Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has dismissed former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar’s claim that the late General Sani Abacha did not loot Nigeria’s treasury, insisting that available evidence and past government actions prove otherwise.
In a statement titled “Re: Abdulsalami Abubakar: Abacha Never Looted Treasury,” Falana described the former military leader’s remarks as an attempt to rewrite history.
Abdulsalami had reportedly claimed in an interview published by The Sun on June 26, 2026, that the funds widely referred to as the “Abacha loot” were actually government reserves set aside to protect Nigeria from possible international sanctions, rather than money stolen from the country’s treasury.
However, Falana argued that Abdulsalami’s own administration established a Special Investigation Panel (SIP) in July 1998 to investigate allegations of corruption and financial misconduct during the Abacha regime.
According to the senior lawyer, the panel uncovered substantial sums of money and assets allegedly diverted through fraudulent security-related transactions involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), members of Abacha’s family and some of his close associates.
Falana also pointed out that Abdulsalami’s government later enacted the Forfeiture of Assets, Etc. (Certain Persons) Decree No. 53 of 1999, which authorised the confiscation of funds and properties allegedly acquired illegally by Abacha, his family members and associates.
He argued that the decree, signed by Abdulsalami himself, contradicts the former Head of State’s recent claim that the recovered funds were legitimate government savings.
The human rights lawyer further referenced the recovery of billions of dollars linked to Abacha by successive Nigerian administrations under former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.
According to Falana, several foreign courts in countries including Switzerland, Jersey, France, the United Kingdom and the United States handled cases involving Abacha-linked assets, with none concluding that the funds were official government reserves.
He also recalled that France announced in 2023 its intention to return about $150 million in assets linked to Abacha to Nigeria for development projects, adding that efforts to recover more assets are still ongoing.
Falana urged Abdulsalami to withdraw his remarks and apologise to Nigerians, insisting that his recent comments are inconsistent with the actions taken by his administration after Abacha’s death.
He also called on the former Head of State to step down as Chairman of the National Peace Committee, arguing that the comments could affect public confidence in the committee.
