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• Says funds in foreign accounts were savings made by late ex-Head of State
• Why mercenaries can’t stop banditry, terrorism
From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has said the much talked about Abacha loot is a hoax, saying that the former military head of state, the late General Sani Abacha, never stole money belonging to the country.
Abubakar spoke exclusively with Saturday Sun in Abuja, following the unveiling of his memoirs at the Presidential Villa on June 13, 2026.
According to Abubakar, what is usually referred to as Abacha loot was money the former head of state saved for the country, following advice from former Libyan Leader, Muammar Gaddafi; former Benin Republic President, Mathieu Kérékou and others, in order for the country not to be financially handicapped in case of freezing of the nation’s accounts arising from sanctions from the international community.
Abubakar said: “It is very, very unfortunate that the issue of the money he was trying to save for Nigeria is being referred to as Abacha loot. I am sorry to say I differ from the generalisation. The only fault I will give Abacha was that he did not bring us into confidence of what he was doing. It was after his death that people like late Gaddafi, Kérékou and others, to mention a few, that they were the ones that advised Abacha to start saving for Nigeria, otherwise, the international community would freeze the accounts and he will not be able to do anything for the country. And I believe, if you will remember, there was a certain time Abacha bought vehicles for the security agencies. He bought some Tata vehicles. It was from that money he was able to do that. Unfortunately, as I said, he did not bring us into confidence of what he was doing.”
The Chairman, National Peace Committee also spoke on insecurity in the country and why he would not support the use of mercenaries, the 2027 general elections, asking Nigerians to vote according to their conscience and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be a referee in the game and do the best with all sincerity, integrity and truthfulness.
Former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has explained why insecurity persists in the country, particularly the menace caused by banditry.
Abubakar spoke exclusively with Saturday Sun in Abuja, following the unveiling of his memoirs at the Presidential Villa on June 13, 2026.
According to Abubakar, insecurity persists in the country because some Nigerians are gaining from the insurgency as they have become providers of logistics, weapons, fuel and food supplies to the bandits.
Abubakar said: “They had become their supply of logistics and somehow, of all the weapons they are using. And unfortunately, they had become informants to the bandits. When our military, security forces are advancing, the bandits know that they are coming and instead of that, they go and either ambush them or lay mines on their parts. So, this is very, very unfortunate. I am appealing to Nigerians to please help the authority, the government and our security agencies in fighting this menace.”
Amongst other issues, the Chairman, National Peace Committee also spoke on the 2027 general elections, asking Nigerians to vote according to their conscience and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be a referee in the game and do the best with all sincerity, integrity and truthfulness.
Your Excellency, since the unveiling of your books, people have been asking, why did you have to wait till this time before releasing your memoir?
Thank you very much, Paulinus, for asking me that question. In actual fact, I didn’t want to do any write up. It was pressure from people who were asking me, daddy, please put your thoughts on paper for generations yet to come. That is why I decided to do what I did. And you might ask me how long it took me. Believe it or not, I have been writing that book for 15 years because some years, I just forget it and when I remember, I do the little bit I can.
What feedback have you been getting from the reading public since the unveiling?
Well, the feedback I am getting is that daddy, why did you wait so long before you wrote? And some are saying well, with some of the things that we didn’t know, you have now helped us. So, we are now crossing the ‘t’s and dotting the ‘i’s.
Despite your closeness to former President Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, you never held a politically prominent or cabinet position during his tenure as president. Was it intentional?
Well, I thank God in the first place that I was assigned only to military duties. And during Babangida’s regime, although we are very close, he decided to leave me just to carry on with my career. And I believe, like I said in the book, destiny was at work. Otherwise, people would wonder that as close as we are with Babangida, he didn’t give me any political appointment. I think destiny was guiding both of us in this wise.
And at that time, you didn’t feel bad he did not appoint you?
Not at all! Not at all because we were always in contact regardless of his position. And when I was in the military, we were always in contact. And believe it or not, there were certain things he used to get me involved to do, not officially, but unofficially.
So, I can rightly say you were a member of his kitchen cabinet at that time?
No! I wasn’t a member of his kitchen cabinet, but I was his very close friend that he trust and could confide in.
Who was General Abacha? How close were you to the former Head of State?
To me, General Abacha was a very loyal man to his friends. And the Abacha I know is not the Abacha the press is painting him to be. It is very, very unfortunate that the issue of the money he was trying to save for Nigeria is being referred to as Abacha loot. I am sorry to say I differ from the generalisation. The only fault I will give Abacha was that he did not bring us into confidence of what he was doing. It was after his death that people like late Gaddafi, Kérékou and others, to mention a few, said that they were the ones that advised Abacha to start saving for Nigeria, otherwise, the international community would freeze the accounts and he would not be able to do anything for the country. And I believe, if you will remember, there was a certain time Abacha bought vehicles for the security agencies. He bought some
Tata vehicles. It was from that money he was able to do that. Unfortunately, as I said, he did not bring us into confidence of what he was doing.
