Abacha Didn’t Steal, All The Monies He Kept For Nigeria Vanished – Wife (Video)
Maryam Abacha, widow of Nigeria’s former military ruler, General Sani Abacha, has openly challenged the long-standing narrative that her husband looted Nigeria’s treasury, insisting instead that the late leader saved money for the country which vanished after his death.
Speaking in a televised interview with TVC, Maryam questioned the credibility of claims surrounding the so-called “Abacha loot,” demanding evidence or witness accounts to substantiate the allegations.”
“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad?” she asked.
The federal government has, over the years, announced several recoveries of funds reportedly stashed abroad by the late Abacha and his associates, totaling over $3.6 billion by 2020.
The UK, US, and France have all returned millions of dollars to Nigeria in recent years, citing them as assets linked to Abacha.
But Maryam dismissed these claims, stating that the money her husband allegedly kept for the country disappeared soon after his death in June 1998.
“The monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, vanished. People are not talking about that,” she said.
She attributed the continued allegations against her late husband to tribal, religious, and political sentiments.
“Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?” she asked.
In a blunt remark, she criticised Nigerians for what she described as gullibility in believing the consistent allegations against Abacha.
“And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything,” she said.
Maryam also took a swipe at the media, urging journalists to focus on educating and informing citizens rather than “bastardising” people’s names. She argued that her late husband’s frequent mention 27 years after his death indicated he remained a powerful and significant figure in Nigeria’s history.
When reminded of the claims that Nigeria’s economy was more stable during Abacha’s tenure, with increased reserves and reduced debt, she questioned how her husband could have looted the treasury under such circumstances. “So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked.
June 12 Annulment
On the controversial annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, Maryam refuted allegations that Abacha played a role in the decision, which was taken under General Ibrahim Babangida’s leadership.
“The annulment was not done by my husband. If it was him, that means he was very powerful… even more powerful than the president,” she remarked.
The widow of the former military ruler insisted it was time for the country to move past old grudges and focus on national unity, adding that no individual, not even former leaders like Babangida or Abacha, held the key to Nigeria’s destiny alone.