Former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, has revealed fresh details surrounding the death of former military ruler Gen Sani Abacha, saying the circumstances of the late leader’s final hours left him convinced that “something was fishy.”

In his autobiography, Call of Duty, unveiled in Abuja on Saturday, Abdulsalami recounted how he and then Chief of Army Staff, Gen Ishaya Bamaiyi, were locked inside a waiting room at the Presidential Villa for nearly an hour before being informed that Abacha had died on June 8, 1998.

According to him, he had arrived at the Villa after receiving an urgent invitation from Abacha, only to be instructed to remain in a waiting room. After a prolonged wait, he discovered the room had been locked from the outside, deepening his suspicions that something unusual was taking place.

Abdulsalami said the situation became even more puzzling when the then Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Comassie, eventually opened the door and informed them that Abacha was dead.

The former military leader said he was shocked upon seeing Abacha’s body and later observed that some members of what he described as the late ruler’s “inner caucus” appeared more focused on succession plans than burial arrangements.

He further alleged that while senior officials travelled to Kano for Abacha’s burial, efforts were underway in Abuja to install a preferred successor. According to him, the move ultimately failed after senior military officers intervened.

Abdulsalami said a meeting of the Provisional Ruling Council later resolved the succession question through a vote, which he won, leading to his emergence as Nigeria’s Head of State.

Abacha died on June 8, 1998, after nearly five years in power. Abdulsalami succeeded him and subsequently supervised Nigeria’s transition to democratic rule, handing over to on May 29, 1999.