‘I have no regrets’: Abacha’s most feared officer Frank Omenka speaks after 30 years of silence

One of the first issues Omenka addressed was the widespread belief that he fled Nigeria after the fall of the Abacha government.

“I did not go into exile,” he insisted.

“I travelled abroad because my children were already outside the country, and I no longer had anything to do in Nigeria at that time. Everybody knew where I was. I remained in contact with people back home.”

He described the aftermath of military rule as one of the most painful periods of his life.

“My name was damaged. My family’s name was damaged. The entire system around me collapsed. I thank God that my parents had already passed on before all these things happened.”

Why He Missed the Oputa Panel

Responding to questions about his failure to appear before the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission, popularly known as the Oputa Panel, Omenka maintained that he was completely unaware of its proceedings.

“I did not know that the Oputa Panel was sitting,” he said.

“I switched off completely from Nigeria because what happened to me was painful. If the panel contacted me and I refused to appear, that should be on record. Journalists should investigate it.”

According to him, he only became aware of the panel years later.

“I only learned about the Oputa Panel many years afterwards when a friend sent me some video clips. That was more than a decade later.”

How Abacha Appointed Him

Omenka rejected suggestions that he established or transformed the DMI Security Group into a special unit.

“I did not create the Security Group. It existed before I came, and others served after me. I was simply posted there as an officer, and once you are posted somewhere, you serve.”

He recalled that General Abacha personally asked if he would accept the assignment.

“He told me that people had spoken well about my discipline and professionalism, and asked whether I would take the position if I were posted there. I told him, ‘Sir, if the posting comes tonight, I will take it. I am an army officer.”

The Promise He Made to Abacha

One of the most striking revelations from the discussion was Omenka’s claim that he established clear boundaries with Abacha from the outset.

“I told him, ‘Sir, there is only one person in Nigeria I cannot carry, and that is you. But from your wife downward, if there is a problem, I will carry anybody. I will tie them up if necessary.'”

He insisted that Abacha respected that arrangement throughout his tenure.

“He never interfered with my work. There was a situation involving somebody connected to the First Lady, and Abacha simply said, ‘Let him return the money, and Frank will release him.’ He never asked me to abandon an investigation.”

‘There Was No Phantom Coup’

Perhaps the most contentious aspect of the interview was Omenka’s insistence that the alleged 1995 coup plot involving former Head of State Olusegun Obasanjo, General Shehu Musa Yar’Adua, and others was genuine.

“There was a coup,” he declared.

“There was a coup, and there will always remain a coup. People keep saying there was no coup, but I investigated it. I know what I saw.”

According to him, there were two separate movements at the time.

“General Kazir knew certain things. Col. Bello Fadile was recruiting people. Senior officers had information about what was going on. People may choose not to believe it because they heard the story from another side, but that does not change what happened.”

The NEWS Executive Editor Kunle Ajibade challenged Omenka during the session, arguing that many people who were convicted had their lives destroyed.

Omenka maintained his position.

“I live by the truth. That is the only prayer God hears. I carried out my responsibilities according to my training and my conscience.”

Defending His Methods

On allegations of torture and brutality, Omenka repeatedly denied ever authorising or participating in physical abuse.

“There was no physical contact,” he said.

“There was always a table between the person being questioned and us. We talked to people, interviewed them, and used different methods to get information, but we never touched anybody.”

Asked whether emotional intimidation could also amount to torture, Omenka said investigative methods should not automatically be equated with abuse.

“If I used harsh words, it was part of the interrogation process. The purpose was to get people to speak. I never intended to destroy anybody emotionally.”

He also rejected suggestions that he escaped responsibility by merely following orders.

“I never received instructions to torture anybody, and I never gave such instructions. The officers and men who served under me are still alive. People should ask them.”

‘Everything Became Frank, Frank, Frank’

Omenka argued that he became a convenient symbol for grievances against the Abacha era because of his role in exposing the coup plot.

“My people in the Security Group are still alive. People should ask them what happened. I believe my name became what it became because I exposed the coup. Everything eventually became Frank, Frank, Frank.”

He insisted that many accusations attributed to him related to activities beyond his direct control.

‘There Is Nothing to Regret’

One of the most emotional moments came when participants asked whether he felt remorse over the deaths and suffering associated with the military trials.

Kunle Ajibade questioned whether Omenka regretted the imprisonment and deaths of military officers and civilians convicted after the investigations.

Omenka remained defiant.

“There is nothing to regret if what people are saying is not true,” he said.

“Professionally, I did my job very, very well. I know myself. I know what I did and what I did not do.”

He added that people who suffer often look for someone to blame.

“People suffered, and when people suffer, they look for somewhere to place the blame. But blame should not be deposited in the wrong place.”

Retirement After Abacha’s Death

Omenka revealed that he and another officer were immediately affected by the transition that followed Abacha’s death in 1998.

“We were only two officers in the entire Nigerian Armed Forces who were retired because Abacha died—Sabo and I.”

He said subsequent investigations accused them of plotting another coup.

“They came to Lagos and picked me up. I was taken to Abuja. They investigated everything and discovered there was nothing to it. Everything was false.”

According to him, intelligence reports even suggested that some individuals wanted them dead.

“There were concerns about our safety. Eventually, we were released because there was nothing against us.”

Life After Power

Contrary to assumptions that former military officials accumulated wealth, Omenka said he struggled financially after leaving office.

“I had no house. I had no money. I had to do odd jobs to survive. Friends helped me. I lectured and did whatever honest work I could do.”

He said money and politics were never his primary ambitions.

“My dream was always to remain a professional soldier. I turned down opportunities because military service was my calling.”

Responding to Corruption Allegations

Asked about allegations of corruption against the Abacha administration, Omenka said his focus remained strictly professional.

“I was not looking at whether people stole money or not. That was not my assignment. My assignment was security and intelligence work.”

He maintained that Abacha never interfered in investigations under his supervision.

“My agreement with him was simple: allow me to do my work professionally and do not interfere.”

Rejecting Allegations Surrounding Bunmi Samuel

Addressing one of the most serious accusations linked to the era, involving claims that a young female detainee was raped and impregnated while in custody, Omenka rejected the allegations outright.

“I do not know how the Security Group suddenly became a laboratory for making love and a maternity home at the same time,” he said.

He recounted that the boy involved in the case was released after intervention from the British High Commission and military authorities.

“The records exist. The British High Commission was involved. People can verify them.”

He argued that some allegations emerged from the pain suffered by victims during that period.

“People make up stories because they have suffered pain and want somebody else to carry that pain. I understand that, but I cannot accept stories that are not true.”

Criticism of Nigerian Journalism

Throughout the conversation, Omenka repeatedly challenged journalists to investigate claims thoroughly.

“Journalists should be more investigative,” he said.

“They should not simply repeat what they hear. They should verify facts and ask questions.”

He acknowledged improvements brought by technology but insisted that inquisitiveness remains essential.

“The truth requires investigation. It requires patience and difficult questions.”

His Final Reflection

Despite decades of criticism, Omenka maintained that his conscience remains clear.

“It is strange to me that only two years of my service generated all these controversies when many people served before me and after me,” he said.

“We were all operating under command structures. There were things I could do and things I could not do.”

He concluded with what he described as the guiding principle of his life.

“Truth is the only prayer that God hears.

“For decades, others have spoken about me while I remained silent. Now I have spoken. People can listen, investigate, and make their own judgments.”

The conversation, which organisers described as only the first of several planned sessions, is expected to continue as other actors from the Abacha era respond to Omenka’s claims and present their own accounts of one of the most consequential periods in Nigeria’s modern history.