Maryam Abacha, widow of former military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has rejected long-standing allegations that her late husband looted billions of dollars during his time in office, rather, she claimed that funds her husband allegedly secured for Nigeria disappeared shortly after his death. Abacha who was Nigeria’s military ruler and commander-in-chief of the armed forces from 1993 to 1998, died on June 8, 1998. Speaking in an interview with TVC on Sunday, Maryam demanded proof that her husband stashed looted funds abroad.
She went ahead to challenge the narrative surrounding her husband’s legacy and questioned the basis of the accusations.
“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 asked.
The federal government has announced the recovery of tranches of monies reportedly stashed by Abacha in foreign banks.
As of 2020, over $3.624 billion of the Abacha loot had been recovered. The recoveries were made by four administrations. In May 2022, the United Kingdom said it recovered $23 million taken out of Nigeria illegally by Abacha’s associates and family.
About three months later, the United States returned another $20 million to Nigeria as part of the loot traced to Abacha. “And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that,” she said.
Mrs. Abacha criticised the continued focus on her husband nearly three decades after his death, questioning the motive behind the scrutiny. She also directed criticism at the media, urging journalists to play a more constructive role.
Responding to comments about Nigeria’s relatively stable economy during her husband’s rule, marked by increased foreign reserves and reduced external debt, Mrs. Abacha reiterated her position that there was no wrongdoing.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked. “And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything.”
She concluded by calling for unity and mutual respect among Nigerians, saying, “Babangida doesn’t make Nigeria alone. Abacha does not make Nigeria alone. Abiola and everybody, nobody is big enough for Nigeria. Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop.”