Maryam Abacha, the widow of former Nigerian military ruler General Sani Abacha, has denied allegations that her husband looted Nigeria’s treasury during his rule from 1993 to 1998.
In a TVC interview marking 27 years since her husband’s death, Maryam Abacha claimed that the funds were not embezzled, but rather deliberately misrepresented.
She challenged critics to provide credible evidence to support their claims, questioning the credibility of witnesses and documents.
Maryam maintained that her husband did not siphon public funds into foreign accounts, asking, “Who is the witness of the monies that were being stashed? Did you see the signature or the evidence of any monies stashed abroad?”
She alleged that funds her husband kept for Nigeria vanished shortly after his death, stating, “And the monies that my husband kept for Nigeria, in a few months, the monies vanished. People are not talking about that.”
Maryam urged Nigerians to stop blaming individuals and focus on collective dignity, saying, “We are all very important. Even the single man on the street is very important. We are all human beings, for goodness sake. All these wahala should stop.”
She further denied her husband’s involvement in the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, attributing it to other actors in government at the time.
Over $3.6 billion linked to Abacha has been recovered by Nigeria from foreign countries, including Switzerland, the United States, and the United Kingdom, with these funds being used for social investment programs.
Despite this, Maryam Abacha insists that her husband’s financial dealings were misrepresented and that there’s no concrete evidence to prove the looting allegations.
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