How Obasanjo Killed the Yar'duas 1

The Yar'dua brothers have been dead for some time now but few ever realized the role Olusegun Obasanjo, ex head of state, played in their demise. These two powerful Nigerians were closely associated with him in their lifetime but even though he later fell apart with them, it would be a bit ridiculous to suggest he would even wish death on them but two grave errors of judgement on his part would eventually send the two to the great beyond. The elder Yar'adua was the Chief-of Staff, Supreme Headquarters, Obasanjo's deputy when he was military head of state. Yar'adua was barely a colonel when the then head of state, General Ramat Murtala Mohammed, was assassinated in an abortive coup detat in Feb 13, 1976. Obasanjo who was his deputy was promoted head of state by the selfless insistence of General Danjuma, Chief of Army Staff. and in order to assuage the wounded feelings of northern elements in the polity, Colonel Yar'dua was promoted to brigadier and soon major general in order to qualify him for the position of Chief- of-Staff, Supreme Headquarters, in effect vice-president. Colonel Muhammadu Buhari, presently president, was also considered for the post but deemed too incorrigible and inflexible for the highly political post of vice head of state.
Many an officer would be naturally miffed by this exceptional promotion. One of them was Colonel Sani Abacha, a Kanuri man from Borno but brought up in Kano who grumbled, albeit very silently, that he should have been at least considered for this special favor, having come from the same Kano as General Murtala.  But he understood too well the unusual circumstances that prodded his resentment and didn't make much fuss of it. Besides Abacha was very fond of women and beer and as long as the two flowed freely, the world wasn't such an unfair place even though while Yar'dua retired as major-general in 1979, Abacha, who was his mate, only got promoted to brigadier in 1980. Nobody knew what precisely caused the rift between Abacha and Yar'adua while they were in the army. Perhaps Abacha didn't grumble too silently and a whisperer could have been up to a mischief. Yar'adua was from a well-heeled family, his father having been minister in the First Republic and could be a bit condescending to others. His new, sudden position too was making him feel a bit heady and he and the stubborn Abacha were not likely to be great friends. By 1978, he had included the name of Abacha as one of the officers to be retired from the army. Abacha hit the roof. Here was a guy who was his mate in the army, who got unfairly promoted over him...who now had the nerve to root for his retirement. Yar'adua's attempted  betrayal really cut him to the quick. He loved the army, it was the only life he had known and had done nothing to warrant a premature retirement. To worsen matters, Yar'adua arranged for Abacha to be failed in one of army assessment examinations. Yar'adua however got a shock when the list was presented to Obasanjo. His hands as head of state was very weak, he got there fortuitously and those who installed him must be stronger than him, but on this matter, he stood his ground. He loved Murtala who was not only his boss, but was also helping Obasanjo maintain peace in his own family and would not want to visit premature retirement on any officer from Kano. He firmly had Abacha's name erased from the retirement list and that was how Abacha survived Yar'adua's purge. He would later become Nigeria's strongman in 1993 and Yar'adua would die in his prison later. Abacha never forgave Yar'adua for that retirement move. When Obasanjo and Yar'adua were being tried by Abacha  for a coup in 1995, Yar'adua told Obasajo 'Boss, did I not warn you of this man?'