This Story is Fortified and heavily Equipped.
1966 Coup Against Ironsi
1975 Coup Against Gowon
1983 Coup Against Shagari
1985 Coup Against Buhari
1993 Coup Against Shonekan
Gen Sani Abacha was the only man who participated in ALL the successful coup in Nigeria until he became the President.
A lot of you may know his name mostly from the never ending “Abacha Loot” that Nigeria keeps retrieving from foreign countries.
Now is the right time to delve deep into who this man was. The good, the bad and ugly.
Cos Damn, He was bad. A REAL BAD ASS in Nigeria History.
1st, the Ugly Stuff
Abacha was a professional soldier & a damn good one at that. He was a man of few words. And when it came to security, survival & killing his enemies (real & perceived) He was the very best.
The list of obituaries he is responsible for is LONG. Very long!
Abacha maintained a Death Squad in Aso Rock to eliminate all real & perceived threats to his Dictatorship
The Death Squad was called Strike Force. It was led by his Chief Security Officer Hamza Al- Mustapha, The Ultimate Boogey Man of the Abacha Regime.
The Abacha’s Strike Force team was made up 75 people recruited from mostly the Police & the military. They were mostly trained by the Israeli ‘Mossad’, Gaddafi’s Security in Libya and in North Korea.
Their job was simple, kill Abacha’s enemies.
The most Famous Strike Force Member was Barnabas Jabila Mshelia. Code name; Sergeant Rogers.
This Death Squad was required cos local and foreign elements allegedly wanted Abacha dead.
And fast. The Abacha regime foiled 8 coup attempts in 5 years. Rogers & the strike force neutralised a lot of ‘threats’.
Rogers confessed to have gone on 3 assassination operations on the orders of Hamza Al Mustapha to kill.
- Alex Ibru on Feb 2 1996
- Kudirat Abiola on Jun 4 1996
-Abraham Adesanya on Jan 14 1997
He shot Alex Ibru in the eye
Killed Kudirat in Traffic
Pa Adesanya survived.
Rogers also allegedly killed Pa Alfred Rewane, tortured a classmate’s Dad, Abacha’s 2IC and Chief of General Staff Oladipo Diya.
He burnt the homes of Lt.-Gen. Alani Akinrinade and Air Commodore Dan Suleiman.
Rogers always owned up to what he did as he never lacked courage!
1a) The hit on Alex Ibru done on Falomo bridge in Ikoyi, Lagos. He was shot in the eye by Rogers and lost 2 fingers. He was flown abroad. His eye was replaced and he lived another 15 years. But why was Alex Ibru marked for death. Time for a little known back story.
1b) Alex Ibru started Guardian Newspaper in 1983 based on an idea brought to him by Chief Olusegun Osoba, a journalist at the time and later Governor of Ogun state for 10 years.
The Ibrus were wealthy. Think Dangote without govt patronage.
Expansion into Media was inevitable.
1c) By 1993, Abacha sent Gen Chris Alli, Gen Olanrewaju to convince Alex to join Abacha’s govt as Minister of Internal Affairs. Alex refused their offer.
Later He sent Chief Ebenezer Babatope who explained that Abacha wanted notable Southerners in his govt to ensure balance.
1d) Alex Ibru accepted. While he worked for Abacha, his newspaper was highly critical of the Govt and on 14 Aug 1994, Abacha shut them down.
1e) While Alex was minister and in the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), his portfolio included customs, immigration and Prison.
1e) A fellow Deltan Great Ogboru who organised the failed Orkar coup in 1990 that almost killed IBB in Dodan barracks in Lagos & escaped to London via Seme boarder with the help of his Brother Turner Ogboru.
Turner was in prison and Alex negotiated his release with the PRC.
1f) When Al Mustapha heard about Abacha’s approval for Turner to be released he convinced The C-in-C not to release him, even when Femi Falana had got a high court order to free him. Abacha instructed Alex to keep Turner but he had been released. Abacha was Mad!
BIG TROUBLE!
1G) Abacha told Alex that what he did was Treason. And that was how Alex and Abacha’s Minister of Justice and AG, Olu Onagoruwa who signed the release were marked for Death. On 18 Dec 1996, Onagoruwa’s Son Toyin was assassinated.
2a) Kudirat Abiola, MKO Abiola’s 2nd wife. She had 7 of MKO Abiola’s alleged 113 kids
Hasfat
Jamiu
Abdul
Moriam
Khalifa
Lekan
Hadi
Sgt Rogers & 5 others killed her on June 4 1996 in her White Mercedes Benz by a gunshot to the forehead. Oregun Road was renamed Kudirat Abiola Way
2b) Kudirat Abiola was a woman with more balls than most men. She stayed and fought Abacha when most men fled Nigeria.
In 1994, she moved oil workers to start a 12 week strike, oil revenues dwindled.
In Dec 1995, she faced bullets during the March for Freedom event in Lagos.
2c) She was killed using an F-90 submachine gun, Belgian Specification seen below.
Sgt Rogers weapon of choice fires 900 rounds per minute. Is easily concealed and specifically made for special forces, covert and counterterrorism operations. Kudirat didn’t stand a chance.
2d) Kudirat Abiola had survived two assassination attempts by the same Strike Force. The 3rd and final attempt was code named “Operation Cika Aiki” which literally translates to ‘Finish The Job’ in Hausa.
3a) Pa Abraham Adesanya: He was a real thorn in the flesh of the Abacha regime, RIP to a Great Hero
Murder Attempts are never funny but Pa Adesanya made light of Sgt Rogers’ attempt to kill him. Even Rogers was perplexed how this man didn’t die. Baba told everyone that he is Ijebu and left it at that. Basically saying, “I am fortified”. If you know, you know.
3b) Rogers confirmed he & his colleague Aminu Muhammed fired over 40 bullets at Pa Adesanya’s Mercedes Benz (Plate No: Ogun AE 3775 GB)
At Total Petrol Station (Then Elf) near Sura Market on Lagos Island. Pa Adesanya and his driver didn’t get a scratch.
3c) Why did Abacha want to Kill Pa Abraham Adesanya?
June 12 was the election. Its subsequent annulment and advocacy for restoration of democracy and Abiola’s Mandate was why many pro-democracy movements like NADECO decided to fight Abacha.
Pa Adesanya was at the forefront!
Others who were killed and almost killed by Abacha include…
Shehu Musa Yar’Adua (Former President elder Brother & Prominent Kaduna Mafia Member) – Fatal Injection in Abakaliki prison.
Dr. Shola Omoshola & his cousin Nelson Kazeem – Bomb blast along Airport Road Lagos.
Chief Alfred Ogbeyiwa Rewane – nationalist, philanthropist & NADECO chieftain murdered in Lagos on 6th October, 1995
Alhaja Suliat Adedeji – A business tycoon was killed at her residence in Ibadan on the 14 Nov, 1996
Mr Femi Oyewo, Medical Director, Pfizer Plc., Lagos was murdered on the 25th of December, 1995
Chief (Mrs) Bisoye Tejuoso; the Iyalode of Egbaland and mother of a prominent Egba traditional ruler was murdered in Abeokuta on 19th September, 1996.
I can go on and on & on. People killed, sent to prison, tortured, dehumanised and so on. Where do we stop? The atrocities fatal & excessive.
Secondly, the Bad version—a little bit lenient compared to the Ugly of the General.
Meanwhile, all these is just a fraction!
Abacha’s brutality was EPIC and LEGENDARY.
The General died 27 years ago
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