Legendary Nigerian comedian Ali Baba recently shared a harrowing memory of how a joke he made about former military leader General Sani Abacha nearly cost him his life.
The funny act recounted the incident while speaking on the Leadership Podcast.
Reflecting on the charged atmosphere surrounding one of his shows during Abacha’s regime, he recalled, “My first brush with death happened when General Sani Abacha was in power.”
“So, I went to anchor an event in Abuja. So when it was time for the Akwa Ibom cultural group to perform. Abacha was still wearing one of those dark Rayban sunglasses that could be folded.
“I stopped the cultural group dance and faced Abacha, saying, ‘Your Excellency, sir, it’s almost 10 pm why are you wearing dark shades? Remove this shade nah or don’t you want to see their performance?
“Abacha then removed his glasses and talked to his aide. Immediately I saw DSS officers going backstage to wait for me. Immediately I noticed DSS presence, I went down the stage to sit on the ground next to Abacha.He then made jokes about me and questioned why I refused to go backstage.
“I said don’t worry, sir, let them arrest me here. He then looked at me and smiled.”
Reflecting on Nigeria’s history, the late General Sani Abacha held power from 1993 until 1998, following a coup that removed interim President Ernest Shonekan from office.
His rule became notorious for human rights violations, with opposition members often facing imprisonment, torture, and even death.