Former Chief of Army Staff, General Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi (retd) has
disclosed that the reference to ‘Abacha’s loot’ is farcical, saying the
term is a media creation used to refer to funds the then military
government agreed to deposit in foreign countries to meet international
obligations.
In his tell-all book, ‘Vindication of a General’ that was presented to the
public on Thursday in Abuja, the former army boss’ memoir reveals: “It is
in this same spirit that I feel obliged to offer some insight into what
has come to be known as ‘Abacha loot.’ A lot has been said about the
Abacha loot. It is the sexiest story that Nigerian journalists make from
headlines. The social media is equally awash with all manners of comments,
including some expensive joke about Abacha. But even more importantly, the
subject of money supposedly looted by the late General Abacha is a key
issue in Nigeria’s diplomatic relationship with many Western countries. I
am not in a position to defend Abacha or suggest he did not tamper with
the wealth of Nigeria, because I was not in a position to know how as a
Head of State he handled Nigeria’s funds.”
“I am however in a position to say what I know led to the transfer of
funds to some countries in Europe and may be other countries outside
Europe. It is a known fact that Nigerian was virtually abandoned by some
of its traditional Western allies during the Abacha government and it
became difficult for the country to purchase arms and ammunition to
conduct operations in Liberia and Sierra Leone at that time, especially
after the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa. In the light of the increasingly
battered international image of Nigeria and even references to Nigeria in
academic circle as a “rogue” state, some decisions had to be taken if
Nigeria was to continue to play its role as a stabilizer in the West
African region, a role very much valued by the United Nations.
“A decision was therefore reached to keep money in some countries that
were a bit friendly to Nigeria. This decision was taken at a meeting in
which the then Minister of Finance, Chief Anthony Ani, was present. It was
agreed that some funds be transferred to some selected countries to ensure
that government was in a position to get vital imports as and when
necessary. That informed the transfer of funds to some countries. I am
glad that Chief Anthony Ani, the then Finance Minister, once tried to
explain this in a newspaper interview publication”.
“The purchase of this ammunition within a short while also brought me into
serious conflict with the security operatives, especially the DMI, as
contractors who flew this ammunition into Kaduna, where the Army has an
Army Ammunition Depot were invited for questioning on the ground that I
brought in the ammunition with the intent of overthrowing General Abacha
Government. I was then out of Lagos and the contractors contacted me and
told me what was happening. I told them not to worry and should not answer
any question. I believe that the security operatives contacted General
Abacha who must have told them that he approved the purchase of the
ammunition. No one ever asked me or talked to me about this issue till I
retired from service”.