How I Survived Abacha’s Plot to Kill me, Abiola, Yar’Adua – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has recounted how he narrowly escaped an alleged assassination plot by the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, during the military regime. Speaking at the commissioning of the Assemblies of God Church, “The Noah’s Ark,” in Ogbor Uvuru, Aboh Mbaise, Imo State, Obasanjo said the plan included eliminating him, Chief MKO Abiola, and General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua while they were all in detention.

Obasanjo, who described the survival as divine, claimed that Abacha was determined to eliminate the three men to secure permanent power. “When I was arrested, I thought it was a mistake,” he said. “Later, I realized it was not. The man who arrested us said clearly that none of the three of us—Abiola, Yar’Adua, and I—would come out alive.” According to him, Abiola and Yar’Adua did not survive, and he owes his own survival to the “special grace of God.”

The former president recalled praying earnestly during his imprisonment and even adapting the prayer of Stephen in the Bible, asking for God’s forgiveness for those responsible for their detention. He emphasized that his continued survival is a testament to God’s grace, adding, “If anybody can claim to enjoy the amazing grace of God, I can.”

Obasanjo shared a personal anecdote from a 1959 course he attended in Ghana, noting that out of nine Nigerians who completed it, only he and one other remain alive. He attributed this again to divine favour rather than personal merit.

He also praised the host of the church event, Obioma Success Akagburuonye, for building and donating the impressive Noah’s Ark church edifice. Drawing parallels between their lives, he said Akagburuonye too exemplified a life marked by divine grace. Obasanjo paid tribute to Akagburuonye’s 104-year-old mother, even kneeling before her to, as he put it, “tap the grace of long life.”

The Noah’s Ark church, modeled after the Biblical vessel in both structure and symbolism, was officially dedicated on May 24, 2025. The ceremony was attended by a large crowd of worshippers, dignitaries, and global religious leaders including Rev. Dr Sarah Seoh from Los Angeles, Rev. Abel Ukachi Amadi, the General Superintendent of Assemblies of God Church Nigeria, as well as traditional rulers, business leaders, and political figures.