Former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar has clarified that the controversial winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, was not killed but died after taking ill in detention.

Abiola was incarcerated in government custody by the then head of state, General Sani Abacha for declaring himself as president of Nigeria after the 1993 polls, which he was adjudged to have won. He later died in detention in 1998.

Speaking 24 years after, General Abdulsalami said there was no truth in the insinuations that Abiola allegedly took poisoned tea before he passed on.

Abdulsalami, who spoke in an interview with Trust TV, debunked the speculation that Abiola died of alleged poisoned.

Abubakar explained that during the incarceration of Moshood Abiola, except his personal doctor, to his knowledge, no member of his family saw him and when he became Head of State, based on consultation and interaction together with Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, he gave the family a date that they could come and see him.

He further explained that a day before he died, his family came to Abuja to see him, stressing that for one reason or the other, the whole family could not see him at the same time, so it was agreed that when this group of his family will see him today, tomorrow the next team will see him.

Asked how it all went, the former Nigerian leader said:  “Well, I smile because there were lots of allegations here and there that we killed Abiola. As always, when I am talking about late Abiola, I still thank God for directing me on things to do when He gave me the leadership of this country.

“On the day Moshood Abiola passed away, may he rest in peace, two to three things make me always say I thank my God for the guidance He gave me. One was I received a delegation from America headed by Pickering who was then, I think, the secretary of state or so. In his team, I remember very well, was Susan Rice. I remember her very well because of the role she played later.

“So, after the normal courtesy and discussion we had, when they were leaving my office, Pickering said “Your Excellency, we made a request to see Moshood Abiola but we were denied”, so I said “why were you denied? who denied you?” There and then, I made a decision, I said “you will see Moshood definitely; I overruled whoever said you cannot see him”. So I now called my chief security officer, I said “please make arrangement for this team to see Abiola, that is one point.”

“For one reason or the other, the whole family could not see him at the same time, so it was agreed that when this group of his family see him today, tomorrow the next team will see him. So, they saw him like yesterday, now this team from US came to see me and I said they could see him. Normally it was in the evenings the family go and see him. So because I had authorised the American team to see him, the other parts of the family were waiting to see him.

“So, it was at this meeting when the American team was meeting Abiola, he fell sick and suddenly the security officers called the medical team to come and attend to him, and when they saw the situation they said it was severe and they needed to take him to the medical centre. So it was the medical team plus the American team that took him to the medical centre, unfortunately at the medical centre he gave up.

“Then my security chief called and said “I have bad news for you”, I asked what it was, he said “Abiola is dead”. I was shocked. He told me he was there with the American team, at that time I was staying in the barracks, I had not moved to the Villa. So, I said okay, let him take the American team to my house, I will meet them at the house; so I closed from the office, and went there.

“The issue now was how do I break the news to Abiola’s family and how do we tell the world Abiola had passed on. I must be thankful to God and again to Ambassador Kingibe because we called on him and asked him to bring the family of Abiola. So when they came, I broke the news, that unfortunately, this is what has happened.

“As you would expect, the family broke down and they started crying, I can’t remember which of the ladies, I held her, she was crying, sobbing, it was then Susan Rice, that is why I always remember her, said “Mr President that is not your job, let me do it”, so she now held this lady until she settled down and she calmed down a little bit. Then we had to summon my second in command and other people and then strategised on how to break the news.

“That is why I always say I thank my God for guiding me. If I hadn’t said the American team should go and meet Abiola, certainly I don’t know how I would explain to the world that Abiola had died, and the American team will they believe me that we had not killed Abiola at that time when they were requesting to see him?”