How I Transited From Abacha’s Friend To Prisoner — Lamido

Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has recounted his dramatic journey from being a close ally of the late General Sani Abacha to becoming one of his political detainees. The story, detailed in Chapter 8 of his recently launched autobiography “Being True To Myself,” was made public on May 13, 2025.

In the chapter titled “The Abacha Years,” Lamido described his early acquaintance with Abacha, dating back to 1980 during Nigeria’s Second Republic. At the time, Lamido was a member of the House of Representatives, and Abacha, a military officer, frequently visited a mutual friend, Sarki Adamu, at the 1004 Legislative Quarters in Lagos.

“Our relationship was friendly and filled with light-hearted banter,” Lamido wrote. He recalled jokingly telling Abacha he looked destined to lead a coup — a comment Abacha brushed off, insisting he had no interest in politics.

Years later, after Abacha seized power, Lamido was nominated as a federal government delegate to the National Constitutional Conference. Lamido, who was then in Saudi Arabia, returned to Nigeria and sought clarity on the assignment directly from the Head of State.

According to him, Abacha assured: “I intend to hand over power. Go there and give us a good national conference, a workable one, so that I can hand over to civilians and happily retire.”

Initially hopeful, Lamido soon became skeptical of Abacha’s true intentions. Amid rising tension and mistrust at the conference—especially from southern delegates still reeling from the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election—Lamido confronted Abacha again to reaffirm his commitment to civilian rule.

“I told him plainly, if he changed his mind about handing over, I would not support him. In fact, I would oppose him,” Lamido recounted. “He laughed, and we parted on that note—but it seemed that was when the rift began.”

Lamido revealed that as the conference progressed, various political groups were formed. However, while Abacha’s allies successfully registered their parties—including the UNCP, CNC, DPN, GDM, and NCPN—Lamido and others were denied registration. Feeling sidelined, they decided to opt out of the transition programme and notified the regime in writing.

“On the night of our meeting, I was arrested along with Abubakar Rimi. Unknown to us, the State Security Service had been trailing us. As soon as I got home around 10:30 pm, they picked me up,” Lamido wrote.

Despite the ordeal, Lamido’s account offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Abacha’s regime and the courage it took to oppose a powerful military government from within its own circle.