Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed gratitude to ex-Military Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, for pleading with the late Sani Abacha to spare his life during his imprisonment for an alleged coup plot.
Gowon revealed his intervention during an interdenominational Christmas Carol event organized by the Plateau State Government on Friday. He recounted how he personally wrote to Abacha, urging the dictator to release Obasanjo, who had been sentenced to death in the 1990s.
Reacting to the revelation, Obasanjo admitted he was unaware of Gowon’s efforts until they were made public.
“I want to acknowledge my boss, General Yakubu Gowon,” Obasanjo said in a statement. “Yesterday, he gave us a revelation, and I have to thank you especially for that. When I came out of prison, I had the opportunity, both while I was in prison and after my release, of hearing about friends inside and outside who contributed to appeals and prayed for my release.”
The former president continued: “I went around the world, thanking those who had been pointed out to me as having appealed and prayed for my release from prison. I did not know that you wrote a personal letter for my release until you said it yesterday. I thank you for that.”
Obasanjo was imprisoned by the Abacha regime in 1995 following accusations of involvement in a coup plot. The intervention of international and local figures eventually led to his release in 1998 after Abacha’s death.
Gowon’s disclosure underscores the behind-the-scenes efforts of notable figures who worked to save Obasanjo from execution during one of Nigeria’s most turbulent political eras.
