On this day in 1998 – former Military head of State, General Sani Abacha, died. Before his death, Abacha served as Chief of Army Staff from 1985 to 1990, as Chief of Defence Staff from 1990 to 1993, and as Minister of Defence.

In 1993, Abacha overthrew the Interim National Government of Ernest Shonekan and became the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, a position he held from 1993 to 1998.

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He is noted as being the first officer to attain the rank of a full military general without skipping a single rank. Also, Abacha’s seizure of power was the last successful coup d’état in Nigerian military history.