:Sani Abacha

Abacha was born and brought up in Kano to a Kanuri family originally from present-day Borno State.{{cite web|title=20 things to remember about Abacha|url=https://www.thecable.ng/20-things-to-remember-about-gen-sani-abacha|date=8 June 2016|website=TheCable|language=en-US|access-date=24 May 2020}}{{cite web |title=Sani Abacha {{!}} Nigerian military leader |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sani-Abacha |website=Encyclopedia Britannica}} He attended the Nigerian Military Training College in Kaduna, and was commissioned in 1963 after he had attended the Mons Officer Cadet School in Aldershot, England.{{cite news|date=9 June 1998|title=NEW CHAPTER IN NIGERIA: THE OBITUARY; Sani Abacha, 54, a Beacon of Brutality In an Era When Brutality Was Standard|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/09/world/new-chapter-nigeria-obituary-sani-abacha-54-beacon-brutality-era-when-brutality.html|access-date=6 February 2019}}

Abacha was definitely involved in all the military coups in Nigeria since July 1966 during his military career. In 1966, when he was still a second lieutenant with the 3rd Battalion in Kaduna, he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian counter-coup from the conceptual stage.{{cite book|last=Siollun|first=Max|title=Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966–1976)|year=2009|publisher=Algora|isbn=9780875867090|page=97}} He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup the previous January as well.{{cite book|last=Siollun|first=Max|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1s9EqmAN1IC&pg=PA132 |title=Oil, Politics and Violence: Nigeria's Military Coup Culture (1966–1976)|date=2009|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=978-0-87586-709-0}} In 1969, he fought during the Nigerian Civil War as a platoon and battalion commander. He later became commander of the 2nd Infantry Division in 1975.{{cite book|last1=Akyeampong|first1=Emmanuel Kwaku|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39JMAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1 |title=Dictionary of African Biography|last2=Gates|first2=Henry Louis|date=2 February 2012|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-538207-5}} In 1983, Abacha was general officer commanding of the 2nd Mechanised Division, and was appointed a member of the Supreme Military Council.{{citation|last=Balogun|first=M.J.|title=Leadership as an Imposition: the Military Shortcut to Power|date=2009|work=The Route to Power in Nigeria: A Dynamic Engagement Option for Current and Aspiring Leaders|pages=163–193|editor-last=Balogun|editor-first=M.J.|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan US|doi=10.1057/9780230100848_9|isbn=978-0-230-10084-8}}

In the same year, Abacha played a prominent role in the 1983 Nigerian coup d'état which brought General Muhammadu Buhari to power; and the 1985 Nigerian coup d'état which removed Buhari and brought General Ibrahim Babangida to power.{{cite web|url=http://www.waado.org/nigerdelta/nigeria_facts/militaryrule/omoigui/PalaceCoup-1985.htm|title=Nigeria: Palace Coup of 1985 By Dr. Nowa Omoigui|website=www.waado.org|access-date=31 March 2019}} When General Ibrahim Babangida was named President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 1985, Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff. He was later appointed Minister of Defence in 1990.Oyewole, A. (1987) Historical Dictionary of Nigeria, Scarecrow Press. p. 385. {{ISBN|0-8108-1787-X}}.{{cite web|url=http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9389478|title=Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia|work=eb.com}}{{cite book|last=Siollun|first=Max|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DB6sDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA21 |title=Nigeria's Soldiers of Fortune: The Abacha and Obasanjo Years|date=29 August 2019|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-1-78738-202-2}}

Abacha served as Chief of Army Staff from 1985 to 1990, as Chief of Defence Staff from 1990 to 1993, and as Minister of Defence. Abacha is noted for having been the first Nigerian Army officer to attain the rank of general without skipping a single rank.Paden, John N. (2005) Muslim Civic Cultures and Conflict Resolution, Brookings Institution Press. p. 240. {{ISBN|0-8157-6817-6}}.

{{main|2 = 1993 Nigerian coup d'état}}

Abacha was the defence minister and most senior official within the military hierarchy during the crisis of the Third Republic. He orchestrated the coup d'état of 1993 which overthrew the Interim National Government of Ernest Shonekan.{{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=18 November 1993|title=Nigerian Military Leader Ousts Interim President|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/11/18/world/nigerian-military-leader-ousts-interim-president.html|access-date=24 May 2020|issn=0362-4331}} In his nationwide broadcast, Abacha portrayed the overthrow as an act of stability brought about through the socio-political uncertainties caused by the 1993 presidential election.{{cite web |title=Nigeria Coup Video, Abacha Coup |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhG3OU8FZZk |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/qhG3OU8FZZk |archive-date=17 November 2021 |website=YouTube| date=8 June 2010 }}{{cbignore}}

