A former Nigerian head of state has disclosed how he was tricked and locked inside a room on the morning the country’s military ruler died, before later being chosen as his successor.
Retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar made the revelation in his autobiography ‘Call of Duty’, which is being launched today in Abuja to mark his 84th birthday.
According to the book, he received an early morning phone call on June 8, 1998, telling him that General Sani Abacha wanted to see him. When he arrived at the Presidential Villa, however, he was shut inside a waiting room for more than an hour with no explanation.
The door was eventually opened by the late Ibrahim Coomassie, then inspector-general of police. “On Monday, 8 June, I received a call very early in the morning that he (Abacha) wanted to see me. I quietly prayed that he would not send me to Togo where there was going to be an ECOWAS summit. I was tired of going everywhere.
“By this time, Lt-General Diya, his No 2, was in detention (over an alleged coup plot). I was effectively the No 2 man in government and I was always representing him at events. I told my wife I was not happy with the call because I didn’t want to travel to Togo. I told my orderly to pack my travelling bag and other personal effects.
“As I entered the bathroom, there was another call. I was told again that the Head of State wanted to see me. Out of frustration, I asked if I was travelling to Togo and the caller replied that it was on another issue. Because of the urgency, I didn’t wear my uniform. I wore a tracksuit and slippers and proceeded to the Presidential Villa.
“On getting to his residence, I was told he was in the office. I wondered why he would be that early in the office. As I was climbing the stairs, one of the guards informed me that Abacha said I should stay in the waiting room. What struck me was that anytime I went to see him, regardless of who was with him, I would still go in.” After roughly half an hour of waiting, Abdulsalami grew uneasy. Major-General Ishaya Bamaiyi soon joined him.
“After waiting for about half an hour, I reasoned that it was odd. Major-General Ishaya Bamaiyi joined me shortly after. We waited for about an hour. I decided to go and see Abacha by any means because I could not understand why I should be kept that long. To my greatest surprise, the door of the waiting room had been locked. I asked Bamaiyi if he was aware that we had been locked inside. Something kept telling me that something was wrong but I could not place a finger on it,” he said.
“After some time, the door was opened and the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, came in. He said: ‘Let’s go.’ We walked towards the residence and I informed him that I was told Abacha was at the office. It was at this stage that he informed me that Abacha was dead. I was shocked. I asked him what happened and he insisted we proceed first. He did not tell me anything else.
“When we got to the residence, I asked to see Abacha’s body. I was told it was inside. I entered the room and removed the covering. I was in shock at the sudden development. I prayed for him and left the room.” Abdulsalami did not name who ordered the door locked, but hinted that certain military officers had “other plans” as the situation unfolded.
Later that same day, the Provisional Ruling Council voted and named Abdulsalami as Abacha’s successor. He organized a short transition programme and handed power to an elected civilian government led by President Olusegun Obasanjo in May 1999.