Poisoned Apple didn't kill Abacha- The Real Story Behind the Death Sani Abacha

It was recorded that By June 1998,Gen Sani Abacha had ruled Nigeria for almost five years with the western world Isolation. Abacha who promised a elections and a transition to civilian rule by October 1998, but few months to polls, all the political parties nominated General Abacha as their candidate for president.

Professor Sadiq Suleiman Wali, Sani Abacha’s personal doctor has revealed the story Behind the sudden demise of the late General.

He described him a quiet person, calm person. He could be really firm on some issues, but normally he didn’t talk much”

The Professor Reveals that Abacha’s health was not so serious  prio his death. “Abacha was generally healthy though he had some health issues, he was treated, he’s responded [to that treatment] very well. He didn’t have any heart-related diseases at that time.

 Wali’has been with Abacha, as he hosted the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat and all seemed well On the 7 of June, 1998. The following morning , Sani Abacha was due to fly to attend OAU summit  held in Burkina-Faso and professor Wali was to accompany him.

 Wali recounts “around 6 am I had a phone call from his security officers, and they said, “please come, come to the villa, come urgently!”  Before I even could get ready, they came and picked me. I had no idea what it all was about.”

The car carrying the doctor speedly zoomed towards the presidential villa through a special entrance – a shortcut which only the president was allowed to use.

The doctor realized something was deadly wrong.

“I arrived then I saw chief security there and he said “doctor come in, please, come in!” We all rushed and I just saw the president. There was another doctor who came earlier, resuscitating him. Abacha was in the sitting room. He was on the couch. He was in his normal work clothes. I didn’t panic. I’ve seen a lot of serious problems before in my practice, but to affect him was very tough, definitely. I joined and we did as much as we could to resuscitate him. But I realised that he was dead because he was fuming. We just continued resuscitation and even injected some things, but it didn’t work.”

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After 40 minutes of great effort to resuscitate the stricken general, Professor Wali recounts that General Abacha had died. “I said, sorry – there’s nothing we can do”.


There was no immediate public announcement, in a country prone to coups, Abacha’s head of security first increased the guard around the presidential complex and then called the heads of the armed forces to gather to decide on his replacement.

“Immediately the security officer took over, and he invited all the service chiefs to come to Abuja, by then most of them were based in Lagos.” remarks doctor Wali.

The service chiefs on arrival, demanded to see the body and to pay their respect to their former leader.

Wale Recounts "They wanted to make sure, that he is dead. And some of them were crying”

Professor Walihving Informed the family over the death of the stricken general  was determined that there should be an autopsy to find out what caused the sudden heart attack. After much deliberating, the family declined, preferring the quick burial in line with Islamic tradition. But the doctor was determined to find some clues as to what have happened.

“I still try to take some samples of blood and urine and hair and things like that, just thinking for the future chemical tests,” Professor Wali said, adding that “it’s very difficult to say [whether he died of natural causes]. What I can see. The blood test we did, has shown some raised cardiac enzymes [proteins that are released into the blood by dying heart muscles].That’s why we thought maybe it was cardiac attack" Wale Tells.

Every Nigerian has his own theory about what happened to General Abacha. There are rumours that he was poisoned, or that he spent a night entertaining young ladies. Speaking on the rumours, Professor Wali said: “when I entered [Abacha’s premises], there were no ladies. It might be true but I did not see them. Concerning the poison, as I said no post-mortem has been done, so I couldn’t assure whether he was poisoned or it was a heart attack.”

Every Nigerian has his own theory about what happened to General Abacha. There are rumours that he was poisoned, or that he spent a night entertaining young ladies. Speaking on the rumours, Professor Wali said: “when I entered [Abacha’s premises], there were no ladies. It might be true but I did not see them. Concerning the poison, as I said no post-Morten has been done, so I couldn’t assure whether he was poisoned or it was a heart attack.

This is the seventeenth Year since the death of the late General.

Continue resting in pieces, sorry i men peacelessly , i mean peace.