Maryam Abacha (; born 4 March 1947) is the widow of

Sani Abacha Sani Abacha (; (20 September 1943 – 8 June 1998) was a Nigerian military dictator and statesman who ruled Nigeria with an iron fist as military head of state from 1993 following a palace coup d'état until his death in 1998. Abacha's seiz ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

's military ruler from 1993 to 1998.

Early life and career

In 1999, Maryam Abacha said that her husband acted in the good will of Nigeria. A Nigerian government official said that Maryam Abacha said that to convince the government to grant her a reprieve, as the president,

Olusegun Obasanjo Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Ogunboye Aremu Obasanjo (; ; born 5 March 1937) is a Nigerian former army general, politician and statesman who served as Nigeria's head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 200 ...

, had been jailed by Sani Abacha. After the death of her husband, Maryam was caught while attempting to leave Nigeria with 38 suitcases filled with cash. As of 2000, Maryam Abacha remained in Nigeria and continued to proclaim the innocence of her husband despite several human right abuses attributed to him. She resides in Kano state, Nigeria. Maryam and Sani Abacha had three daughters and seven sons. Maryam Abacha's eldest surviving son is Mohammed Abacha. Maryam Abacha founded National Hospital Abuja (originally known as the National Hospital For Women And Children) and established the African First Ladies Peace Mission.

Bibliography

* Kabir, Hajara Muhammad,. ''Northern women development''. igeria . .

References

External links

*
Obasanjo visit sparks Kano riot
" ''

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

''. *
Why I fought Abubakar Audu– Ex-Kogi commissioner, Hajiya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abacha, Maryam Living people 1949 births First ladies of Nigeria People from Kaduna State Maryam 20th-century Nigerian women Nigerian Shuwa Arabs