Maryam Abacha, the widow of late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has broken her silence on the long-standing accusations of looting against her late husband, dismissing the allegations as baseless and politically motivated. In an emotional interview aired on TVC, Mrs. Abacha insisted that no credible evidence has ever proven the claims of her husband stashing away billions of dollars.
Twenty-seven years after the sudden death of General Sani Abacha, his widow, Maryam Abacha, has come out strongly to challenge what she describes as a “false and tired narrative” about her husband looting Nigeria’s wealth.
In her words, there is no witness, no verifiable signature, and no documentation to justify the claims that the former leader stashed funds in foreign accounts.
“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad?” she questioned sharply, challenging the media and political figures that have continued to reference the allegations.
In a surprising twist, Mrs. Abacha claimed that some of the funds her husband “kept for Nigeria” mysteriously vanished within months of his death in 1998.
“And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that,” she said, without naming individuals or institutions allegedly responsible for the disappearance.
Her comments reflect a broader frustration with the unrelenting scrutiny of her husband’s legacy.
“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 added with a hint of sarcasm.
In the same interview, Mrs. Abacha pointed to the relatively stable economy Nigeria experienced under her husband’s regime — including increased foreign reserves and lower external debts — as proof of his good governance.
“So where did he steal the money from?” she asked rhetorically. “And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything.”
The widow didn’t hold back on her critique of Nigerian media either, accusing journalists of playing a destructive role in shaping public opinion and failing to verify the truth.
Mrs. Abacha concluded with a call for national unity and respect, urging Nigerians to move past the blame game and remember that no single individual — not even powerful past leaders like Babangida, Abacha, or Abiola — is greater than the nation.
“Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness’ sake. All these wahala should stop,” she said.
The federal government has yet to respond to Mrs. Abacha’s remarks. It also remains unclear whether any official audit or reinvestigation into the alleged missing funds will follow her claims.
