Olusegun Obasanjo Recounts Rejection of U.S. Asylum Under Abacha

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo recounted his experiences of political persecution under the regime of the late General Sani Abacha. Obasanjo revealed that he rejected an offer of political asylum from the United States, despite warnings from the American ambassador that he faced arrest upon returning to Nigeria.

Following his return, government forces surrounded Obasanjo's farm and police seized his passport. He was arrested under directives from an Assistant Inspector-General, as Abacha believed certain individuals needed to be liquidated or imprisoned for the regime to feel secure.

While former U.S. President Jimmy Carter successfully pleaded for Obasanjo's transition to house arrest, he was eventually taken to prison in the middle of the night. Obasanjo remained imprisoned until Abacha's death in 1998. He subsequently won the 1999 presidential election, becoming the first president of Nigeria's Fourth Republic.