How Abacha Died 17 Years Ago by Major Hamza Al Mustapha

Major Hamza Al Mustapha was the Chief Security Officer of Gen. Sani
Abacha, former Nigeria military head of state from November 1993 to
his death in June 1998.
“When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already
gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed
in our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him
and shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission
to touch and carry you.” Contrary to insinuations, speculations and
sad rumours initiated by some sections of the society, I maintain
that the sudden collapse of the health system of the late Head of
State started previous day (Sunday, 7th June, 1998) right from the
Abuja International Airport immediately after one of the white
security operatives or personnel who accompanied President
Yasser Arafat of Palestine shook hands with him (General Abacha) I
had noticed the change in the countenance of the late Commander-
in-Chief and informed the Aide-de-Camp, Lt. Col. Abdallah,
accordingly. He, however, advised that we keep a close watch on
the Head of State.
Later in the evening of 8th June, 1998, around 6p.m; his doctor came
around, administered an injection to stabilize him. He was advised to
have a short rest. Happily, enough, by 9p.m; the Head of State was
bouncing and receiving visitors until much later when General Jeremiah
Timbut Useni, the then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, came
calling. He was fond of the Head of State. They were very good friends.
They stayed and chatted together till about 3.35a.m. A friend of the
house was with me in my office and as he was bidding me farewell, he
came back to inform me that the FCT Minister, General Useni was out
of the Head of State’s Guest House within the Villa. I then decided to
inform the ADC and other security boys that I would be on my way
home to prepare for the early morning event at the International
Conference Centre.
At about 5a.m; the security guards ran to my quarters to inform me
that the Head of State was very unstable. At first, I thought it was a
coup attempt. Immediately, I prepared myself fully for any eventuality.
As an intelligence officer and the Chief Security Officer to the Head of
State for that matter, I devised a means of diverting the attention of the
security boys from my escape route by asking my wife to continue
chatting with them at the door – she was in the house while the boys
were outside. From there, I got to the Guest House of the Head of State
before them.
When I got to the bedside of the Head of State, he was already
gasping. Ordinarily, I could not just touch him. It was not allowed in
our job. But under the situation on ground, I knelt close to him and
shouted, “General Sani Abacha, Sir, please grant me permission to
touch and carry you.” I again knocked at the stool beside the bed and
shouted in the same manner, yet he did not respond. I then realized
there was a serious danger. I immediately called the Head of State’s
personal physician, Dr. Wali, who arrived the place under eight minutes
from his house.
He immediately gave Oga – General Abacha – two doses of injection,
one at the heart and another close to his neck. This did not work
apparently as the Head of State had turned very cold. He then told me
that the Head of State was dead and nothing could be done after all.
I there and then asked the personal physician to remain with the dead
body while I dashed home to be fully prepared for the problems that
might arise from the incident. As soon as I informed my wife, she
collapsed and burst into tears. I secured my house and then ran back.
At that point, the Aide-de-Camp had been contacted by me and we
decided that great caution must be taken in handling the grave
situation.
Again, I must reiterate that the issue of my Boss dying on top of
women was a great lie just as the insinuation that General Sani Abacha
ate and died of poisoned apples was equally a wicked lie. My question
is: did Chief M.K.O Abiola die of poisoned apples or did he die on top
of women? As I had stated at the Oputa Panel, their deaths were
organized. Pure and simple!
It was at this point that I used our special communication gadgets to
diplomatically invite the Service Chiefs, Military Governors and some
few elements purportedly to a meeting with the Head of State by 9a.m.
at the Council Chamber. That completed, I also decided to talk to some
former leaders of the nation to inform them that General Sani Abacha
would like to meet them by 9a.m.
Situation became charged however, when one of the Service Chiefs,
Lieutenant General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi, who pretended to be with us,
suggested he be made the new Head of State after we had quietly
informed him of the death of General Sani Abacha. He even suggested
we should allow him access to Chief Abiola. We smelt a rat and other
heads of security agencies, on hearing this, advised I move Chief
Abiola to a safer destination. I managed to do this in spite of the fact
that I had been terribly overwhelmed with the crisis at hand.
But then, when some junior officers over-heard the suggestion of one
of the Service Chiefs earlier mentioned, it was suggested to me that we
should finish all the members of the Provisional Ruling Council and
give the general public an excuse that there was a meeting of the PRC
during which a shoot-out occurred between some members of the
Provisional Ruling Council and the Body Guards to the Head of State
When I sensed that we would be contending with far more delicate
issues than the one on ground, I talked to Generals Buba Marwa and
Ibrahim Sabo who both promptly advised us – the junior officers –
against any bloodshed.
They advised we contact General Ibrahim Babangida (former Military
President) who equally advised against any bloodshed but that we
should support the most senior officer in the Provisional Ruling Council
(PRC) to be the new Head of State.
Since the words of our elders are words of wisdom, we agreed to
support General Jeremiah Useni. Along the line, General Bamaiyi
lampooned me saying, “Can’t you put two and two together to be four?
Has it not occurred to you that General Useni who was the last man
with the Head of State might have poisoned him, knowing full well that
he was the most senior officer in the PRC?”
Naturally, I became furious with General Useni since General Abacha’s
family had earlier on complained severally about the closeness of the
two Generals; at that, a decision was taken to storm General Useni’s
house with almost a battalion of soldiers to effect his arrest. Again,
some heads of security units and agencies, including my wife, advised
against the move.
The next most senior person and officer in government was General
Abdulsalami Abubakar, who was then the Chief of Defence Staff. We
rejected the other Service Chief, who, we believed, was too ambitious
and destructive. We settled for General Abubakar and about six of us
called him inside a room in the Head of State’s residence to break the
news of the death of General Abacha to him.
As a General with vast experience, Abdulsalami Abubakar, humbly
requested to see and pray for the soul of General Abacha which we
allowed. Do we consider this a mistake? Because right there, he –
Abubakar – went and sat on the seat of the late Head of State. Again, I
was very furious. Like I said at the Oputa Panel, if caution was not
applied, I would have gunned him down.
The revolution the boys were yearning for would have started right
there. The assumption that we could not have succeeded in the
revolution was a blatant lie. We were in full control of the State House
and the Brigade of Guards. We had loyal troops in Keffi and in some
other areas surrounding the seat of government – Abuja. But I allowed
peace to reign because we believed it would create further crises in the
country.
We followed the advice of General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida and the
wise counsel of some loyal senior officers and jointly agreed that
General Abdulsalami Abubakar be installed Head of State, Commander-
in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces immediately after the burial of
General Sani Abacha in Kano. It is an irony of history that the same
Service Chief who wanted to be Head of State through bloodshed, later
instigated the new members of the Provisional Ruling Council against
us and branded us killers, termites and all sorts of hopeless names.
They planned, arranged our arrest, intimidation and subsequent jungle
trial in 1998 and 1999.
These, of course, led to our terrible condition in several prisons and
places of confinement.