“I resigned myself into the hands of God and the man who arrested us boasted that three of us will not come out of the detention or prison alive. “
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed how he narrowly escaped a deadly plot by late military dictator Sani Abacha to eliminate him, MKO Abiola, and Shehu Yar’Adua during their imprisonment. Speaking at the commissioning of “The Noah’s Ark” church in Imo State, Obasanjo recounted Abacha’s vow that “three of us will not come out of prison alive” to secure his grip on power. While Abiola and Yar’Adua died in custody, Obasanjo attributed his survival to divine intervention: “I did come out alive not because of my power but the special grace of God”
At a church dedication in Aboh Mbaise, Obasanjo revealed chilling details of Abacha’s assassination plot, recalling his initial confusion after arrest: “I had not done anything wrong. Was it a mistake?” He described praying for his captors’ forgiveness before resigning to fate. “Two of the three [Abacha] planned to kill did not survive,” he said, emphasizing his miraculous deliverance as evidence of “God’s partiality” toward him . The event also honored philanthropist Success Akagburuonye, who built the church.
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