1. Sani Abacha wielded power with an unyielding attitude and his rule heralded an unprecedented total disregard for human rights with several political assassinations and summary executions of dissidents and political opponents in Nigeria.
25 Facts About Sani Abacha
1. 2.
Sani Abacha's rule drew disrepute to the country with Nigeria becoming a pariah state in international relations particularly with regards to the execution of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa.
3.
Sani Abacha was born and brought up in Kano to a Kanuri family originally from present-day Borno State.
4.
Sani Abacha attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna, and was commissioned in 1963 after he had attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England.
5.
Sani Abacha was definitely involved in all the military coups in Nigeria since July 1966 during his military career.
6.
Sani Abacha later became commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in 1975.
7.
In 1983, Sani Abacha was general officer commanding of the 2nd Mechanised Division, and was appointed a member of the Supreme Military Council.
8.
When General Ibrahim Babangida was named President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1985, Sani Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff.
9.
Sani Abacha was later appointed Minister of Defence in 1990.
10.
Sani Abacha served as Chief of Army Staff from 1985 to 1990, as Chief of Defence Staff from 1990 to 1993, and as Minister of Defence.
11.
Sani Abacha is noted for having been the first Nigerian Army officer to attain the rank of general without skipping a single rank.
12.
Sani Abacha was the defence minister and most senior official within the military hierarchy during the crisis of the Third Republic.
13.
Sani Abacha orchestrated the coup d'etat of 1993 which overthrew the Interim National Government of Ernest Shonekan.
14.
Sani Abacha ruled as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998.
15.
Sani Abacha assembled a personal security force of 3,000 men trained in North Korea.
16.
Sani Abacha's regime was accused of human rights abuses, especially after the hanging of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, whose death later led to the eviction of Nigeria from the Commonwealth Nations.
17.
Sani Abacha's administration oversaw an increase in the country's foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997, and reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997.
18.
The report mentioned that Sani Abacha told Ismaila Gwarzo to provide fake national security funding requests, which Abacha approved.
19.
Sources in the Obasanjo administration disclosed that the whole Sani Abacha loot was politicised by the administration for his re-election bid.
20.
Sani Abacha oversaw the re-organisation of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones, in order to reflect cultural, economic, and political realities of the regions:.
21.
Early in 1998, Sani Abacha announced that elections would be held on 1 August, with a view toward handing power to a civilian government on 1 October.
22.
The Civil War, which began in 1989, saw an influx of Nigerian troops from 1990 when Sani Abacha was defence minister.
23.
Sani Abacha developed ties with other American political figures such as Senator Carol Moseley Braun Rev Jesse Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan.
24.
Sani Abacha was married to Maryam Sani Abacha and had seven sons and three daughters.
25.
On Monday 8 June 1998, Sani Abacha died in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.