Abacha ruled as Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from 1993 to 1998. In September 1994, he issued a decree that placed his government above the jurisdiction of the courts{{cite book |last=Gros |first=Jean-Germa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sWaMNpVEPTgC&pg=PA67 |title=Democratization in Late Twentieth-Century Africa: Coping with Uncertainty: Coping with Uncertainty |date=24 September 1998 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37090-8}} effectively giving him absolute power. Another decree gave him the right to detain anyone for up to three months without trial. He further abrogated Decree 691 of 1993.{{cite web |date=7 September 1994 |title=Nigerian Military Ruler Assumes Absolute Power |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/07/world/nigerian-military-ruler-assumes-absolute-power.html |publisher=AP |via=The New York Times}}{{cite web |author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |title=Refworld {{!}} U.S. Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices 1998 - Nigeria |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aa7e8.html |access-date=24 May 2020 |website=Refworld}}

Abacha assembled a personal security force of 3,000 men trained in North Korea. Abacha's chief security officer Hamza al-Mustapha had an iron grip on the apparatus of military security. The Nigeria Police Force underwent a large-scale retraining. The state cracked down ruthlessly on criminals and dissidents, the National Democratic Coalition was charged with responsibility for a number of bombings across the country, and several of its members were arrested.{{Cite web|last=Refugees|first=United Nations High Commissioner for|title=Nigeria: Bombing incidents at Lagos airport between June 1996 and November 1997, including identity of persons injured, reaction of authorities and outcome of investigations or prosecutions|url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab4d1c.html|access-date=13 May 2020|website=Refworld}} When Moshood Abiola proclaimed himself president, he was jailed for treason and subsequently died in custody.{{cite web|title=Nigeria: Human Rights Watch Africa|url=https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Urgent_Action/apic_52396.html|access-date=24 May 2020|website=www.africa.upenn.edu}} Also, former military ruler Olusegun Obasanjo was jailed for treason and accused of plotting a coup together with General Oladipo Diya.{{cite web|date=10 June 1998|title=NEW NIGERIA CHIEF PLEDGES A RETURN TO CIVILIAN RULE|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/10/world/new-nigeria-chief-pledges-a-return-to-civilian-rule.html|work=The New York Times}} In 1997, General Shehu Yar'Adua who was also jailed died in custody. Abacha's regime was accused of human rights abuses, especially after the hanging of Ogoni activist Ken Saro-Wiwa (only one of several executions of Ogoni activists opposed to the exploitation of Nigerian resources by the multinational petroleum company, Royal Dutch Shell), whose death later led to the eviction of Nigeria from the Commonwealth Nations.{{cite book|last=Arnold|first=Guy|url=https://archive.org/details/africamodernhist00arno|title=Africa: A Modern History|date=2005|publisher=Atlantic Books|isbn=9781843541769|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/africamodernhist00arno/page/789 789]|url-access=registration}} Wole Soyinka was charged in absentia with treason. Abacha's regime suffered opposition externally by pro-democracy activists.

Abacha's administration oversaw an increase in the country's foreign exchange reserves from $494 million in 1993 to $9.6 billion by the middle of 1997, and reduced the external debt of Nigeria from $36 billion in 1993 to $27 billion by 1997.{{cite web|title=Why we honoured Abacha - Nigerian government - Premium Times Nigeria|url=https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/156004-why-we-honoured-abacha-nigerian-government.html|date=1 March 2014|language=en-GB|access-date=24 May 2020}}{{cite web|url=http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/156004-why-we-honoured-abacha-nigerian-government.html|title=Why we honoured Abacha – Nigerian government – Premium Times Nigeria|work=Premium Times Nigeria|date=March 2014}} Abacha also constructed between 25 and 100 km of urban road in major cities such as Kano, Gusau, Benin, Funtua, Zaria, Enugu, Kaduna, Aba,{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Aba-Nigeria|title=Aba {{!}} Nigeria|encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica}}= Lagos, Lokoja and Port Harcourt.{{cite web|title=Why did a U.S. magazine label Nigerian leader Sani Abacha as "Thug of the Year" in 1995?|url=https://www.ogoninews.com/ogoni/443-why-did-a-u-s-magazine-label-nigerian-leader-sani-abacha-as-thug-of-the-year-in-1995|last=|website=Ogoni/Niger Delta News|language=en-GB|access-date=24 May 2020}} Abacha brought the privatisation programs of the Ibrahim Babangida administration to a halt, reduced an inflation rate of 54% inherited from Ernest Shonekan to 8.5% between 1993 and 1998, all while the nation's primary commodity, oil was at an average of $15 per barrel. GDP growth, despite being estimated to be higher than the 2.2% growth in 1995, was largely limited to the petroleum sector.{{cite web|url=https://1997-2001.state.gov/global/human_rights/1996_hrp_report/nigeria.html|title=United States Department of State, Nigeria Country Report on Human Rights Practices for 1996|date= 30 January 1997|website=1997-2001.state.gov}}

