Sani Abacha facts for kids

Quick facts for kids General Sani Abacha GCFR
Portrait, c. 1993–1998
10th Head of State of Nigeria
In office 17 November 1993 – 8 June 1998
Chief of General Staff	Oladipo Diya
Preceded by	Ernest Shonekan
Succeeded by	Abdulsalami Abubakar
Defence Minister of Nigeria
In office August 1990 – 8 June 1998
President	Ibrahim Babangida Ernest Shonekan Himself
Preceded by	Domkat Bali
Succeeded by	Abdulsalami Abubakar
Chief of Defence Staff
In office August 1990 – 17 November 1993
President	Ibrahim Babangida Ernest Shonekan
Preceded by	Domkat Bali
Succeeded by	Oladipo Diya
Chief of Army Staff
In office August 1985 – August 1990
President	Ibrahim Babangida
Preceded by	Ibrahim Babangida
Succeeded by	Salihu Ibrahim
Personal details
Born	(1943-09-20)20 September 1943 Kano, Northern Region, British Nigeria (now Kano, Kano, Nigeria)
Died	8 June 1998(1998-06-08) (aged 54) Aso Villa, Abuja, Nigeria
Cause of death	Unnatural Death (alleged)
Political party	none (military)
Spouse	Maryam Abacha
Children	See Ibrahim Mohammed Abba Mahmud Sadiq Zainab Fatima Gumsu Rakiya Abdullahi Mustapha
Occupation	Military officer
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Nigeria
Branch/service	Nigerian Army
Years of service	1963–1998
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Nigerian Civil War First Liberian Civil War

Sani Abacha (born September 20, 1943 – died June 8, 1998) was a Nigerian military leader. He served as the Head of State of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He took power after a military takeover.

Abacha's rise to power was the last successful military takeover in Nigeria's history. His time as leader was known for strict control. It also saw some important economic changes for the country.

After Abacha's death in 1998, General Abdulsalami Abubakar took over. This led to Nigeria becoming a democracy again a year later.

Early Life

Sani Abacha was born in Kano, Nigeria. His family was from the Kanuri ethnic group. He went to the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna. He also studied at the Mons Officer Cadet School in England. He became an officer in the military in 1963.

Military Career

Abacha was part of several important military events in Nigeria. In 1966, he helped plan a military counter-takeover. He also fought in the Nigerian Civil War in 1969. During the war, he led groups of soldiers.

In 1983, Abacha played a key role in a military takeover. This brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power. He was also involved in another takeover in 1985. This one removed Buhari and made General Ibrahim Babangida the leader.

When Babangida became President in 1985, Abacha was made the Chief of Army Staff. Later, in 1990, he became the Minister of Defence. Abacha was the first Nigerian Army officer to reach the rank of full general without skipping any ranks.

Taking Power

Abacha was the defence minister during a difficult time in Nigeria. In 1993, he led a military takeover. This removed the temporary government of Ernest Shonekan. Abacha said he took over to bring stability to the country. He claimed it was needed because of problems after the 1993 presidential election.

Leading Nigeria

Abacha was the Head of State of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998. In 1994, he made a rule that put his government above the law. This gave him a lot of power. Another rule allowed him to hold people for up to three months without a trial.

Keeping Control

Abacha created a special security team of 3,000 men. These men were trained in North Korea. His chief security officer, Hamza al-Mustapha, had strong control over the military and security forces. The national police force also received new training.

The government was very tough on criminals and those who disagreed with them. Some people who spoke out against the government were arrested. One important person, Moshood Abiola, was jailed. Former military leader Olusegun Obasanjo was also jailed.

National Economy

During Abacha's time, Nigeria's money reserves grew a lot. They went from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by 1997. Nigeria's foreign debt also went down. It decreased from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997.

Abacha also oversaw the building of many roads in major cities. These cities included Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. He stopped the government's plans to sell state-owned businesses. He also reduced the inflation rate from 54% to 8.5%. This happened even though oil prices were low.

Money Matters

There were claims that a lot of state money was taken during Abacha's rule. This was known as the "Abacha loot." It was said that Abacha and his family hid billions of dollars. This money was allegedly kept in other countries like Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

In 2004, a report said that Abacha and his family might have taken between $1 billion and $5 billion. In 2014, the United States government announced it would return $480 million to Nigeria. This was the largest amount ever returned in such a case.

National Politics

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He divided the country into six geopolitical zones. This was done to better reflect the different cultures, economies, and politics of the regions. He also added six new states, making a total of 36 states in Nigeria.

Abacha held meetings to discuss a new constitution between 1993 and 1995. In early 1998, he said that elections would be held in August. The plan was to hand over power to a civilian government in October. However, it seemed that Abacha did not actually want to give up power. By April 1998, all five political parties in the country had agreed to support him as the only presidential candidate.

Foreign Policy

In 1995, Nigeria was temporarily removed from the Commonwealth of Nations. This happened after the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, an environmental activist. Abacha had promised to review Saro-Wiwa's sentence but did not change it.

In 1997, Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya, visited Abacha in Kano. This visit went against United Nations rules for Libya. However, many of Abacha's supporters welcomed Gaddafi. Gaddafi wanted to make ties stronger with Nigeria. He hoped this would help his goal of uniting African nations.

Abacha also sent Nigerian troops to Liberia. This was during the First Liberian Civil War. The troops were part of a group called the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group. They went to fight against a growing rebellion in Liberia. Nigerian troops had been in Liberia since 1990, when Abacha was defence minister.

Abacha also had some connections with American politicians. Some American leaders visited Nigeria during his rule.

Personal Life and Death

Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha. They had seven sons and three daughters. He had thirty-three grandchildren by 2018. The marks on his face were traditional tribal markings.

Sani Abacha died on June 8, 1998, in Abuja. He was buried the same day, following Muslim tradition. No official medical examination was done. The government said he died from a sudden heart attack. However, some people believe he might have been poisoned. After his death, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became the new Head of State. His leadership led to Nigeria becoming a democracy again.

Images for kids

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  Sani Abacha's signature.

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  Flag of the Nigerian Army Headquarters.

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  Insignia for a General in the Nigerian Army.