How Abacha Became the Ist Ever Soldier To Reach The Rank Of A General Without Skipping A Rank

Late General Sani Abacha, a Kanuri from Borno was born on 20th September 1943, in the city of Kano where he had most of his early education. Abacha was commissioned in 1963 after he attended the Mons Officer Cadet school in Aldershot, England. Before then, he has attended the Nigerian Military training college in Kaduna.
     In 1969, he fought during the Nigeria civil war as a platoon and battalion commander. He later became commander of the 2nd infantry division in 1975. In 1983, Abacha was General officer commanding the 2nd mechanised division, and was later appointed a member of the supreme military council. The military career of Abacha was marked by involvement in all the military coups in Nigeria. When he was still a second lieutenant with the 3rd battalion in Kaduna, he took part in the July 1966 Nigerian- counter coup from the conceptual stage. He could well have been a participant in the Lagos or Abeokuta phases of the coup that happened in January 1966.

In addition, Abacha played a prominent role in the 1983 Nigeria coup which brought General Buhari to power, and the 1985 coup which removed Buhari and brought in General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida(IBB). When IBB was named the GCFR in 1985, Abacha was named Chief of Army Staff. He was later appointed minister of defence in 1990. The following is the military ranks of late General Abacha...

1963- Second lieutenant (commissioned)

1966- Lieutenant

1967- Captain

1969- Major

1972- Lieutenant Colonel

1975- Colonel

1980- Brigadier General

1983- Major General

1985- Lieutenant General

1993- General

Abacha died on 8th June 1998..