Maryam Abacha, wife of Nigeria’s former military ruler General Sani Abacha, says her husband preserved the nation’s wealth but that it was successive governments that looted it after his death.
In an interview with TVC, Maryam denied allegations that the late head of state siphoned public funds and challenged the authorities to provide evidence of any such looting.
“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed?” she asked. “Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad? And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that.”
Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. In the years since, several Nigerian administrations have announced the recovery of billions of dollars said to be part of the “Abacha loot” hidden in foreign accounts. By 2020, over $3.6 billion was reportedly recovered. The UK in 2022 returned $23 million allegedly taken out by Abacha’s associates and family. The US followed with another $20 million. In 2023, France repatriated $150 million to Nigeria.
Maryam questioned the credibility of these claims and described the narrative around her husband as unfair.
“Why are you blaming somebody? Is that tribalism or a religious problem or what is the problem with Nigerians?” she said. “I pray for Nigerians. I pray for all of us. I pray that we should have goodness in our hearts. We should stop telling lies and blaming people.”
She referred to the continued focus on her husband decades after his death as a sign of his role in Nigeria’s past.
“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,” she said.
Speaking about the economy during Abacha’s regime, she claimed that it was relatively stable and questioned the theft allegations.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked.
She criticised Nigerians who, according to her, accept official statements without questioning.
“And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything,” she said. “Babangida doesn’t make Nigeria alone. Abacha does not make Nigeria alone. Abiola and everybody, nobody is big enough for Nigeria. We are all very important. Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop. Babangida cannot make things or unmake things.”
On the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, Maryam denied that her husband was responsible. She referred to Ibrahim Babangida’s memoir, where Babangida wrote that the announcement was made by his second-in-command’s press secretary while he was in Katsina.
“All I know is that the annulment was not done by my husband,” she insisted. “If it was him, that means he was very powerful… even more powerful than the president. If the president was there and somebody else is calling the shots, that means Abacha was the greatest.”
She addressed the role of the media and urged journalists to focus on informing the public without targeting individuals.
“I think the press should try, the press, you, the press, should try to educate the people,” Maryam said. “You are here to educate the people, to inform the people and to entertain. You are here to help the country. You are not here to bastardise people.”
