20 YEARS AFTER HIS RULE, GEN. ABACHA’S RULE CONTINUALLY INSTILL TERROR
Gen. Abacha tyrannical rule still linger in the hearts of Nigerian
It’s been 20 years since the death of the foremost Nigerian military dictator Gen. Sani Abacha. Ruling the country with an iron fist, he’s the most fearful ruler the country has ever witnessed in all his years of existence.
Abacha is a divisive figure and he’s believe to largely targeted south western leaders because of their widespread discontent about the annulled June 12 election.
Gen. Dani Abacha was born in Kano on the 20th of September 1943, in 1963, he graduated from the Nigerian Military Training Centre in Kaduna, with further training in the UK. Married to a Maryam Jiddah later known as Maryam Abacha .
His career as a military personnel took off when he was drafted to fights for Nigeria in the country’s civil war against Biafran secessionists, this greatly helped him to rise through the rank in the military and positioned him in the leading echelon of the country’s ruler ship.
In 1985, he was involved in the 31 December coup that toppled the then civilian government of President Shehu Shagari bringing into power Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as military ruler, he was also involved in the coup that toppled the Buhari administration, he helps install Gen Ibrahim Babangida which earned him the post of the major general.
In June 12 1993, the long awaited democratic elections was held, election results shows clearly the wealthy business mogul M. K. O. Abiola as the winner, Gen Babangida annuls the results to an international outcry and consequently attracts criticism and widespread disagreement.
The widespread criticism makes General Babangida step aside and create an interim government led by Ernest Shonekan, while Abacha was appointed Minister of Defence. Three months later, Shonekan resigns and transfers power to Abacha, in a move widely believed to be another coup.
He was immersed in silencing any opposing voice against the annulments of the June 12 election, the election winner Moshood Abiola declares himself president in lagos and was subsequently arrested and imprisoned. The Abacha regime comes under worldwide condemnation and Nigeria was suspended from The Commonwealth after the execution of the Ogoni Nine, environmentalists who were protesting against the activity of the government and oil giant Shell. Among them was Ken Saro-Wiwa, a poet and Nobel Prize nominee.
in 1996, Abacha was elected chairman of The Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a regional economic bloc. Two years later acting in his capacity of the chairman of the west African states organisation, He deploys Nigerian forces to Sierra Leone in a bid to oust the military regime and restore the civilian government overthrown the year before. So much a a dictator killing people in his own country for fun.
on June 8, 1998, Abacha dies from a suspected heart attack and a widespread of assassination claims. Nigeria transitions to democratic rule one year later. Twenty years after his death, nigeria continually benefitted form his loots stashed all around the world. He remains the most fearful military head of state and his memory still spread fear and cringe to everyone who bothers to read about him.
