Obasanjo: How I Survived Abacha’s Plot to Kill Me, Abiola, and Yar’Adua
IMO STATE — Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has opened up on the assassination plot orchestrated by late military ruler, General Sani Abacha, which led to the deaths of Chief MKO Abiola and General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, but from which he miraculously survived.
Speaking during the dedication of a massive new Assemblies of God Church named “Noah’s Ark” in Ogbor Uvuru, Aboh Mbaise, Imo State, Obasanjo said Abacha boasted that the three of them would never leave prison alive, as part of his desperate attempt to retain power indefinitely.
“The man who arrested us said MKO Abiola, Shehu Yar’Adua, and Olusegun Obasanjo would never come out of prison alive. Two of us didn’t make it, but I survived — not because I’m better or stronger, but by the special grace of God,” Obasanjo recounted.
He recalled his confusion upon arrest, questioning whether it was a mistake, before finally realizing it was a deliberate plan to eliminate perceived threats to Abacha’s regime.
Obasanjo revealed how he turned to prayer during detention, adapting the prayer of Stephen in the Bible, saying:
“Whether they know what they are doing or not, God forgive them.”
A Testament to Grace
Reflecting on his life, Obasanjo said he is a living product of divine grace, citing instances from his youth and military career, including a course he attended in Ghana in 1959 where only two of nine Nigerian participants are still alive today.
“I am not mocking the dead. May their souls rest in peace. But I use this to show the grace of God in my life,” he said.
Dedication of Noah’s Ark Church
The event, which held on Saturday, May 24, 2025, also featured tributes to Obioma Success Akagburuonye, a philanthropist and real estate mogul who funded the construction of the Noah’s Ark Church — a structure modeled after the Biblical ark in both form and symbolism.
Obasanjo also paid tribute to Akagburuonye’s 104-year-old mother, kneeling before her and saying he wanted to tap into the grace of long life.
Dignitaries in attendance included:
- Rev. Dr. Sarah Seoh (USA)
- Rev. Abel Ukachi Amadi, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria
- Traditional rulers, political leaders, and business moguls
