- Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, revealed that he pleaded with late Gen. Sani Abacha not to execute former President Olusegun Obasanjo for an alleged coup plot in 1995.
- Gowon sent a letter to Abacha through his wife, pleading with him to spare Obasanjo’s life.
- Obasanjo was arrested in 1995, convicted of being part of a planned coup, and sentenced to death, but was released in 1998 after Abacha’s death.
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has shared a remarkable story of how he intervened to save the life of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was sentenced to death for an alleged coup plot in 1995. Gowon revealed that he wrote a letter to late Gen. Sani Abacha, pleading with him to spare Obasanjo’s life.
In his words, “I wrote a letter to Abacha; I pleaded with him that God made him a leader to do good and not evil. I sent my wife with the letter in the middle of the night to Abacha in Abuja; I pleaded with him that such a thing should not happen”.
Obasanjo was arrested in 1995, convicted of being part of a planned coup, and sentenced to death. However, he was released in 1998 after Abacha’s death and went on to become the President of Nigeria in 1999. Gowon’s intervention was a significant turning point in Obasanjo’s life, and their reunion at the Interdenominational Unity Christmas Carol and Praise Festival in Plateau was a testament to the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
