He was just 29, but Abacha's govt reportedly wanted him dēad or alive Zikirullahi Ibrahim was a junior staff of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Corporation (NSPMC) where the Nigerian currency and the most sensitive national documents were and are printed. During the Sani Abacha era, it was a mystery that he survived the hundreds of undercover agents detailed to either kïll or kïdnap him due to his struggle against Abacha and his cronies. Zikirullahi from Edo State, according to Premium Times, was pissed by four issues: 1. The military guys coming to the NSPMC to illegally order the printing and carting away of bags of money. 2. Inhuman treatment of staff (staff were always stripped naked in the guise of searching them to ensure they didn't hide money). 3. Some people sabotaging the system so that naira would be printed abroad. 4. Cancellation of the June 12, 1993 election. Those who complained were arrested, detained or faced dēath. No mobile phones then. So Zikirullahi organised a group and they communicated using codes. The group would print sensitive pamphlets calling for resistance, distribute at very early in the morning and drop them in strategic places where workers would see them. Within a short time, workers’ rebellïøn began. They would come to office and sit in prøtest to the shøck of the NSPMC management. Sani Abacha became personally interest in the ‘young mutïneers’ who were trying to ‘overthrow the system’ according to Premium Times. In 1995, the NSPMC became more brütal and sacked 2,450 workers in addition to another 1,000 earlier. They were tagged NADECO members. The over 3,000 workers saw Zikirullahi as their hero and he led the workers to a prøtest, first time in the company’s history. He also dragged the government to court. Then the military sent emissaries to him to name his price. He was also promised promotion and studies abroad to renounce his leadership of the workers. He declined. The military got ãngry, located his rented apartment in Ojuelegba, Lagos and laid ambush. He ran from home and got information that a bounty had been placed on his head by the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI), led by the drēaded Colonel Frank Omenka. In the absence of a home, Zik resorted to holding nocturnal meetings to motivate and organise the workers against Abacha. He also allied himself with pro-democracy activists like Chima Ubani and Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti. The prøtest spread to Kano, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and Sokoto. On several occasions, undercover agents raided his house. Sometimes they would plant agents posing as food vendors, artisans and even tenants to track his movement or to ensure he was shøt. But he got all the information because he was loved. The workers mobilised for the five-million anti-military rallies held in Lagos on 3 March, 1998 and the one of 1 May, 1998 across the country. The report said no fewer than 200 of the workers were kïlled during the national prøtests. During that period, the wife of MKO Abiola was mürdēred in broad daylight. Alhaja Suliat Adedeji was also kïlled in her house in Ibadan. A note was left in Zikirullahi’s home: “We shall come after you. It will soon be your turn." He survived, got assistance from the international community and today, he is celebrated among the civil rights community. More report by Premium Times ℹ️Ethnic African Stories