Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he turned down an offer of political asylum from the United States, choosing instead to return to Nigeria an act that led to his arrest and imprisonment under the military rule of the late General Sani Abacha.
In a video interview with BBC News Pidgin, Obasanjo reflected on his journey from military leadership to agriculture, and the political upheaval that later engulfed him.
Obasanjo served as Nigeria’s military Head of State from February 1976 to October 1979, assuming office after the assassination of General Murtala Muhammed. He retired at age 42 as a four-star general, believing he had reached the pinnacle of his military and political career.
When I was leaving government as military head of state, I was leaving too early. I didn’t join the army to retire at the age of 42,” he recalled. Seeking a new path, he turned to farming, which he described as a rewarding pursuit—until his arrest disrupted his life.
The political climate worsened after General Abacha seized power in 1993. Unbeknownst to Obasanjo, the regime saw him as a threat.
During a trip abroad, the U.S. ambassador to Nigeria warned him that returning home would result in his arrest, and offered him asylum. Obasanjo refused: “This was difficult for me. I haven’t done anything. What do they want to arrest me for? I don’t want political asylum.”
After returning to Nigeria and arriving at his farm, Obasanjo learned that government agents had surrounded the property. A plainclothes police officer arrived with a summons from the Assistant Inspector-General of Police. Wanting no pretense, Obasanjo drove himself to the police station, where he was officially informed of his arrest.
Obasanjo recounted that former U.S. President Jimmy Carter later intervened, leading to his transfer from secret detention to house arrest.
However, the respite was brief—agents came for him late at night, and he was sent to prison. Following Abacha’s death in 1998, Obasanjo was released. He went on to win the 1999 presidential election, serving two terms as president of Nigeria’s Fourth Republic until 2007.
