The untold story of Abiola’s sudden death — as told by Abdulsalami in new book

American officials who were with MKO Abiola when he died were initially denied access to him, Abdulsalami Abubakar has disclosed in his autobiography. 

Abiola, winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election, was in a meeting with the US delegation in Abuja on July 7, 1998 when he suddenly started coughing, according to accounts.

He died shortly after, sparking off riots in Lagos state amid speculations that he was poisoned by a cup of tea offered to him by the Americans to relieve the cough.

Sani Abacha, the military head of state, had also died suddenly a month earlier.

Abacha had clamped Abiola in detention in 1994 after declaring himself president on the first anniversary of the annulled election.

Abdulsalami has now told his own version of the Abiola tragedy in his autobiography due for public presentation on Saturday in Abuja.

The book, published by Cable Books, is distributed nationwide by Rovingheights Bookstores and is also available on Amazon.

Reproduced below are excerpts from the highly anticipated autobiography.

‘US DELEGATION ALMOST DIDN’T SEE ABIOLA’

“A U.S. delegation had visited Nigeria in July 1998 to assess the political situation after the death of General Abacha. It was led by Mr Tom Pickering, former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria who was Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs. Ms Susan Rice, who was Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, was also in the delegation. They met with the political and human rights communities in the country.

“On their itinerary, I was the last person they planned to see before leaving Nigeria. When they visited me, they complained that they requested to see Abiola but were denied access to him. Meeting with Abiola was a major reason for their visit to Nigeria in the first place and, according to what Rice would reveal decades later, they wanted to encourage him to participate in a new transition programme. I was surprised they were denied access. I was not in the picture. I immediately called my CSO, Abdulrasheed Aliyu, and instructed him to arrange for them to see Abiola.”

Abiola died during the meeting, leading to fears of further political crisis.

‘MY HEAD WENT BLANK WHEN I WAS TOLD ABIOLA DIED’

“Aliyu, my CSO, called me. As soon as I picked, he said, in a shaky voice, that there was a problem. I asked: ‘What
problem again?’ He said Abiola was dead. My head went blank. Aliyu was the one who led the American delegation to the meeting (venue) and was also the one who arranged for Abiola to be brought to the venue. He said Abiola suddenly became restless and started coughing and sweating during the meeting and later died at the State House Clinic.

“I started thinking of many things at the same time. This was the most unexpected turn of events. The peace we were building was still so fragile and now this happened. We did not bargain for this. We were making progress trying to resolve the political crisis and this was going to be a spanner in the works. I wished it was a dream. I was devastated. I did not even know what to think, even though I had to be strong.

“I gathered myself together and called Vice Admiral Mike Akhigbe, my Second-in-Command, to inform him that we had a problem. He was the first person I told. He was dumbfounded. I also told Alhaji Gidado Idris, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. Since I was living in the barracks as I had not moved to the Presidential Villa, I instructed Aliyu to take the American delegation to my residence. I informed Babagana Kingibe, Abiola’s running mate in the 1993 presidential election, of the tragedy and asked him to come with the Abiola family to my residence.

“It was tough breaking the news to the family. When I did, one of his daughters started crying profusely and was shaking
uncontrollably. I held her and placed her head over my shoulders. She was inconsolable. Rice said to me that she wanted to help. She took over, held the lady and consoled her. It was a sad sight I would prefer not to remember. If we had not allowed the American delegation to see him and he had died in custody, it would have been a different story. It would have been insinuated that he had long died and we were trying to cover it up.”

‘I DON’T BELIEVE ABIOLA WAS POISONED’

“It did not stop the conspiracy theories in any case. There was a theory that since Nigeria had come to a standstill with the political impasse, some vested interests in government decided to take out General Abacha in June 1998 because he was
seen as the biggest problem. It was also alleged that after they had taken Abacha out and NADECO insisted on Abiola being released and inaugurated as President, the supposed interests decided to take out Abiola a month later to ‘balance the equation’. Whoever came up with this theory was being uncharitable to both Abiola and the Federal Government.

“I do not believe Abiola was poisoned. The family requested an autopsy and we assembled American, British, Nigerian and Canadian pathologists to conduct it. The autopsy report attributed his death to natural causes. As far back as 1994 when he was arrested by the Abacha Administration for declaring himself President, it was public knowledge that Abiola was managing certain medical conditions which could seriously affect the quality of life of any human being.

“For the sake of transparency, the autopsy was conducted with the full participation of Dr Falomo. The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) was represented by Dr George Okpagu, Dr Boniface Oye-Adeniran and Dr M.C. Izegbu. The Federal Government was represented by two respected pathologists: Prof Edward Attah of the University of Calabar and Dr Abdulmumini Rafindadi of the ABU Teaching Hospital, Zaria.

“The autopsy report was read in public on 11 July 1998 by Dr James G. Young, a medical doctor who was then the Chief Coroner of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The report said Abiola suffered a severe long-standing disease of the heart which could cause unexpected death. The disease was of two types, according to the report. One, there was a severe narrowing of the main coronary arteries by fatty plaques. Two, there was a significant enlargement of the heart as a result of long-standing hypertension. The coroner said it was a well-understood medical fact that either of these conditions could result in sudden death. The report ruled out poisoning. Dr Young told the media that the circumstances of the day, the autopsy report and the eyewitness accounts did not match a pattern of sudden deaths related to poisoning. Toxicological analysis did not point to poisoning either. Dr John Pless, an American pathologist who was part of the autopsy team, told the VOA that the ailment that caused Abiola’s sudden death had been there ‘for as long as 10 to 14 years’.”

‘THERE WERE MANY COCK AND BULL STORIES’

“Dr Ore disagreed with him, saying the four years in detention would have mattered. He said he did not prescribe the pain killer Abiola was reportedly using (presumably for his back ache), wondering if someone else did or it was self-medication. However, he confirmed that he was fully part of the autopsy. ‘I was actively involved. Every specimen that was taken out either by Dr Shephard or by Dr Pless I had to come forward, had to look at it while it’s being dissected. Everything was done without exception,’ he told the VOA on 16 July 1998.

“I was satisfied with the outcome of the autopsy and I had no reason to believe there was foul play. Some people tried to be kind to me by saying maybe fifth columnists in my government hatched a plot to kill Abiola and I was not in the picture. In a sense, it is not out of place for a leader, even in a tiny household, to be unaware of certain things. I admit that there were things about Nigeria that I wouldn’t know. But on the deaths of important individuals like Abacha and Abiola, I think I should know.

“The rumour that Abiola was poisoned was one of the various fabrications freely amplified after I left office. All sorts of
cock and bull stories were peddled in the media. The sittings of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC), set up by my successor, President Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and chaired by the late Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Panel, provided an opportunity for rumour peddlers to gain public sympathy by using the death of Abiola to launder their image.”

Although he did not mention names, Hamza Al-Mustapha, a major and former CSO to Abacha, told the Oputa panel in 2000 that he had video evidence that Abiola was poisoned.

He is yet to make the footage public. (TheCable)