Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, allegedly planned to eliminate him following his decision to leave government and venture into farming.
Obasanjo said he left government at the age of 42, believing he had retired too early, and subsequently turned to farming before his arrest during Abacha’s military regime.
“I took to farming after leaving government at 42 before Abacha arrested me,” he said.
He further alleged that Abacha had resolved that he must be killed, insisting that the former military ruler would not achieve his objectives unless he was eliminated.
Obasanjo made the remarks while recounting his experience under Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998.
The former president was arrested in 1995 over an alleged coup plot and sentenced to life imprisonment, a sentence later commuted to 15 years. He was released in June 1998 following Abacha’s death.
He made the revelation during a recent appearance at a book event at the University of Ibadan, where he spoke about his experience during the Abacha regime.
Obasanjo, who served as Nigeria’s military Head of State between 1976 and 1979, was arrested in 1995 over an alleged coup plot alongside several others.
He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment by a military tribunal, but his sentence was commuted to 15 years. He regained his freedom in June 1998 after Abacha died in office.