Maryam Abacha, widow of Sani Abacha, a former military head of state, said her husband saved money for Nigeria that was looted after he passed on.
Speaking during an interview with TVC, Maryam demanded proof that her husband stashed looted funds abroad.
Abacha was Nigeria’s military ruler and commander-in-chief of the armed forces from 1993 to 1998. He died on June 8, 1998.
The Federal Government has announced recovery of tranches of monies reportedly stashed by Abacha in foreign banks.
As of 2020, over $3.624 billion of the Abacha loot had been recovered. The recoveries were made by four administrations.
In May 2022, the United Kingdom said it recovered $23 million taken out of Nigeria illegally by Abacha’s associates and family.
About three months later, the United States returned another $20 million to Nigeria as part of the loot traced to Abacha.
In 2023, France returned $150 million Abacha loot to Nigeria.
‘Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything’
“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed?” Maryam asked.
“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.”
She said the constant finger-pointing at her husband reflects a deeper societal issue.
“Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?” she said.
“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.
“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.”
She urged the media to focus on its core mandate.
“I think the press should try, the press, you, the press, should try to educate the people,” she said.
“You are here to educate the people, to inform the people and to entertain. You are here to help the country. You are not here to bastardise people. People are not that bad. 27 years ago and you are still talking about Abacha. He must be very powerful and loved by Nigerians. We thank God for that.”
Responding to a remark that Nigeria’s economy was relatively stable under Abacha — with increased foreign exchange reserves and reduced external debt — she challenged those who claim the late ruler stole from the nation’s coffers.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked.
Maryam berated Nigerians for believing that subsequent administrations recovered monies stashed by Abacha abroad.
“And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything,” she said.
“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.
“Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop. Babangida cannot make things or unmake things.”
June 12 Annulment
Maryam also rejected claims that Abacha-led forces annulled the June 12 election under Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB).
In his memoir, ‘A Journey in Service’, IBB said he was in Katsina when the annulment of the election, won by MKO Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was announced by the press secretary of his second-in-command — without his knowledge or permission.
“All I know is that the annulment was not done by my husband,” Maryam said.
“If it was him, that means he was very powerful… even more powerful than the president. If the president was there and somebody else is calling the shots, that means Abacha was the greatest.”
