Maryam Abacha, widow of former military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, has publicly rejected long-standing allegations that her late husband looted billions of dollars during his time in office.
Speaking in a televised interview with TVC on Sunday, Mrs. Abacha insisted there is no credible evidence to support the claims and urged Nigerians to move beyond what she called an unfair narrative.
“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 during the interview.
Mrs. Abacha further alleged that funds her husband purportedly secured for Nigeria disappeared shortly after his death in 1998.
“And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that,” she added.
Nearly three decades after Gen. Abacha’s death, Mrs. Abacha questioned why public discourse continues to focus on her husband’s legacy.
“Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?” she asked.
“Why are we so bad towards each other? Because somebody is a northerner or a southerner, somebody is a Muslim or a Christian… It’s not fair.”
She also criticized the media’s role in perpetuating these allegations.
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“People are not that bad. Twenty-seven years ago, and you are still talking about Abacha. He must be very powerful and loved by Nigerians. We thank God for that,” Mrs. Abacha said.
Responding to comments about Nigeria’s relatively stable economy during General Abacha’s rule, that was marked by increased foreign reserves and reduced external debt, Mrs. Abacha stood firm on her position that there was no wrongdoing.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked rhetorically. “And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything.”
Mrs. Abacha concluded her remarks by calling for greater unity and mutual respect among Nigerians.
“Babangida doesn’t make Nigeria alone. Abacha does not make Nigeria alone. Abiola and everybody, nobody is big enough for Nigeria.
“Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop,” she said.
Over the years, successive administrations and international partners have recovered billions of dollars allegedly linked to Gen. Abacha’s regime, often referred to in media reports as “Abacha loot.”
Successive administrations have negotiated with foreign governments to repatriate these funds, with portions reportedly allocated to social programmes and infrastructure projects.
