Falana Demands Abdulsalami's Apology, Resignation Over Abacha Loot Comments

Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, has called on former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd.), to apologise to Nigerians and resign as Chairman of the National Peace Committee following his recent claim that late military ruler General Sani Abacha never looted Nigeria's treasury.

In a statement titled "Re: Abdulsalami Abubakar: Abacha Never Looted Treasury," Falana described the former military leader's remarks as an attempt to rewrite history. He argued that Abdulsalami's comments directly contradict the actions taken by his own administration after succeeding Abacha in 1998.

Falana noted that Abdulsalami's government established a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) to probe alleged corruption during the Abacha regime. According to him, the panel uncovered widespread diversion of public funds and led to the enactment of the Forfeiture of Assets (Certain Persons) Decree No. 53 of 1999, which authorised the seizure of assets allegedly acquired illegally by Abacha, his family members, and associates.

He said the decree resulted in the recovery and forfeiture of hundreds of millions of dollars, pounds, Deutsche Marks, and numerous properties and luxury vehicles, all of which were officially declared to have been acquired corruptly.

Falana also rejected Abdulsalami's explanation that the funds were deliberately set aside for Nigeria based on advice from former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and former Benin Republic President Mathieu Kérékou, insisting that no court in Nigeria or abroad has ever recognised the recovered funds as legitimate government savings.

He further recalled that successive administrations under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari recovered billions of dollars linked to Abacha through international legal processes, while France also announced plans to repatriate additional Abacha-linked assets.

According to Falana, the recovery of the Abacha loot remains an ongoing process, with some legal cases still pending abroad.

He urged Abdulsalami to publicly withdraw his statement, apologise to Nigerians, and step down from leading the National Peace Committee, arguing that his comments have undermined public confidence in his credibility and impartiality.

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