A former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar, rtd, has disclosed that MKO Abiola was not poisoned, insisting that an autopsy conducted by pathologists from four countries attributed his death to natural causes.
Abdulsalami made the disclosure in Chapter 21 of his 264-page, 27-chapter autobiography titled ‘Call of Duty’, launched on Saturday in Abuja.
The presentation of the book was held to mark the former Head of State’s 84th birthday and was attended by President Bola Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima as Special Guest of Honour.
Writing on the events leading to Abiola’s death on July 7, 1998, Abdulsalami Abubakar said the Abiola collapsed during a meeting with a visiting American delegation comprising Mr Tom Pickering, then US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, and Ms Susan Rice, then Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs.
“I do not believe Abiola was poisoned. The family requested an autopsy and we assembled American, British, Nigerian and Canadian pathologists to conduct it. The autopsy report attributed his death to natural causes,” Abdulsalami wrote.
The former Army General revealed that Abiola had been managing pre-existing medical conditions, including hypertension and a heart ailment, as far back as 1994 when he was first detained.
“As far back as 1994 when he was arrested by the Abacha Administration for declaring himself President, it was public knowledge that Abiola was managing certain medical conditions which could seriously affect the quality of life of any human being,” he added.