The unprecedented economic achievements coincided with the rapid expansion of embezzlement hitherto unseen in the history of corruption in Nigeria{{Cite web |date=3 January 2020 |title=Revealing the Ultimate 2020 List: The 10 Most Corrupt Politicians in the World - The Sina Times |url=https://www.sinatimes.com/2020/01/03/revealing-the-ultimate-2020-list-the-10-most-corrupt-politicians-in-the-world/ |access-date=3 January 2024 |language=en-US}} in the alleged saga known as "Abacha loot".{{cite news |date=28 January 2021 |title=Sani Abacha - the hunt for the billions stolen by Nigeria's ex-leader |language=en-GB |publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-54929254 |access-date=24 February 2022}} Abacha's national security adviser, Alhaji Ismaila Gwarzo, was accused by the government of President Olusegun Obasanjo to have played a central role in the looting and transfer of money to overseas accounts.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/26/news/26iht-swiss.2.t_3.html|title=Swiss Freeze A Dictator's Giant Cache|author=Elizabeth Olson|date=26 January 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=24 June 2011}} Abacha's son, Mohammed Abacha and best friend Alhaji Mohammed M. Sada were also involved. A preliminary report published by the Abdulsalam Abubakar transitional government in November 1998 described the process. The report mentioned that Sani Abacha told Ismaila Gwarzo to provide fake national security funding requests, which Abacha approved. The funds were usually sent in cash or traveller's cheques by the Central Bank of Nigeria to Gwarzo, who took them to Abacha's house. Mohammed Sada then arranged to launder the money to offshore accounts. An estimated $1.4 billion in cash was delivered in this way.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RGvSopqOnx0C&pg=PA178|title=Growing apart: oil, politics, and economic change in Indonesia and Nigeria|last=Lewis|first=Peter|publisher=University of Michigan Press|year=2007|isbn=978-0-472-06980-4|page=178}}

In 2004, a list of the ten most self-enriching leaders in the previous two decades was released;{{cite web|url=http://www.transparency.org/content/download/4459/26786/file/Introduction_to_political_corruption.pdf|title=Introduction to Political Corruption|date=25 March 2004|website=transparency.org|location=London|page=13}} in order of amount allegedly stolen, the fourth-ranked of these leaders was Abacha and his family who are alleged to have embezzled between $1 billion – $5 billion.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/19/world/late-nigerian-dictator-looted-nearly-500-million-swiss-say.html|title=Late Nigerian Dictator Looted Nearly $500 Million, Swiss Say|date=19 August 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=9 April 2010}} In 2002, rumours circulated that Abacha's family purportedly agreed to return $1.2 billion. Sources in the Obasanjo administration disclosed that the whole Abacha loot was politicised by the administration for his re-election bid.The Worldwatch Institute. (2003) Vital Signs 2003, The Worldwatch Institute. p. 115. {{ISBN|0-393-32440-0}}. On 7 August 2014, the United States Department of Justice announced the forfeiture of US$480 million, the largest in its history, to the Nigerian government.{{cite web|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-forfeits-over-480-million-stolen-former-nigerian-dictator-largest-forfeiture-ever-obtained|title=U.S. Forfeits Over $480 Million Stolen by Former Nigerian Dictator in Largest Forfeiture Ever Obtained Through a Kleptocracy Action|website=The United States Department of Justice|date=28 August 2014|access-date=23 August 2015}} Jersey discovered more than $267 million in funds that were allegedly laundered through the U.S. banking system and deposited in a Jersey account (£210m in British pounds). In 2019, more than 20 years after his death the U.S. Justice Department, Jersey courts and the government of Nigeria completed a civil asset forfeiture against the funds and they will be divided between those countries.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-jersey-48509274|title=Dictator's £210m seized from Jersey account|date=4 June 2019|access-date=23 June 2019|language=en-GB}}

{{Context||details=|date=April 2020}}

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Abacha oversaw the re-organisation of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones,{{Cite web |last=Uzodinma Nwala |date=1997 |title=Nigeria: Path to Unity and Stability Abuja National Constitutional Conference (1994-95) |url=https://oer.unn.edu.ng/read/nigeria-path-to-unity-and-stability-abuja-national-constitutional-conference-1994-95/file.pdf}} in order to reflect cultural, economic, and political realities of the regions:

• North Central: Benue State, Kogi State, Kwara State, Nasarawa State, Niger State, Plateau State and Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
• North East: Adamawa State, Bauchi State, Borno State, Gombe State, Taraba State and Yobe State.
• North West: Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Sokoto State and Zamfara State.
• South East: Abia State, Anambra State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State and Imo State.
• South South: Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State and Rivers State.
• South West: Ekiti State, Lagos State, Ogun State, Ondo State, Osun State and Oyo State.

