Originally published in the britannica book of the year. Its been 20 years since the death of nigerian military ruler sani abacha. Dictionary of african biography, accessed november 26, 2014, via oxford african american studies center database. General sani abacha gcfr was a nigerian military general who served as the military head of. Nigeria during the abacha years 19931998 ifranigeria. From the geneva based international commission of jurists who called the executions a criminal act of state murder to governments around the world including the united states who. To mark the 20th anniversary of sani abachas death, bbc did a graphic illustration of the late generals loot and how much of the money has been recovered by the nigerian government. He has written some of the most acclaimed books on nigerias history, and has.
General sani abacha is probably the most notorious president nigeria has ever had. Nigerias default on the issues of democracy andor good governance and human rights, strained, without a shadow of a doubt, the relationship between the countrys civil society, the international community and the nigerian state under general sani abacha. Abacha, sani, 194398, nigerian military officer and political leader, b. Islam reached nigeria through the hausa states during the 11th century. Numerous ancient african civilizations settled in the region that is today nigeria. In 2003, about 520,000 domestic and international passengers were carried on scheduled flights. The true story about general sanni abacha death politics. An army officer has told a nigerian human rights inquiry commission that he was chained by his hands and legs for a year by agents of late dictator sani abacha. He has written some of the most acclaimed books on nigerias history, and divides his time between london. A kanuri from borno, abacha was born on 20 september 1943 and brought up in kano, nigeria. Sani abacha, who died yesterday at 54, was the seventh nigerian officer to come to power by force since the country gained independence from britain in 1960. Nigerians remember brutal dictator, sani abacha, 20 years. I remember as a little girl hearing the grown ups in my house always complaining about abacha.
Introduction this chapter attempts to illustrate how creative solutions were found to identify, freeze and repatriate the proceeds of crimes of the family and associates of general sani abacha. The ghost of sani abacha kindle edition by nwokolo, chuma. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. He married a shuwa arab, maryam, also from borno state, in 1965 and they.
Sani abacha project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The ghost of sani abacha by chuma nwokolo goodreads. Notorious lives includes 637 biographies of notorious personages, from the merely controversial to extremely negative, from ancient times to the present and worldwide, with emphasis on their roles in historical events or impact on law enforcement or popular culture. General sani abacha adapted from naiwu osahons book, the. Sani abacha, nigerian military leader, who served as head of state 199398. The ghost of sani abacha kindle edition by nwokolo. Nigeria was being ruled by a reclusive military dictator called general sani abacha general olusegun obasanjo and over 50 other army officers were in jail on trumped up charges. Phiri contends for his civil service career the fall of phiri bombaiand a politician in his finest hour finds himself possessed by a begoggled demon the ghost of sani abacha26 stories of life and love in the aftermath of autocracy, delivered with wit and insight by one of africas most incisive writers. Nigerian military officer and military head of state. The autocratic regime of sani abacha 19931998 stands out as a watershed in the history of independent nigeria. The history of nigeria prior to the beginnings of british administration is not well. On november 10, 1995, the nigerian military government under general sani abacha executed dissident writer ken sarowiwa along with eight other activists, and the international community reacted with outrage. Worldreader presents this ebook in a new series showcasing the best of childrens and young adult fiction from around the world.
Dear sadiq abacha, i do not know you personally, but i admire your filial braveryhowever misguidedin defending the honour of your father, the late general sani abacha. Black history quotes black history books black history facts nasa history ancient history nigerian civil war art history timeline chinua achebe black history month activities. In 2015 alex last spoke to the generals personal doctor, professor sadiq. The ghost of sani abacha brings us 26 stories of life and love in the aftermath of. In the cataclysmic decade that is the focus of this book, nigeria was subject to several neardeath experiences.
He also oversaw a terrifying orwellian state security operation. The ghost of sani abacha by chuma nwokolo africa book club. The songhai empire also occupied part of the region. Details of abacha loot and how much of it has been. Observers at the inquiry sobbed as captain sadiq usman suleiman testified on his detention. Sani abacha, born september 20, 1943, kano, nigeriadied june 8, 1998, abuja, nigerian military leader, who served as head of state 199398 abacha received his formal military training at nigerian and british military training colleges. An example of one of the civilizations that settles in nigeria is the nri kingdom. Sani abacha, 54, the reclusive nigerian who drew worldwide condemnation for his authoritarian rule over africas most populous nation, died june 8, reportedly of a heart attack. He rose through the ranks in the nigerian military and by 1983 had achieved the rank of brigadier when he assisted ibrahim babangida in overthrowing. This arose from the monumental annulment, by the babangida military regime, of the june 12 1993, presidential election, adjudged by. He ruled nigeria with an iron grip and his regime was marred by gross human rights abuses. These began when the country nearly tore itself apart after the northernled military government annulled the results of a 1993 presidential election won by the southerner moshood abiola, and ended with former military ruler general olusegun obasanjo being the unlikely conduit of. The abacha military regime that ruled nigeria from 17 november 1993 to 8 june. Even by the standards of an era during which military coups and dictatorships were the norm in many postindependence african countries, the rule of nigerias general sani abacha is considered to have been particularly brutal.
