Maryam Abacha, the widow of Nigeria’s former military ruler General Sani Abacha, has claimed that the money her husband secured for the country disappeared shortly after he passed away.
Speaking in an interview with TVC, she said the funds vanished within months following his death, suggesting that those who took over after him may have mismanaged or looted the nation’s resources.
Mrs. Abacha disputed the popular belief that General Abacha stole huge sums of money and hid it in foreign banks. She challenged those making such claims to provide proof, asking, “Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad?”
General Sani Abacha was Nigeria’s military head of state from 1993 until his sudden death on June 8, 1998, at the presidential villa in Abuja. He died without an autopsy, leading to suspicions that he may have been assassinated. His successor, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, handed over power to a civilian government in 1999.
For many years after Abacha’s death, Nigeria has been recovering what is called the “Abacha loot” from foreign countries. Despite this, Mrs. Abacha insisted that her late husband did not steal from the public treasury. She defended his record and questioned why his name continues to be linked with corruption after so many years.
She noted, “Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians? I pray for Nigerians. I pray for all of us. I pray that we should have goodness in our hearts. We should stop telling lies and blaming people.”
Mrs. Abacha also criticized the media, urging journalists to inform the public properly rather than harm reputations. “People are not that bad. Twenty-seven years ago and you are still talking about Abacha. He must be very powerful and loved by Nigerians. We thank God for that,” she said.
Addressing claims about Nigeria’s economy during her husband’s rule, which reportedly saw increased foreign reserves and reduced debt, she again asked critics to provide evidence of any theft. “So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from? And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything,” she said.
Finally, Mrs. Abacha called for unity among Nigerians, saying, “Babangida doesn’t make Nigeria alone. Abacha does not make Nigeria alone. Abiola and everybody, nobody is big enough for Nigeria. We are all very important… All these wahala should stop.”
