‘Abacha had resolved to kill me’ – Obasanjo recalls 1995 arrest

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, allegedly planned to eliminate him after he left government and ventured into farming.

Obasanjo said he retired from public service at the age of 42, believing he had left government too early, before turning to agriculture.

However, his retirement was interrupted in 1995 when he was arrested by the Abacha regime over an alleged coup plot.

“I took to farming after leaving government at 42 before Abacha arrested me,” he said.

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The former president further alleged that Abacha had resolved to have him killed, claiming that the late military ruler could not achieve his objectives without eliminating him.

Obasanjo made the disclosure while recounting his experience under Abacha during a recent appearance at a book event at the University of Ibadan.

Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in June 1998. Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, was arrested alongside several others in 1995 over an alleged coup plot.

He was subsequently tried by a military tribunal and sentenced to life imprisonment. The sentence was later commuted to 15 years.

Obasanjo regained his freedom in June 1998 following Abacha’s death in office.