Twenty-eight years after his death, the controversy over the detention of late Chief Moshood Abiola, businessman and politician, has persisted.

Former military Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar said the detention centre where Abiola was incarcerated for four years was kept secret by his predecessor, the late Gen. Sani Abacha.

Gen. Abdulsalami, who was a member of the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), the highest decision-making body at the time, also said that Abacha’s deputy, Gen. Oladipo Diya, who was Chief of General Staff, did not know where Abiola was detained.

He said: “Before I became Head of State, I didn’t know where Abiola was being detained. Even General Diya, who was second-in-command to Abacha, had no idea where Abiola was being held.

“They kept moving him from one detention centre to another.”

The former Head of State reflected on his experience and constraints as a top-ranking officer who succeeded Abacha in his memoir: “Call of Duty: An Autobiography of Gen. Abdulsalami Alhaji Abubakar.”

It was one of three books presented in Abuja on Saturday as part of activities marking his 84th birthday.

Gen. Abdulsalami also recounted his tense meeting with leaders of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) over Abiola’s fate.

Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was arrested and detained after declaring himself president at Epetedo, Lagos, in 1994.

The poll, widely adjudged the most credible in Nigeria’s history, was annulled by former military President Ibrahim Babangida.

After Babangida stepped aside in August 1993, he put in place an Interim National Government (ING), with Chief Ernest Shonekan as head.

The government was toppled three months later by Gen. Abacha.

Abiola was still in detention when Abacha suddenly died on June 8, 1998.

The agitation for Abiola’s release intensified under Gen. Abdulsalami, who succeeded Abacha.

But on July 7, 1998, barely a month after Abacha’s death, Abiola’s demise was also announced to a shocked nation.

In the book, Gen. Abdulsalami explained efforts he made to secure Abiola’s release before becoming Head of State, despite the risk of being perceived as disloyal to Abacha.

He explained that Abiola’s whereabouts were closely guarded during the Abacha years, such that even senior officials of the regime, including himself and Diya, did not know where he was being held.

Gen. Abdulsalami said he quietly engaged some NADECO leaders after Abiola’s arrest in 1994 in an attempt to find a way out of the political crisis triggered by the annulment.

He stated: “At this point, I need to recount that after Abiola was arrested in 1994, I had, against the grain, made efforts to get him released at the risk of being deemed disloyal by Abacha.”

Gowon hails Abdulsalami Abubakar’s transition role, says he gave Nigerians hope
The former military leader said his efforts were largely unknown to the public because of the sensitive political environment at the time and the perception that any move in support of Abiola could be interpreted as opposition to the Abacha regime.

He said one of the most striking aspects of Abiola’s detention was the secrecy surrounding his location, a situation that underscored the tightly controlled nature of decision-making within the military government.

The disclosure appears to reinforce long-held claims that, despite his closeness to Abacha and his position within the military hierarchy, Gen. Abdulsalami remained outside the inner circle that controlled key political and security decisions during the period.

He recalled that Abiola’s detention conditions were so restrictive that members of his family were denied access to him.

He stressed: “His family never saw him. It was only his personal physician, Dr Ore Falomo, who had access to him.”

Gen. Abdulsalami said one of his earliest decisions after assuming office was to ensure that Abiola’s family was granted access to him.

He said the move was opposed by some members of his administration who remained uncomfortable with changing the policy surrounding Abiola’s detention.

Gen. Abdulsalami recalled: “When I became Head of State, I insisted that his family must be granted access to him, despite strong opposition from some members of my government.”

The former military leader said many Nigerians failed to appreciate the extent of the internal power struggles he faced after assuming office.

He said that assuming the leadership position did not automatically translate into total control of the military and government machinery.

He added: “What many people outside government did not know was that even though I was now in power, there were still different interests in the military and in government.

“I was new in the office and needed to consolidate my hold on the system. I needed to be careful and calculated with my actions.”

Gen. Abdulsalami further stated that despite his access to Abacha during his years in office, he was never part of the core power structure that controlled critical decisions.

He said: “Despite my access to Abacha when he was in power, I was still effectively an outsider in his government.

“Becoming Head of State did not mean I could dissolve the power centres or displace entrenched interests overnight.”

Gen. Abdulsalami said arrangements were subsequently made for members of Abiola’s family to visit him in detention after he assumed office.

He recalled that the family travelled to Abuja at his invitation, adding that internal disagreements prevented all members from seeing the detained politician together.