Locked in Abacha’s Villa: Abdulsalami Abubakar’s Shocking 1998 Revelation
In his new autobiography marking his 84th birthday, retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar recalls a tense morning on 8 June 1998 when he was summoned to meet Head of State Sani Abacha at the Presidential Villa. Arriving in a tracksuit and slippers, he spent over an hour locked in a waiting room with another general. He only discovered Abacha’s death when the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomassie, finally opened the door and led him to the shocking news. Later that day, Abdulsalami was named Abacha’s successor by the Provisional Ruling Council. He organised a swift transition and handed power to the elected government of Olusegun Obasanjo in May 1999.
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