|
Amazing claim:NADECO’s Struggle Against Abacha was not
Genuine-Al-Mustapha
By Ayokunle Oloye Newsdiaryonline Tue Aug 9,2011
Major Hamza AlMustapha,Chief Security Officer CSO to late Head
of State General Sani Abacha has made yet another sensational
claim.He said the struggle by the National Democratic Coalition
,NADECO against
Abacha was not
genuine.Al Mustapha said this today in court as his cross
examination continued in his trial over the killing of Kudirat
Abiola.The former CSO
said the greatest opposition to Abacha was from the
military not NADECO . . "The strongest opposition then was
within the military and not NADECO.
I can also confirm to you that the struggle by NADECO at the
time was not genuine" Al
Mustapha said.
No further details on this claim are available yet.But this is
likely going to stir another
controversy that has always trailed Al-Mustapha’s ‘revelations’
some of which have turned out so far to be incorrect.For
instance, though General Abdulsalam Abubakar withdrew some money
from the CBN,
Newsdiaryonline learnt that the former Head of state
returned some money.Though we learnt he returned $180Million ,
The Nation has revealed that the
figure indeed returned was $150million in addition to about
75million pounds. Some
controversy may trail the figures but certainly $200million was
not given to South West leaders.
Meanwhile the Lagos High
Court sitting in Igbosere, presided over by Justice Mojisola
Dada, has granted leave
to Al-Mustapha, embattled Chief Security
Officer (CSO) to late
military ruler, General Sani Abacha and Alhaji Lateef
Shofolahan, who was an
aide to late Kudirat Abiola to appeal its earlier ruling
on their no case
submission dismissed by the trial court.
According to the judge,
"In view of the fact that the defendants have right to appeal,
this court would have no
choice than to rule in favour of the applicants. "Accordingly,
the two applications
seeking leave to appeal ruling is hereby
granted." Shortly before
the ruling, counsel to the defendants, Olalekan Ojo
had referred the court's
attention to the motions on notice filed by the
defendants for leave to
appeal against the decision of the lower court of July
14, 2011 which dismissed
their no case submissions.
The motions, according to Ojo
were dated August 8, 2011 and that the defendants are praying
the court to grant them
leave to appeal against the ruling of the trial court which
dismissed their no case
arguments.
However, at the resumption of cross examination of
Al-Mustapha on Tuesday,
the CSO who confirmed that General Abacha died on June
8, 1998, added that, "I
was not around when he died, but I saw him around 2am
with some ministers and
ambassadors.
"I was technically present when MKO
Abiola died but I did
not give him the tea that killed him.
"By my position in the
presidency at the time, I was present there with him by the
video
recordings but physically, I was not there."
Al-Mustapha also said, "We agreed
that all detainees are to be set free and that was done. "But
MKO was kept perpetually
in custody. The question then is why,?
The CSO denied ever saying
he had in his possession VHS tape showcasing where money was
being shared to the
Yoruba elders but added that, "I only said money was brought.
Somebody is deliberately
playing with the prosecution."
The CSO added that former Head of
State, General
Abdulsalami Abubakar refused to appear before the Oputa Panel
because of some
sensitive issues raised at the panel.
He maintained that Abacha
was murdered but declined to make further comments because that
was not the issue before
the court.Al-Mustapha said he became enemy to some highly
placed individuals in
the country because they wanted Abacha removed as Head of
State and Commander in
Chief.
Major Al-Mustapha who is currently standing
trial over the murder of
late Kudirat Abiola, wife of late self acclaimed winner
of June 12, 1993
presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, had told Justice Dada
that he never ordered
the killing of Kudirat and any other persons assasinated
while Abacha was head of
state.
Al-Mustapha who restated that he was enlisted
into the Nigerian Army
in 1980 at the age of 19 as a Cadet, argued that the
prosecution handling the
case doesn’t
understand the game plan
in his ongoing trial in
the murder of Kudirat. He had also stated that the Lagos State
government cannot get
the original version of the VHS tape recorded during the
Special Investigation
Panel (SIP) proceedings showcasing what happened at the
time.
While explaining that he was kept incommunicado for one year
facing torture, the
embattled CSO maintained that his team of lawyers were denied
access to him.
"I did not order anybody to kill Kudirat Abiola. There is no
doubt that there were
oppositions to the government of General Abacha at the
time just as it happens
in other governments.
Abacha was the most hated head of
state. "The strongest opposition then was within the military
and not NADECO. I can
also confirm to you that the struggle by NADECO at the time was
not genuine," he added.
Al-Mustapha also informed the judge that he on
several occassion
assisted the Late Kudirat to see late MKO who was being
detained at the time.
He also posited that, "I did not order the arrest of
any political figure in
the country during the administration of Abacha but I
sent Rabo Lawal to
confirm the act of burning Abacha's properties in Lagos and
not to checkmate the
activities of NADECO in the state. Infact, it was the
Garrison Command in
Lagos led by retired General Patrick Azazi that was directed
to take over protection of the said property."
On who made the order for the arrest
of MKO Abiola, the embattled CSO clarified that it was the then
Inspector General of Police
(IG), Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie that ordered his arrest, with an
explanation that he even
signed the warrant of arrest.
He added that, "The NADECO
was a visible opposition of the Abacha's government. I don't
belong to the council
that takes decision in the presidency at the time but I was
responsible for the protection of facilities to be used for
whatever meeting in the presidency."
Al-Mustapha who confirmed that all attempted murder and
murder took place under
the regime of Abacha urged the court to order General
Abubakar to return all
documents carted away from his house while he was in
detention.
He also challenged the police to produce the report on the
investigation of the
murder of Kudirat.
|
