Maryam Abacha, widow of Nigeria’s former military ruler, Sani Abacha, has defended her late husband’s legacy, insisting that he did not steal from the country. Instead, she claimed that the money he saved for Nigeria vanished after his death.
In an interview with TVC, Maryam challenged the widespread belief that her husband looted billions of dollars from the national treasury and stashed them abroad.
“Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed?” she asked. “Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad? And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that.”
Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death on June 8, 1998, has long been at the centre of global corruption investigations. Successive Nigerian governments have announced the recovery of funds looted during his regime. As of 2020, more than $3.6 billion had been recovered across multiple administrations.
In May 2022, the United Kingdom returned $23 million linked to Abacha’s associates. Three months later, the United States repatriated another $20 million. In 2023, France returned $150 million traced to Abacha’s accounts.
But Maryam questioned the credibility of those reports and criticised the continued focus on her late husband decades after his death.
She also urged the media to live up to its responsibility of informing and educating the public.
“I think the press should try, the press, you, the press, should try to educate the people,” she said.
“You are here to educate the people, to inform the people and to entertain. You are here to help the country. You are not here to bastardise people. People are not that bad. 27 years ago and you are still talking about Abacha. He must be very powerful and loved by Nigerians. We thank God for that.”
Responding to remarks that Nigeria’s economy was relatively stable under Abacha, with increased foreign reserves and reduced external debt, she asked critics to explain how he could have stolen funds under such conditions.
“So, where did he steal the money from? So where would he have stolen the money from?” she asked.
Maryam further criticised Nigerians who accept government narratives about recovered loot.
“And because Nigerians are fools, they listen to everything,” she said.
She also dismissed claims that her husband played a role in the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election, which was presumed to have been won by MKO Abiola. The annulment is widely associated with the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida.
“All I know is that the annulment was not done by my husband,” Maryam said.
“If it was him, that means he was very powerful… even more powerful than the president. If the president was there and somebody else is calling the shots, that means Abacha was the greatest.”
