How My Joke About Abacha Almost Led to My Death – Ali Baba

Nigerian comedian Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, widely known as Ali Baba, recently recounted a chilling near-death experience involving the late General Sani Abacha, Nigeria’s former military ruler. During an appearance on the Leadership Podcast, Ali Baba shared the tense moment that occurred while he was hosting an event in Abuja during Abacha’s regime.

Ali Baba described how he was tasked with introducing an Akwa Ibom cultural group at the event. As the performance was about to begin, he noticed Abacha wearing dark Rayban sunglasses. In a surprising move, Ali Baba called out to the president, asking him to remove his shades so he could enjoy the show. “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 recounted.

Much to his astonishment, Abacha complied and took off his sunglasses. However, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense when Ali Baba observed operatives from the State Security Service (SSS), also known as the Department of State Services (DSS), moving backstage, raising alarms about his safety. “As soon as they started, I saw the DSS officers going backstage to wait for God knows who,” he recalled, revealing his rising anxiety.

In a moment of fear and defiance, Ali Baba chose to sit next to Abacha rather than retreating to safety backstage. He humorously recalled how the dictator joked with him, inquiring why he didn’t want to leave the stage. “I said, ‘Don’t worry, sir, they can come and arrest me here,’” he noted, capturing the absurdity of the tense situation.

Abacha ruled Nigeria with an iron fist from 1993 until he died in 1998, following a coup that overthrew interim President Ernest Shonekan. His regime was marked by widespread human rights abuses, with many opposition figures imprisoned, tortured, or killed during his rule.