Following the release of his autobiography, ‘Call of Duty’, retired general Abdulsalami Abubakar has revealed the dramatic events surrounding the death of Sani Abacha in 1998, which led him to become Nigeria’s new head of state.

The book, which is to be launched today in Abuja to mark his 84th birthday, states that he was deceived into believing that Abacha wanted to see him on the morning of June 8, 1998.

But upon arriving at the Presidential Villa, he was locked in a room for over an hour without any explanation, and it was the late Ibrahim Coomassie, then inspector-general of police, who came to open the door.

He stated that he got a call that Abacha wanted to see him, and he was hoping he wouldn’t be sent to Togo for the ECOWAS summit because he was tired of going everywhere.

“By this time, Lt-General Diya, his No 2, was in detention over an alleged coup plot. I was effectively the No 2 man in government, and I was always representing him at events. I told my wife I was not happy with the call because I didn’t want to travel to Togo. I told my orderly to pack my travelling bag and other personal effects.

“As I entered the bathroom, there was another call. I was told again that the Head of State wanted to see me. Out of frustration, I asked if I was travelling to Togo, and the caller replied that it was on another issue. Because of the urgency, I didn’t wear my uniform. I wore a tracksuit and slippers and proceeded to the Presidential Villa.

“On getting to his residence, I was told he was in the office. I wondered why he would be that early in the office. As I was climbing the stairs, one of the guards informed me that Abacha said I should stay in the waiting room. What struck me was that anytime I went to see him, regardless of who was with him, I would still go in”, he said.

However, Abdulsalami was in the waiting room for a while and felt something was not right.

“After waiting for about half an hour, I reasoned that it was odd. Major-General Ishaya Bamaiyi joined me shortly after. We waited for about an hour. I decided to go and see Abacha by any means because I could not understand why I should be kept that long. To my greatest surprise, the door of the waiting room had been locked. I asked Bamaiyi if he was aware that we had been locked inside. Something kept telling me that something was wrong but I could not place a finger on it,” he said.

“After some time, the door was opened and the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, came in. He said: ‘Let’s go.’ We walked towards the residence and I informed him that I was told Abacha was at the office. It was at this stage that he informed me that Abacha was dead. I was shocked. I asked him what happened and he insisted we proceed first. He did not tell me anything else.

“When we got to the residence, I asked to see Abacha’s body. I was told it was inside. I entered the room and removed the covering. I was in shock at the sudden development. I prayed for him and left the room.”

Leaving out details on who ordered the door of the waiting room to be locked, but insinuating that some military officers had “other plans” as events unfolded, Abdulsalami was named Abacha’s successor after a vote by the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC) later in the day, and went on to hand over to a democratically elected government, led by President Olusegun Obasanjo, in May 1999.

The autobiography, published by Cable Books, an imprint of Cable Media & Publishing Ltd, is distributed nationwide by Rovingheights Bookstores and can also be ordered on Amazon. (The Guardian)