3 Fat Lies About Abacha’s Death on June 8, 1998: How His Death Was a Blow to Sierra Leone

 

Abubakar Hashim

It was exactly 28 years ago, two days ago, that General Sani Abacha died on June 8, 1998, in the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock (State House), Abuja.

His death was a classic drama, mourned by some but celebrated by many.

3 Fatal Lies

1. Contrary to the widely circulated false narrative that he died from eating an apple given to him by his concubines, he died of cardiac failure, as revealed by his personal physician, Dr. Sadique Sulaiman Wali.
2. A day before his death, on June 7, 1998, his health reportedly collapsed suddenly at the Abuja International Airport after meeting the then Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, who shook hands with him. This led to another rumour that he died as a result of the handshake.
3. A day before he died, he met with his close ally, General Jeremiah Useni, then Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. They were good friends. The meeting lasted until 3:35 a.m., when Abacha went to bed. What happened was that at about 5:00 a.m., Abacha’s Chief Security Officer (CSO), Col. Hamza El-Mustapha, rushed into his bedroom and found him gasping for breath as a result of heart attack. He then called Dr. Wali, who arrived a few minutes later and administered two injections, one to the heart and another close to his neck. The injections did not work. Dr. Wali pronounced him dead from heart failure.
   It was not Gen Jeremiah Useni who masterminded Abacha’s death to succeed him, as falsely claimed.

How Abacha’s Death Was a Blow to Sierra Leone

General Sani Abacha remains an eternally loved and respected figure in Sierra Leone, as he championed the return of President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah to power in 1997 from exile in neighbouring Guinea. Abacha is so revered that a popular street in Kissy is named after him for his role in helping to save democracy in Sierra Leone.

His death, 28 years ago, was a blow to Sierra Leone, Liberia, and beyond, as he was instrumental in restoring stability in the region. He was part of Nigeria’s ruling council that made key military decisions for the West African region through ECOMOG.

Abacha prevented bloodshed in Sierra Leone. The Armed Forces had merged with the rebels to form the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council AFRC, which was ruling the country with impunity.
ECOMOG, led by Abacha, thwarted the AFRC from control of the State House, when late General Maxwell Khobe liberated Freetown and the seat of power

June 8, 2026, marked 28 years since he died and was buried in Kano, his home state in northern Nigeria.

General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who took over from him as the most senior military officer, accompanied the corpse aboard the presidential jet. He reportedly refused to allow Abacha’s remains to be placed in the cargo compartment, insisting instead that they remain in the passenger cabin as a final sign of respect.