This was achieved after adding six states to the already existing 30 to make up the present 36 states in the country.{{Cite journal |last=Yaqub |first=Nuhu |date=September 2023 |title=Quasi-Democracy and Autocracy as Governance Systems in Nigeria An Examination |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/gss.2023.a917368 |journal=Journal of Global South Studies |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=312–357 |doi=10.1353/gss.2023.a917368 |issn=2476-1419|url-access=subscription }}

Abacha held a constitutional conference between 1993 and 1995. Early in 1998, Abacha announced that elections would be held on 1 August, with a view toward handing power to a civilian government on 1 October. It later became apparent that Abacha had no intention of relinquishing power. By April 1998, Abacha had coerced the country's five political parties into endorsing him as the sole presidential candidate.{{Cite news |date=8 January 2024 |title=NIGERIAN LEADER WINS NOMINATION OF 4 OF 5 PARTIES |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/04/20/nigerian-leader-wins-nomination-of-4-of-5-parties/4bc0c14d-b5c6-4dac-901a-90208220ddd2/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

In 1995, following the execution of Ken Saro-Wiwa, Nigeria was suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations.{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/12/world/commonwealth-suspends-nigeria-over-executions.html|title=Commonwealth Suspends Nigeria Over Executions|website=The New York Times|date=12 November 1995|access-date=23 August 2015}}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XygZjbNRap0C&q=nigeria+as+a+pariah+state+abacha&pg=PR19|title=A History of Nigeria|author=Falola & Heaton|date=24 April 2008|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139472036|page=xix|access-date=23 August 2015}} While hosting Nelson Mandela, Abacha admitted he was advised against interfering with Saro-Wiwa's trial—but made assurances that he would use his rank in government to commute the sentence if death sentence was pronounced. Justice Ibrahim Auta was the judge presiding over the proceedings and sentenced Saro-Wiwa to death by hanging.{{cite news |date=16 March 2011 |title=Ken-Saro Wiwa Killer Judge Becomes Acting Chief Judge Of Nigeria |work=saharareporters.com |url=http://saharareporters.com/2011/03/16/ken-saro-wiwa-killer-judge-becomes-acting-chief-judge-nigeria |access-date=5 March 2022}} Abacha did not commute the sentence.{{Cite news |date=6 January 2024 |title=DEATH SENTENCE APPROVED FOR NIGERIAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1995/11/09/death-sentence-approved-for-nigerian-rights-activist/e68321bf-2018-43f3-b6b2-dd4e7aef08c8/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |newspaper=Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}

In 1997, Muammar Gaddafi's West African Tour to Sani Abacha to mark the new Islamic year directly infringed United Nations Sanctions on Libya, yet he was greeted by thousands of Abacha's supporters who came out to demonstrate their loyalty in Kano.{{citation|last=AP Archive|title=Nigeria - Gaddafi arrives to celebrate holiday|date=21 July 2015|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuthDUJZAQc| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211117/CuthDUJZAQc| archive-date=17 November 2021 | url-status=live|access-date=31 March 2019}}{{cbignore}} The Libyan leader sought to strengthen relations with the country, as a way to strengthen his agenda of Pan-Africanism.{{Cite web |date=10 May 1997 |title=Gaddafi blames West for Islam's image |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12323114.gaddafi-blames-west-for-islams-image/ |access-date=15 February 2024 |website=The Herald |language=en}}

Abacha intervened in the Liberian Civil War. Through the Economic Community of West African States Monitoring Group, Abacha sent troops to Liberia to fight against the rising insurgency in the country. The Civil War, which began in 1989, saw an influx of Nigerian troops from 1990 when Abacha was defence minister.{{Cite journal |last1=Amao |first1=Olumuyiwa Babatunde |last2=Maiangwa |first2=Benjamin |date=2 January 2017 |title=Has the Giant gone to sleep? Re-assessing Nigeria's response to the Liberian Civil War (1990–1997) and the Boko Haram insurgency (2009–2015) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00020184.2017.1285665 |journal=African Studies |volume=76 |issue=1 |pages=22–43 |doi=10.1080/00020184.2017.1285665 |issn=0002-0184|url-access=subscription }}

