"Out of respect for the families, and as a matter of common decency, we have given time for mourning, prayer and a full investigation of the facts before commenting, " it said.

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By the time he died three and a half years ago, I had already been in mourning for a decade.

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July 8th, the day after he died and the end of a month of official mourning for Abacha's death, had been billed for some time as the moment for Nigeria's new ruler, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, to announce a new programme for the transition to democracy, still promised for October 1st.

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"While his family greatly appreciates that Richie's many fans are also mourning this loss, they do ask for privacy during this difficult time, " a statement from his publicist, Carrie Lombardi, said.

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