A lot of Nigerians will say why didn’t you say this before now? Because every now and then, you hear of Abacha loot. They expected you to have said this before now. Why the silence?
I thought I said this earlier in one of my interviews.
There have been various accounts of how Abacha died. Which do you believe?
Well, you said various accounts. All I know is that Abacha had problem and the doctor attended to him and unfortunately, they couldn’t save his life. So, the story about how he died, I don’t know.
You recounted how you were locked in a room when Abacha passed away, but you never mentioned who did. Nigerians would like to know. So, who locked you and General Ishaya Bamaiyi in that room?
That will remain my next memoir.
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You are already 84, and I don’t pray you go soon. So, you are you planning to write another one?
Right.
Regarding Abiola’s death, a pro-democracy activist and journalist, Richard Akinnola, asked on Facebook: is it possible in any country, where international visitors would come to visit you and serve you tea or even food, without your domestic staff in attendance? He also asked, are you aware that science has so much advanced that someone could be poisoned without any trace in the victim’s body? What is your perspective on this?
Even in our domestic affairs, you get people to serve you, so I don’t understand his question. What is he saying?
I think he meant that government staff ought to have been present when Abiola was being served the tea.
Even in our homes, when your staff bring in the drinks, they leave you to attend to the guests; they are not part and parcel of the discussion between you and your guests. Naturally, the stewards who brought the tea, after serving the tea, they go out to wait.
So, it wasn’t the visitors who served Abiola the tea?
No, no, no, no.
It was the State House staff?
Yes.
In the presence of the international visitors?
That is right. Because the tea was being served to everybody, including the international visitors.
In your book, you spoke about NADECO leaders never asking you about Abiola’s freedom, but were surprised you wanted to hand over. But now, most of those leaders are late. Some are wondering why the information is just coming out now. Why not when they were alive?
Well, it is a pity it is coming now. I have respect for some of them who had become my friends and even up till the time they died, we were communicating. For example, Papa Adesanya has been my confidant. Even when he was sick, I was surprised that the South-West governors were not able to pay his medical bills. They left him on his own. I was really, really surprised and up till today, I am in touch with the rest of his family. I had visited him quite a number of times after I left office. I visited him in Apapa quite a number of times and his children had visited me in Minna. As I am talking to you now, we are still in contact with them. And so is Bola Ige. He visited me in Minna after I retired and we were communicating. We are good friends with people like Ayo Opadokun, late Obi in Enugu. We got an understanding and really became friends so to speak.
I have not really read your books. But did you tell the story of how you chose late Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe as your Chief of General Staff?
I didn’t mention that in the book. That will be in my next memoir.
2027 is upon us. Do you have any fears about the forthcoming elections? Any advice for the different political parties?
My advice is first to Nigerians: please, let them vote as per their conscience. Let them not be deceived by politicians. Let them know where they want to go and strictly vote by their conscience. They should not sell their votes because if they sell their votes, they are asking to go into slavery.
What suggestions or advice would you give INEC?
INEC should be a referee in the game and they should do the best with all sincerity, with integrity and with truthfulness.
As a former military Head of State, what new steps would you suggest to the federal government on the escalating insecurity in the country?
It is very, very unfortunate that we found ourselves today in this ugly situation. In the paper I gave you, I spoke about it. Why insecurity persists in Nigeria is that some Nigerians, unfortunately, are gaining from the insurgency because they have become providers of logistics to the bandits; they had become their supply of logistics and somehow, of all the weapons they are using. And unfortunately, they had become informants to the bandits. When our military, security forces are advancing, the bandits know that they are coming and instead of that, they go and either ambush them or lay mines on their paths. So, this is very, very unfortunate. I am appealing to Nigerians to please help the authority, the government and our security agencies in fighting this menace.
I am also suggesting or appealing to Nigerians that if the bandits do not have their needs – their fuel, their food, we will soon come to the end of this situation. But this persists because people are gaining in one way or the other. For example, the normal bread which you buy maybe N10, the bandits would not mind to pay let’s say N100 to get the same bread.
Would you advise the government to get mercenaries?
No.
Why not?
The mercenaries are working for their money. They are not really involved like our soldiers because the soldiers, their hearts and minds are in this problem and they want to get rid of the menace by the bandits. If you employ mercenaries, as long as you pay them, they will do the best they can. Once you stop paying them, they will abort the operation they are doing.
And how can Nigerians also protect themselves?
That is a big question. To protect themselves, as much as possible, let us not make the bandits become comfortable in the sense that they can get what they want.
