Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has shared a chilling account of a close encounter with Nigeria’s former military leader, General Sani Abacha.
Describing it as a “near-death experience,” Ali Baba revealed the tense exchange during an appearance on the Leadership Podcast.
The 59-year-old comedian recalled a particular event he was invited to host in Abuja during Abacha’s regime.
At the time, Ali Baba was responsible for introducing an Akwa Ibom cultural group scheduled to perform.
“The first close encounter I had with death was with Sani Abacha,” the comedian recounted. “When Abacha was president; Ernest Shonekan had been removed, so I went to do an event in Abuja, and it was time for the Akwa Ibom cultural group to perform. At the time, Abacha was wearing one of those dark Rayban sunglasses that could be folded.”
In a bold and unexpected move, Ali Baba addressed Abacha directly, asking him to remove his sunglasses.
“So then they started dancing, I stopped them and faced Abacha, saying, ‘Your Excellency, sir, it’s almost 10; why are you wearing dark shades? Don’t you want to see their performance? Remove this shade nah,’” he said.
To his surprise, Abacha complied, but the tension in the room escalated as Ali Baba noticed operatives from the State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Services (DSS), moving backstage.
“He [Abacha] then removed the glasses and was talking to his aide. As soon as they started, I saw the DSS officers going backstage to wait for God knows who,” Ali Baba explained, recalling the growing anxiety he felt.
In a moment of fear, Ali Baba admitted that he chose to sit beside the iron-fisted president rather than retreat to the safety of the backstage.
“I went down the stage to where Abacha was and sat on the ground next to him. He made jokes about me and asked why I refused to go backstage.
I said, ‘Don’t worry, sir, they can come and arrest me here,’” he added, capturing the absurd tension of the moment.
Sani Abacha ruled Nigeria with an iron fist from 1993 until his death in 1998, following a coup that ousted interim President Ernest Shonekan.
His regime was infamous for human rights abuses, with numerous opposition figures imprisoned, tortured, or killed during his leadership.
