Rita Odafe
Nigerian comedian Ali Baba shared a memorable story about his interaction with the late Gen Sani Abacha, the former military ruler.
During his appearance on the Leadership Podcast hosted by Stephen Akintayo, he described the event as a “near-death experience.”
This encounter occurred at an event in Abuja when Abacha was in power, and Ali Baba was responsible for introducing a cultural performance from Akwa Ibom.
He recounted, “The first time I encountered death was with Sani Abacha. When he was President and Ernest Shonekan had been ousted, I went to an event in Abuja. At that moment, the Akwa Ibom group was set to perform, and Abacha was wearing those foldable sunglasses.”
Ali Baba felt bold enough to urge Abacha to take off his sunglasses.
He said,
Abacha complied with his request, but Ali Baba’s anxiety increased as he noticed DSS officers approaching the backstage area.
“After he removed the glasses and was conversing with someone, I signaled the dancers to continue. Suddenly, I spotted DSS officers heading backstage, waiting for who knows whom.”
Concerned for his safety, he opted to remain near Abacha instead of heading backstage where the officers were.
“I made my way off the stage to sit by Abacha on the floor. He joked with me about why I chose not to go backstage, and I replied, ‘Don’t worry, sir, they can come to arrest me here if they want.’”
Watch the Video Below:
Reflecting on an incident from when Sani Abacha was still president.
Comedian Alibaba shares how he narrowly avoided confronting his fate after joking about the president. pic.twitter.com/rDD5MY2M8b
— The Peoples (@Peoplesbox) October 22, 2024
