
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed the pivotal role played by late American President, Jimmy Carter, in securing his release from prison in 1995.
Obasanjo, who was detained by the Abacha junta over alleged involvement in a failed military coup, expressed his gratitude to Carter during a memorial service held at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State on Sunday.
He said:”President Carter was one of my foreign friends who stuck their necks out to save my life and to seek my release from prison.
“On President Carter’s visit to Nigeria, he got Abacha to agree to take me from detention to house arrest on my farm.”
According to him, while many others intervened on his behalf, “Carter was the only non-African leader” to visit Nigeria solely to plead for his release.
He also recalled how Carter informed him that Ted Turner, CNN founder, had offered to take care of him and his family upon his release.
Obasanjo and Carter shared similarities in their military backgrounds and farming upbringings, which instilled discipline in them.
He described Carter as “a great and true friend” and said he would miss him, but expressed confidence that they would meet again in paradise.
Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, 2024, at the age of 100.
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