How my joke about Sani Abacha nearly cost me my life

Nigerian comedian, Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome, popularly known as Ali Baba, has recounted a dramatic encounter with former military leader Sani Abacha that he describes as a “near-death experience.”

The 59-year-old comedian reflected on this incident during an appearance on the Leadership Podcast, recalling the tense atmosphere surrounding a particular performance during Abacha’s regime.

Ali Baba stated that he was tasked at a time with introducing an Akwa Ibom cultural group, who were set to perform at an event in Abuja.

The stand-up comedian recounted, “The first close encounter I had with death was with Sani Abacha. When Abacha was president; Ernest Shonekan had been removed, so I went to do an event in Abuja and it was time for the Akwa Ibom cultural group to perform. At the time, Abacha was wearing one of those dark Rayban sunglasses that could be folded.”

In a bold move, Ali Baba directly addressed Abacha, asking him to remove his sunglasses.

“So then they started dancing, I stopped them and faced Abacha, saying, ‘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 said.

To his surprise, Mr Abacha obliged. However, the tension escalated when Ali Baba noticed some operatives of the State Security Service, SSS (otherwise known Department of State Services, DSS) heading backstage. “He (Abacha) then removed the glasses and was talking to his aide. As soon as they started, I saw the DSS officers going backstage to wait for God knows who,” he said, revealing his growing anxiety about the situation.

In a moment of fear, Ali Baba stated that he decided to sit beside the iron-fisted president instead of retreating to safety backstage. “I went down the stage to where Abacha was and sat on the ground next to him. He made jokes about me and asked why I refused to go backstage. I said, ‘Don’t worry, sir, they can come and arrest me here,’” he concluded, illustrating the absurdity and tension of the moment.

Sani Abacha, who ruled Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998, was notorious for his brutal regime marked by political repression and human rights violations. He came to power through a coup that removed interim President Ernest Shonekan. During his leadership, political violence surged, with many opposition figures imprisoned, tortured, or killed.

Mr Abacha’s government was infamously responsible for the 1995 execution of activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, leading to international outrage and Nigeria’s suspension from the Commonwealth. His tenure is also marred by corruption allegations, with estimates suggesting he embezzled between $2 billion and $5 billion, much of which remains unrecovered.

Mr Abacha died on 8 June 1998, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, and was buried the same day.

Ali Baba, who doubles as an actor, and master of ceremonies, hails from a royal family in Warri. After graduating from Bendel State University, he moved to Lagos in 1990 to pursue a career in comedy, quickly gaining fame through performances at corporate events and media appearances.

The comedian’s work has earned him several awards, including the National Comedy Award, and he made history in 2012 as the first Nigerian comedian to ring the Year End Closing Bell at the Nigerian Stock Exchange. Ali Baba has also appeared in popular films such as ‘The Wedding Party’ and has been featured on CNN’s African Voices. Ali Baba is married to Mary Akpobome and they have five children—three daughters and two sons—along with their recent addition of triplets born recently in April.