Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how he turned down an offer of political asylum from the United States before returning to Nigeria, where he was arrested and imprisoned under the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.
Obasanjo disclosed this in an interview with BBC News Pidgin, published on Tuesday, while reflecting on his experience during Abacha’s regime.
The former president said he ventured into farming after leaving office as military Head of State in 1979, having attained the rank of a four-star general at the age of 42.
He explained that he felt he had reached the peak of his military career and had no further ambition within the army, prompting him to pursue agriculture.
Obasanjo said his farming business was progressing well until Abacha’s government moved against him.
According to him, the American ambassador to Nigeria contacted him while he was travelling and informed him that the US government had offered him political asylum because it anticipated that he would be arrested if he returned home.
However, Obasanjo said he rejected the offer because he believed he had committed no offence to warrant fleeing the country.
“When I was leaving government as military head of state, there was — I was leaving too early. I didn’t join the army to retire at the age of 42,” he said.
He added, “The American ambassador in Nigeria called me and said his country had offered me political asylum because they knew that I would be arrested if I returned home.
“This was difficult for me. I don’t— I haven’t done anything. What do they want to arrest me for? Um, I don’t want political asylum.”
Obasanjo said his passport was subsequently seized, after which he proceeded to his farm. On arriving there, one of his security personnel informed him that government forces had surrounded the premises.
He recounted that a police officer in mufti later approached him, claiming that an Assistant Inspector-General of Police had invited him.
Obasanjo said he initially rejected the invitation, insisting that the AIG should personally come to see him if he wanted his assistance.
He eventually drove himself to the police station, where the AIG informed him that he had been instructed to arrest him.
The former president also recalled that former United States President Jimmy Carter intervened on his behalf by appealing to Abacha.
He said he was initially held at an undisclosed location before Carter’s intervention led to his placement under house arrest.
However, Obasanjo said security operatives later came for him in the middle of the night while he was playing squash and took him to prison.
“Then President Jimmy Carter came. He pleaded, and then they put me under house arrest. Then they came one day; I was playing squash at about 1 am. They came and said they were taking me away. And they took me away, and from there, I went to prison,” he said.
Abacha ruled Nigeria from November 1993 until his death in June 1998.
Obasanjo was released from prison following Abacha’s death. He contested and won the 1999 presidential election, becoming Nigeria’s first civilian president under the Fourth Republic.
He served two terms and handed over to his successor in May 2007.
