Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has asked former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), to withdraw his claim that the late Gen. Sani Abacha did not loot Nigeria’s treasury, apologise to Nigerians and resign as Chairman of the National Peace Committee.
Falana said the former military ruler’s comments contradict official records, findings of investigations carried out under his administration and the decree he signed authorising the forfeiture of assets linked to Abacha and his associates.
Falana Faults Abdulsalami’s Position
In a statement titled “Re: Abdulsalami Abubakar: Abacha Never Looted Treasury,” Falana accused Abdulsalami of attempting to rewrite history by portraying the widely recovered “Abacha loot” as legitimate national savings rather than proceeds of corruption.
The senior lawyer was reacting to Abdulsalami’s interview with The Sun, in which the former Head of State argued that the funds recovered from foreign accounts were deliberately kept outside Nigeria to protect the country’s finances from possible international sanctions.
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He said the decision followed advice from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, former Benin Republic President Mathieu Kérékou and other African leaders.
Investigation Ordered in 1998
Falana recalled that shortly after taking office in 1998, Abdulsalami constituted a Special Investigation Panel headed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Peter Gana to investigate allegations of corruption during the Abacha administration.
According to him, the panel’s report, submitted in November 1998, uncovered widespread diversion of public funds involving officials of the Central Bank of Nigeria, members of the Abacha family and their associates.
He said the report found that Abacha approved fictitious security expenditure requests, leading the Central Bank to release large sums in foreign currencies that were allegedly transferred to members of his family and business associates, while part of the funds was used to acquire properties across the country.
Decree Backed Asset Recovery
Falana said Abdulsalami accepted the panel’s findings and signed the Forfeiture of Assets, Etc. (Certain Persons) Decree No. 53 of 1999, which authorised the confiscation of assets linked to Abacha, his family and close associates.
He said the decree led to the forfeiture of more than $636 million, £75.3 million, 30 million Deutsche Marks, N547 million, shares in two Sierra Leonean refineries, numerous properties in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Zaria, as well as several official vehicles.
According to Falana, the decree expressly declared that the assets had been acquired “corruptly and illegally” and vested them in the Federal Government.
Successive Governments Recovered More Assets
The senior lawyer said successive administrations relied on the findings of the investigation to recover additional assets in different countries.
He noted that former President Olusegun Obasanjo engaged Swiss lawyer Enrico Monfrini to trace Abacha’s overseas assets, leading to the recovery of at least $1.2 billion.
Falana added that further recoveries were made during the administrations of former Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, while litigation over some assets, including about $130 million in the United States, is still ongoing.
He also recalled that France announced in November 2023 that it would repatriate another $150 million linked to Abacha, subject to an agreement that the money would be used for development projects in Nigeria.
Calls for Retraction and Apology
Falana maintained that no court or government involved in recovering Abacha-linked assets had accepted the claim that the funds were legitimate Nigerian reserves kept abroad.
He argued that Abdulsalami could not deny the existence of the Abacha loot after establishing the investigative panel, accepting its findings and signing the decree declaring the assets to have been acquired illegally.
He therefore urged the former military leader to withdraw his remarks, apologise to Nigerians and resign as Chairman of the National Peace Committee, saying the comments had undermined the moral authority required for the position.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.