International records / OpenAlex research

Nigeria's lingering political crisis internal combustion, international inaction

Nigeria became identified with its head of state, General Sani Abacha when his country was suspended from the Commonwealth after the execution of Ogoni rights campaigner Ken Saro‐Wiwa in 1996. That the executions of Saro‐Wiwa and the other campaigners went ahead was seen as a direct confrontation between General Abacha and the other Commonwealth leaders. His sudden death in June 1998, only a few weeks before elections in which he was the sole candidate adopted by the recognized political parties, has clouded even further the process of transition to improved human rights and democracy which mu…