succession plans rather than burial arrangements.
Abubakar alleged that an “inner caucus” within the military establishment attempted to influence the choice of a successor while key military officers were away in Kano for Abacha’s burial. He claimed plans were being made to install then Chief of Naval Staff, Mike Akhigbe, as Head of State.
The former military leader said a meeting of the Provisional Ruling Council eventually settled the succession issue through a vote, with him emerging victorious over other contenders.
Abubakar succeeded Abacha following the latter’s death and later supervised Nigeria’s transition to democratic rule, handing over power to Olusegun Obasanjo on May 29, 1999.
