Former Nigerian Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retired), has unveiled startling details about how the late General Sani Abacha compelled him to participate in the 1993 coup d’état. The revelations are contained in Chapter 17 of his autobiography titled ‘Call of Duty’, a 264-page, 27-chapter memoir.
At the time, Abdulsalami served as Commandant of the National War College, a position he held amid escalating political turmoil following the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election. He recounted that he declined the post of Chief of Army Staff twice after Abacha seized power from the Interim National Government, firmly stating that he did not wish to become a pawn for civilians exploiting the military.
The former general noted that Abacha, who was the Minister of Defense under the interim government, remained the highest-ranking military officer in active service and within the administration, having been retained by the Babangida regime to ensure military stability. He disclosed that his initial awareness of the unfolding plot came from Rear Admiral Suleiman Saidu, then Chief of Naval Staff, who visited his home on a Monday evening in November 1993 with an urgent alert. Saidu inquired if Abdulsalami knew that Abacha and Gusau had traveled to Abuja. Abdulsalami was taken aback, as Abacha had scheduled a meeting with him for the following day. Saidu warned that the army was considering a coup and that the navy would not participate. Abdulsalami assured him that he had no knowledge of any such plan and was not involved.
Further confirming his ignorance, Abdulsalami wrote that retired Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua telephoned him on November 17, 1993, asking what was happening in Abuja. When Abdulsalami asked for clarification, Yar’Adua stated that they were attempting to remove Chief Ernest Shonekan. Again, Abdulsalami professed no knowledge and said he would investigate. This was the second time he heard the coup rumor, he emphasized.