The sudden death of General Sani Abacha on June 8, 1998, was met with jubilation by Nigeria' s independent press. The reviled strongman' s demise marked the end of a brutal regime that had relentlessly persecuted journalists and stifled free speech. However, the euphoria was short- lived, as the subsequent death of Chief Moshood Abiola on July 7, 1998, dealt a devastating blow to the profession.

Abiola, the owner of the Concord Group, Nigeria' s largest independent media house, was a powerful symbol of resistance against the military regime. His imprisonment in 1994, following his widely acknowledged victory in the 1993 democratic elections, had become a rallying cry for journalists fighting against Abacha' s tyranny. With Abiola behind bars, the press had found a unifying cause, and his plight had become a weapon in their battle for freedom of expression.

The military regime, however, responded with a calculated campaign to decimate the independent press. Journalists were arrested, tortured, and intimidated, while newspapers were shut down and their equipment seized. The regime' s goal was clear: silence the press and maintain control.

The brief period between Abacha' s death and Abiola' s fatal heart attack in detention was a cruel tease. The press had dared to hope that the end of Abacha' s reign would usher in a new era of freedom and democracy. Instead, Abiola' s passing extinguished that hope, leaving the independent press reeling.