Veteran Comedian Ali Baba Recounts Harrowing Encounter with Nigeria’s Late Military Ruler Sani Abacha
We recall that Sani Abacha, a former military ruler of Nigeria, was notorious for his iron-fisted grip on power from 1993 until his death in 1998, following a coup that overthrew interim President Ernest Shonekan.
About 25 years after Abacha’s regime, comedian Ali Baba shared a chilling tale of his close encounter with the late leader, describing it as a “near-death experience.” He shared the story during a recent episode of Leadership Podcast.
The 59-year-old comedian reminisced about an occasion when he was invited to host an event in Abuja during Abacha’s rule. On this particular evening, he introduced a cultural group from Akwa Ibom that was set to perform.
He recalled: “It was my first close call with death, courtesy of Sani Abacha.”
Ali Baba recalled how he boldly addressed Abacha directly, asking him to remove his sunglasses.
At the time, I stopped the performance and turned to Abacha, saying, “Your Excellency, sir, it’s almost 10; do you really want to wear those dark shades? Don’t you want to see their performance? Please remove this shade now,”
Abacha surprisingly complied, but the atmosphere in the room transformed ominously as Ali Baba observed State Security Service (SSS) operatives advancing backstage.
As he recounted, “Abacha then removed his glasses and chatted with his aide. As soon as they started, I saw the DSS officers heading backstage to await someone or something – I didn’t know what, but I felt scared.” He chose to sit beside the president rather than retreat to the safety of the backstage area.
In a moment of fear, he said, “I sat on the ground next to Abacha. He made jokes about me and asked why I refused to go backstage. I replied, ‘Don’t worry, sir, they can arrest me right here,'” he recalled, reflecting on the unbearable tension in the room.
