The life of the late General Sani Abacha continues to evoke mixed feelings among Nigerians depending on who is being sampled. For members of his immediate family, he continues to be seen as a hero who ‘provided’ and protected his immediate family but to countless more Nigerians, he was the terror and villain of Nigerian politics, the man who before his ascending the seat of power was considered the saving hand from his predecessor’s (Ibrahim Babangida) mis-management but little did they know that his was going to be the scorpion’s own treatment, more vicious and deadly.
Abacha it is on record siphoned huge billions of Nigeria’s common wealth, storing them up in different swiss accounts which are still being traced and recovered till date! Such was the extent of his embezzement, the story for which will come in another article.
The Mariam And Sani Abacha Family Story
Apparently a deeply affectionate couple, the duo had ten children in all together. They were blessed with seven sons and three daughters. A very large family you would say. Their names are Ibrahim, Mohammed, Abba Sani, Mahmud Sani, Sadiq, Zainab, Fatima Gumsu Sani, Rakiya, Abdullahi, and Mustapha.
The Controversy
Although Ibrahim, the supposed first child and son bore the surname of the Nigerian dictator, he was actually not his biological father. Maryam Abacha was initially married to a man close to Major-General Shehu Musa Yar’adua’s father (Abacha later imprisoned Shehu Musa Yar’adua in the Abakaliki Prisons where he was eventually killed on the 8th of December, 1997 in a most cruel manner when a doctor administered a toxic injection on the helpless general on the orders of the dictator).
It was reported that Maryam Abacha was actually betrothed to Major-General Shehu Yar’adua’s fahter’s friend, Binta’s father and she later married the man and she was pregnant for him when her teenage lover, Sani Abacha, took her away from the first husband, married her and claimed the baby, Ibrahim, as his own.
So Ibrahim’s real father was Binta Yar’Adua’s father’s friend and not Sani Abacha.
According to the story, Maryam later married the man and was pregnant for him when his teenage lover, Sani Abacha, tool her away from the first husband, married her and took the baby,Ibrahim, as his son. Ibrahim who later became a stupendously rich first son and business man took after Abacha ufortunatly died during a plane crash in a presidential plae.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4M_iUYhWDs
Driven By Love?
Historians have it that the major inspiring factor why Sani Abacha went into the army infact was just so he could marry Maryam. Apparently angry that his lover whom he was passionately in love with was already bethrothed to another man as was regularly the custom in the North, Sani Abacha had infact gone into the Nigerian army just so he could be empowered to forcefully take back his wife, which indeed he did.
Ibrahim was actually someone else’s child but the head of state raised him and led the world to believe he was his first son. According to Binta Yar’adua, wife of the late Shehu Yar’adua in an exclusive interview she granted TELL Magazine which appeared in the magazine’s July 3rd, 2000 edition she had this to say:
‘He is Shehu Usman, Sarkin Maska from Funtua district in Katsina. And he happens to be my father. He was the district head of Funtua, and one time, a cabinet minister in Saraduna government. He happened to marry Maryam. He was a minister. I think in the middle of 1965.
And Shehu’s father (Yar’adua) had nothing to do with my father’s marriage to Maryam. When TELL asked her about the speculated problem between the Yar’adua and Abacha’s family over the paternity of Ibrahim, Binta said, ‘I wouldn’t know. I don’t know. He could be my father’s son. He could be Abacha’s son. I don’t know…Well, he (Ibrahim Abacha) was born in our house. She (Maryam) was still married to my father when Ibrahim was born…I wouldn’t say it’s forceful (marriage) because it did not look like it was a forced marriage…Maybe about two years. One and a half or two years Ibrahim Abacha was born in our house. –Binta Yar’adua, TELL, July 3, 2000, pp 14-17.’
Killing Of His First Son?
Again according to the reports, the subsequent death of Ibrahim his supposed first son did not come as a surprise to many but was in fact stage managed by the general himself.
While the massive looting under Abacha went on, fourteen young souls lost their lives in what till today is still shrouded in mystery and a huge conspiracy.
The date was 15 January 1996. Ibrahim Abacha had invited his friends to travel with him to Kano for a family engagement. Abacha had told Ibrahim who was in Lagos to join other members of the family in Kano. Ibrahim known as a people’s man invited his friends to travel with him. He had on board, Funmi his Yoruba girlfriend, one Dan Princewill, Aliko Dangote’s younger brother, all of them made up 15. they almost got to Kano when something happened and they crashed. How did it happen? It was reported that Ibrahim, and Dan Princewill had minor burns, they actually died outside the plane. But what is still shocking is the fact that only 14 bodies were found and no one raised question over the whereabout of the 15th passenger.
Apparently Maryam Abacha married Sani Abacha with Ibrahim’s pregnancy. Ibrahim’s real father was Binta Yar’Adua’s father not Sani Abacha. Attempts by the families of Ibrahim’s friends to bury their deads were turned down by Abacha. No reason was given. The Dan Princewill brothers too almost lost their lives over this. One of them escaped on the Oworonsoki expressway when he was pursued by unknown assailants.
Let’s have your thoughts below.