The late Chief Abraham Adesanya, revered Yoruba leader and pro-democracy activist, earned the nickname Apamaku — “one who survived death” — after escaping a deadly assassination attempt by General Sani Abacha’s killer squad in 1997.
On January 14, 1997, Adesanya, then 74, was returning from his law chambers in a chauffeur-driven Mercedes-Benz when his vehicle was ambushed in Lagos by soldiers led by Barnabas Jabila, also known as Sergeant Rogers. Despite over 40 rounds of ammunition riddling the car, neither Adesanya nor his driver sustained a single injury.
The daring survival cemented his image as an indomitable figure in Nigeria’s struggle for democracy. Adesanya, who rose to prominence as a successor to Chief Obafemi Awolowo and later became the Asiwaju of Yorubaland, was a central figure in Afenifere and served as Deputy Leader of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), the foremost pro-democracy group that resisted military rule after the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by MKO Abiola.
While many of his contemporaries, including Chief Anthony Enahoro, went into exile during the height of Abacha’s repression, Adesanya remained in Nigeria, working alongside the likes of Gani Fawehinmi, Femi Falana, and Olisa Agbakoba to challenge military dictatorship.
The Mercedes-Benz car he rode in during the attack — its body riddled with bullet holes — was later preserved in a Lagos museum as a symbol of resilience.
Adesanya, who lived the rest of his life as a fearless defender of democracy, died on April 27, 2008, at the age of 85.
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