The National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) was formed on 15 May 1994 by a broad coalition of Nigerian democrats, who called on the military government of Sani Abacha to step down in favor of the winner of the 12 June 1993 election, M. K. O. Abiola. [1] The members mostly came from the southwest of the country. [2] They quickly became the symbol of mass resistance against military rule. [3] On 11 June 1994, using the groundwork laid by NADECO, Abiola declared himself president and went into hiding. He reemerged and was promptly arrested on 23 June. [4]
On 17 November 1994, the first anniversary of Abacha's coup, a bomb exploded in Lagos airport. In response, NADECO leaders warned "it will be a disaster, not only for Nigeria but for the whole world, if Nigerians come to the conclusion that only violence will secure the attention of the international community." [5]
Wale Osun, acting secretary-general of the coalition, was arrested on 19 May 1995. After a bomb explosion later that month in Ilorin, capital of Kwara State, the police arrested and interrogated Chief Cornelius Adebayo and other NADECO members. [6] In July 1997, the government accused the National Democratic Coalition of responsibility for a series of bombings of military targets, and said publicly that they suspected American diplomats knew about the bombings in advance. The inspector general of police, Ibrahim Coomassie, said he wanted to question the American ambassador and members of the US Embassy staff. [7]
In August 1999, the coalition filed a claim for $20 million in compensation for abuses suffered under the Abacha regime. [8]
Sani Abacha GCFR was a Nigerian military general who served as the military head of state of Nigeria from 1993 until his death in 1998. He was also Chief of Army Staff between 1985 to 1990; Chief of Defence Staff between 1990 to 1993; and Minister of Defence. In 1993, Abacha became the first Nigerian Army officer to attain the rank of a full military general without skipping a single rank.
Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola GCFR, also known as M. K. O. Abiola was a Nigerian businessman, publisher, and politician. He was the Aare Ona Kankafo XIV of Yorubaland and an aristocrat of the Egba clan.
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Kayode Oladele is a Nigerian human rights activist, lawyer and politician who was a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives representing Yewa North/Imeko-Afon Federal Constituency, Ogun State, from 2015-2019. He was the Chairman of the House of Representatives' Committee on Financial Crimes and member of the House Committees on Justice, Human Rights, Rules and Business, Environment, Healthcare Services and Agricultural Institutions. He was elected under the platform of the All Progressives Congress on 11 April 2015. Prior to that, he was Chief of Staff, office of the Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes.
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Ibrahim Coomassie was a Nigerian police officer and the 9th Inspector General of Nigerian Police serving between 1993 and 1999, under the military governments of Generals Sani Abacha and Abdulsalami Abubakar. He died on Thursday 19 July 2018 after a protracted illness. He was 76 years old.
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Colonel Ahmed Usman was a Nigerian military administrator of Ondo State and later Oyo State during the military regime of General Sani Abacha.
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Mohammed Arzika was appointed Nigerian Minister of Communications from June 1999 to June 2001 in the cabinet of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He died after a brief illness on 9 June 2015.
Lamidi Ona-Olapo Adesina was an educator who became governor of Oyo State in Nigeria on 29 May 1999 during the 1999 Oyo State gubernatorial election as a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) party.
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Kayode Soyinka is a Nigerian journalist, publisher, and author.
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