The widow of former Nigerian military leader, General Sani Abacha, has vehemently rejected longstanding allegations that her husband looted the Nigerian treasury during his tenure as Head of State.
Speaking during a television interview on TVC on Sunday, Maryam Abacha insisted that no money was embezzled during her husband's administration, which lasted from 1993 until his death on June 8, 1998.
"Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad? And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that," Mrs. Abacha questioned during the interview.
Challenging the 'Abacha Loot' Narrative
The interview comes 27 years after General Abacha's death, during which time successive Nigerian administrations have recovered billions of dollars from foreign accounts linked to the late military ruler. These funds, commonly referred to as the "Abacha loot," have been repatriated from Switzerland, the United States, and Britain, and subsequently channeled into various social investment programs in Nigeria.
However, Mrs. Abacha contested the admissibility of evidence presented over the years to prove charges of financial impropriety against her husband. She challenged the credibility of witnesses and documents often cited in public discourse regarding the alleged looting.
Claims of Ethnic and Religious Bias
The former First Lady suggested that the allegations against her husband might stem from deeper social divisions, including ethnic and religious biases. She accused Nigerians of uncritically accepting the looting narrative and argued that no single individual—whether Abacha, Babangida, or Abiola—could unilaterally control the country's affairs.
"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," she stated. "Why are we so bad towards each other? Because somebody is a northerner or a southerner, somebody is a Muslim or a Christian, or somebody is nice or... It's not fair."
June 12 Election Annulment
Mrs. Abacha also absolved her husband of responsibility for annulling the June 12, 1993 presidential election, placing the blame on other government officials at the time. According to her, attributing such a significant national decision solely to Abacha unrealistically exaggerated his authority.
The statements by Maryam Abacha come amid ongoing efforts by Nigeria to recover more funds allegedly stashed abroad by the late military ruler, with recent repatriations continuing to fuel public debate about the Abacha era.
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