Sani Abacha's seizure of power in 1993 was the beginning of a five-year reign that would time and time again draw international criticism. Human rights groups and international leaders, such as South Africa's Nelson Mandela, criticized the new government for its treatment of opponents.

The Abacha government was one of the most ruthless regimes in Nigeria's history. Dissidents were tortured. Political opponents jailed. The international community reacted in horror when Nobel Prize-winning author Ken Saro-Wiwa was publicly hanged in 1995 for suggesting oil exploration caused environmental damage.

Public opposition grew as fears mounted that Abacha would not step down as he had pledged to do when he took power. Protests turned more and more violent, but suddenly, on June 8, 1998, Abacha died of a heart attack at the age of 54.