Comedian Ali Baba recalls ‘near-death experience’ with Sani Abacha

• Ali Baba recalled the tense atmosphere surrounding a particular performance during Abacha’s presidency.
• The comedian recalled his audacious move to address Abacha directly to ask him to remove his sunglasses.
• He recalled this during his recent appearance on the Leadership Podcast.

Nigerian comedian Ali Baba has shared a story about his encounter with former military leader Sani Abacha.

During an appearance on the Leadership Podcast, Ali Baba recounted the incident that occurred at an event in Abuja, where he was tasked with introducing the Akwa Ibom cultural group.

He narrated:

“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 sunglasses that could be folded.

“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 na.

“He then removed the glasses and was talking to someone and when he kept the glasses I told the troupe to continue. As soon as they started, I saw the DSS officers going backstage to wait for god knows who o.

“I went down the stage to where Abacha was and sat on the ground next to him. He made jokes of me and asked why I refused to go backstage and I said , ‘Don’t worry, sir, they can come and arrest me here.”

See video..

In another story, Comedian Ali Baba calls out vice president Shettima for ‘disrespecting’ christian religion.

Ali Baba took to his Instagram stage, where he shared a striking collage of photos capturing Shettima during a church gathering, juxtaposed with fellow Muslims deep in prayer.

In these snapshots, the former Borno State Governor was captured wearing a cap while other political elites beside him removed their hats.

In a scathing rebuke directed at Shettima for his refusal to remove his cap inside the church, the comedian, known for his incisive tongue, forcefully emphasized the vital significance of showing reverence for people’s beliefs, age-old traditions, and revered customs when they enter a place considered holy.