This month marks 20 years since the deaths of general sani abacha and moshood abiola in 1998. General sani abacha adapted from naiwu osahons book, the vipers. Sani abacha was a military dictator who led nigeria from 1993 to 1998, and is remembered for the ruthlessness and corruption of his leadership. Image result for sani abacha image result for sani abacha image result for sani abacha there has been different speculations of how late gen sani abacha died, and the popular story that has been making the rounds is that he was poisoned with an apple from a very beautiful lady employed by his enemies to lure and kill him. He received military training in nigeria and england, joining the nigerian army in 1963. The ghost of sani abacha kindle edition by chuma nwokolo. Just before their deaths, nigerias situation was as follows. Contrary to its title, the book is not about sani abacha, the late president of the country, but rather its about everyday occurrence of the human life. General sani abacha biography general sani abacha was born on september 20, 1943, in kano, nigeria. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the ghost of sani abacha. General sani abacha was the mysterious, reclusive ruler under whose watch.
Black history books african royalty head of state military service african. Seventeen of the stories are published here for the first time. In the ghost of sani abacha, readers witness the fall of man by way of greed. General abachas era of dictatorship general abacha. Nigerias darkest years since the civil war resulted from his unrestrained personal rule. He is an encyclopedia on nigerian political history and i being a. I couldnt stop reading gluttony a story about what happens when a hungry town, a selfrighteous pastor and a beached. Nigeria airways also flies to many west african destinations, to nairobi, kenya, and jiddah, saudi arabia, and to new york, london, amsterdam, and rome. In 1993, abacha became the first nigerian soldier to attain. Whether describing the marital home, pastoral duties, the james iboris of politics, or botched love affairs, chuma writes from a point of knowledge that can only come from keen observation and. Sani abacha was born in 1943 in a hausafulani quarter in kano to a merchant family of kanuri descent, and educated at kano provincial secondary school from 1957 to 1962. I was too little to understand but from what i heard he was a bad guy. Sani abacha, 1970s african history, military history. General sani abacha was born in kano state, northern nigeria on the 20 september 1943.
He was from the kanuri ethnic group, from borno state, north east, nigeria. He is also the first nigerian soldier to attain the rank of a full star general without skipping a single rank. The ghost of sani abacha by chuma nwokolo good books africa. These began when the country nearly tore itself apart after the northernled military government annulled the results of a 1993 presidential election won by the southerner moshood abiola, and ended with former military ruler general olusegun obasanjo being the unlikely. History remains our witness by joe igbokwe i have followed with a keen interest the controversies and debates that followed professor wole soyinkas latest piece titled. From a story of grim revenge to an unforgettable tale of gluttony, nwokolo. It is based on my experience, since september 1999, as the federal republic of. A kanuri originally from borno state, general sani abacha was born and brought up in kano state, which he made his home. While these stories will make you laugh the book leaves you to reflect on some of the serious issues happening around us a history of human servitude one of.
Modern history african history yoruba history facts west africa old west politicians military history great pictures. The ghost of sani abacha is a collection of twentysix 26 short stories covering several themes. In 1999, maryam abacha said that her husband acted in the good will of nigeria. Responsible for the imprisonment and executions of scores of perceived political opponents, abacha also was believed to have. The history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers living in the area as early as 11,000 bc. Nepotism, corruption, violation of human rights, procrastination over the implementation of a democratic transition, and the. Sani abacha, born september 20, 1943, kano, nigeriadied june 8, 1998, abuja, nigerian military leader, who served as head of state 199398. Today marks 20 years since the death of nigerian military ruler, sani abacha was announced. He was nigerian military dictator, who served as head of state between 1993 and 1998. Abacha participated in several coups, and under president ibrahim babangida he was appointed chief of army. In this second part, general jeremiah timbut useni rtd says abacha was not poisoned but died of. This collection of short stories unravels the human experience with humor and wit. Abacha was formally trained militarily at nigerian and british military training colleges. Sani abacha biography, death and children informationcradle.
Witness history nigerias military ruler, general sani abacha, died suddenly of an apparent heart attack on 8 june 1998. General sani abacha was the mysterious, reclusive ruler under whose watch abiola was arrested and prodemocracy activists including abiolas wife were murdered. How sani abacha died, by jerry useni 2 vanguard news. Last week, we brought you the first part of this interview. Released in january 2012, the ghost of sani abacha is a collection of 26 stories by the witty and satirical writer chuma nwokolo and has its setting in nigeria.
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