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Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Obasanjo Reveals How He Survived Abacha's Killer Squad (324 Views)
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Obasanjo Reveals How He Survived Abacha's Killer Squad by megafem1: 4:31pm On Jul 09, 2017 |
- Chief Olusegun Obasanjo claimed Abacha
plotted to kill him
- The former president said God intervened
and he survived the attempt
- He narrated how Yar'Adua was killed by
Abacha's men
Former president, Olusegun Obasanjo has
revealed how Shehu Musa Yar’Adua and
Chief MKO Abiola were killed by General Sani
Abacha killer squad.
The Punch reports that the former
president gave this revelation at a dinner
programme organised by an inter-
denominational Christian organisation,
Christ The Redeemer’s Friends International
of the Redeemed Christian Church of God,
Lagos Province 39 Chapter.
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Obasanjo said that the late Yar’Adua was
injected with a deadly virus and that he was
next in line to be killed in detention but God
intervened in saved his life.
He said: “Two people had earlier told me
Abacha promised that three of us would
not come out of prison or detention alive;
myself. Shehu Yar Adua and MKO Abiola. And
two of them did not come out alive. So, that
I came out alive, maybe God has a purpose.
And therefore if the purpose is for me to
serve the people and by so doing, serve
God, then so be it.
“Abacha claimed that I was plotting a coup.
I wasn’t the first to be arrested. When
Shehu (Yar’Adua) was arrested, I tried to
plead for his release. When Abacha said he
didn’t know about Shehu’s arrest, I said to
him, ‘the number two man in this country
cannot be arrested without you knowing.’
“In Abacha’s plan, he left God out of it and
because he left God out of his plan, it (his
government) eventually failed. There is
God’s hand in the life of each and every one
of us and every institution. I believe that
very well.
“When I was arrested, they took me to a
house in Ikoyi (Lagos) and that became my
abode (I was) in isolation, for three months.
“In the meantime, there were national and
international pressures for my release,
(former US) President Jimmy Carter was one
of the world leaders that came to ask for
my release. Some African leaders like Yoweri
Museveni and Robert Mugabe came. I
believe it was because of those pressures
that I was released from isolation in Ikoyi
where I was under house arrest.”
Obasanjo described the day he was court-
martialled as the worst in his life.
He said: “I must say that, that day, in a split
second, it felt like the worst day in my life.
What flashed through my mind was that I
was forever ruined. I asked myself, ‘What
did I do to deserve this? Is this what I get
for serving Nigeria?’ But then, I told myself
again that this was not done to me by
Nigeria, but that one man did it for me.”
“I was to go to Jos (prison) and Yar’Adua
was to go to Port Harcourt (prison). In Jos, I
was visited by my colleagues, including
Yakubu Danjuma, Joe Garba, Domkat Bali,
many of our colleagues, and then family
members and friends.
“Then a decision was made that I was
becoming too popular in Jos prison and I
had to be transferred to. Yola prison which
is a native authority prison and I don’t need
to tell you what life was there.
“In Jos prison, before I was transferred to
Yola prison, they had decided that Shehu
Yar’Adua and myself should be poisoned.
So, they took him from Port Harcourt prison
to Abakaliki. In the process, he was injected
with the virus that killed him. The same was
supposed to be done to me. The man who
came took me from the prison to a guest
house in the GRA in Jos, said, ‘We know you
have problem with cholesterol so I have to
take your blood for a test.’ Then I said, ‘Not
on your life, I don’t have any problem of
cholesterol.’
“I was slightly diabetic. But God had taken
care of it because I was checking my blood
sugar almost on a daily basis and it had
become better than normal. So, I refused
him (the man) touching me with anything.
So, they took me to Yola and he said, ‘when
you get to where you are going, we will
come again.’”
Obasanjo revealed that the attempt to kill
him was thwarted by a prison doctor.
“The doctor was a professional man in
charge of the General Hospital in Yola. He
listened to my case that I needed special
food because I was diabetic. He said the
specialist would come to see me. The
specialist turned out to be somebody from
Okeogun in Oyo State. Two, he was a
Baptist, and three, he had heard about me
and knew me. So, he looked at me and said,
‘Don’t let anybody touch you with anything.’
“Within three weeks the man that came to
me earlier returned again and said he
wanted to take my blood. I said, ‘No, you
have to get my doctor to come and take my
blood for you.’ That was the arrangement
between me and the doctor. And my doctor
came and he brought a syringe and he took
my blood and gave it to him. He now asked
the man, ‘When would we have the
result?’The man said, ‘Within 24 hours of
my getting to Abuja.’I haven’t heard the
result till today.”
Obasanjo said after he was released from
prison, he contested the presidential
election following pressure from some well-
meaning people.
“Nigeria that was a pariah state became a
darling (of the world).
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“What is the lesson for me? I developed in
prison but unfortunately I was not able to
sustain it. Maybe because there was
nothing else to do in prison except to pray
and fast. I used to fast a lot. On three
occasions, I fasted for seven days, no water,
no food… a unique power was given to me
by God.
“In all these, God did not leave me alone,
and I know that. I say to people that God
has never let me alone nor disappointed me
in spite of all. I am a sinner. It is not
because of my goodness, but because of
the grace of God, and the grace of God
continues to abound.” |
Re: Obasanjo Reveals How He Survived Abacha's Killer Squad by Mynd44: 5:21pm On Jul 09, 2017 |
(1) (Reply)
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