Despite being repeatedly condemned by the US State Department,{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/1999/11/09/braun|title=Return of the ugly American|work=salon.com|date=10 November 1999 }} Abacha did have a few ties to American politicians. In 1997, Senator James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma) travelled to Nigeria to meet with Abacha as a representative of the "Family", a group of evangelical Christian politicians and civic leaders. Abacha and the Family had a business and political relationship from that point until his death.{{cite web|url=http://motherjones.com/politics/2010/11/doug-coe-inhofe-siljander-c-street|title=Junkets for Jesus|work=Mother Jones}}{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=121755993|title=A Different Perspective On 'The Family' And Uganda|date=22 December 2009|work=NPR.org}} Abacha also developed ties with other American political figures such as Senator Carol Moseley Braun (D-Illinois) Rev. Jesse Jackson and Minister Louis Farrakhan. Several African American political leaders visited Nigeria during his reign and Farrakhan supported his administration.

Abacha was married to Maryam Abacha and had seven sons and three daughters. As of 2018, he had thirty-three grandchildren.{{cite web |title=Newsmaker Profiles: Sani Abacha Nigerian President |url=http://www.cnn.com/resources/newsmakers/world/africa/abacha.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040408102654/http://www.cnn.com/resources/newsmakers/world/africa/abacha.html |archive-date=8 April 2004 |access-date=26 September 2014 |publisher=CNN}}

The scars on his face were tribal markings.{{Cite news |last=Rupert |first=James |date=9 June 1998 |title=Gen. Sani Abacha dies |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1998/06/09/gen-sani-abacha-dies/525d7c85-020d-4327-a342-e904104daf1d/ |access-date=14 October 2023 |issn=0190-8286}}

On Monday 8 June 1998, Abacha died in the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja.{{Cite journal |title=The Trans-Pacific, Volume 24, Issue 24 - 1936-06-11 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/36722_meao_transpacific_1936-06-11-007 |access-date=14 February 2024 |website=Manchuria Daily News Online|doi=10.1163/36722_meao_transpacific_1936-06-11-007 |url-access=subscription }} He was buried on the same day according to Muslim tradition and without an autopsy, fuelling speculation that he may have been assassinated.{{cite web |title=General Sani Abacha Profile |url=http://www.africa-confidential.com/whos-who-profile/id/2651/ |access-date=19 June 2012 |publisher=Africa Confidential}}{{Cite journal |last1=Masland |first1=Tom |last2=Bartholet |first2=Jeffrey |last3=Johnson |first3=Scott |date=13 March 2000 |title=Tracking Abacha's Billions |url= |journal=Newsweek (Atlantic Edition) |volume=135 |issue=11 |pages=16}} The government identified the cause of death as a sudden heart attack.{{cite news |last=Weiner |first=Tim |date=11 July 1998 |title=U.S. Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/11/world/us-aides-say-nigeria-leader-might-have-been-poisoned.html?scp=8&sq=abacha&st=cse |access-date=9 April 2010}} It is believed by foreign diplomats, including United States intelligence analysts, that he may have been poisoned while in the company of prostitutes.{{cite news |last=Weiner |first=Tim |date=11 July 1998 |title=U.S. Aides Say Nigeria Leader Might Have Been Poisoned |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/07/11/world/us-aides-say-nigeria-leader-might-have-been-poisoned.html}} His chief security officer, Hamza al-Mustapha, believed he was poisoned by Israeli operatives in the company of Yasser Arafat.{{cite web |last=Opejobi |first=Seun |date=19 June 2017 |title=Details of how Abacha died in 1998 – Al-Mustapha |url=https://dailypost.ng/2017/06/19/details-abacha-died-1998-al-mustapha/ |access-date=24 January 2020 |website=Daily Post Nigeria |language=en-US}} At the time of his death, he was allegedly about to transfer power to a civilian government in October 1998, implemented in October 1995.{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/analysis/81060.stm |title=Analysis | Nigeria: General Abacha's era of dictatorship |publisher=BBC News}} After Abacha's death, General Abdulsalami Abubakar became head of state, whose short tenure ushered in the Fourth Nigerian Republic.{{cite web |title=Sani Abacha: Timeline of the late Nigerian dictator's life |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-f9f1cd17-2c50-442e-88fc-e2deb46dbde1 |access-date=27 May 2020 |publisher=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

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• [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/06/98/nigeria/109265.stm Abacha dies at 54], BBC News, 8 June 1998

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