LAGOS-Major Hamza al-Mustapha who is on trial for the alleged murder of Kudirat Abiola, held the court spell-bound yesterday with fresh revelations of how the intrigues that gripped the nation following the annulment of the June12, 1993 Presidential Election almost led to the execution of former Head of State, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo.


The latest in his tale of scheming for power within the military top brass was that former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar wanted Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo killed.

His statement followed the playing of a video tape showing some Yoruba leaders- Late Abraham Adesanya, late Bola Ige and Ayo Opadokun addressing the media men after a meeting with Gen. Abubakar who was Head of State. The video did not, however, show the Yoruba leaders collecting bribe as alleged by al-Mustapha on Tuesaday.

Major Al-Mustapha who is facing trial for alleged murder of Chief Abiola's wife, Kudirat, had told the court in his evidence-in-chief last Monday that former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar withdrew huge sums of money from the Central Bank of Nigeria to 'settle' Yoruba leaders in order to douse the tension that gripped the South West following the death of Chief Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election on June 7, 1998. He had boasted that he had some video tapes to back his claim that South West leaders were compromised.

Yoruba leaders in Aso Rock

The video tape which was played in court yesterday, however, showed some Yoruba leaders leaving the meeting with General Abdusalam Abubakar at Aso Rock Villa. The video footage which he claimed was shot by his personal bodyguard revealed the faces of late Afenifere leader, Chief Abraham Adesanya; former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige and the former secretary of the National Democratic Coalition, Chief Ayo Opadokun leaving the meeting with the head of state, a day after Abiola's death but did not contain the explosive revelation promised.

Al-Mustapha, also told the court that former Head of State, General Abdusalami Abubakar had wanted former President Olusegun Obasanjo executed in 1995 for coup plot.

He said that Abdusalami at a meeting, insisted that the Military Decree on coup plotting promulgated in 1976 when Obasanjo was the Military Head of State, should be applied to him (Obasanjo).

Illegal video tape

"I have the video tape illegally and I even sent a copy to General Obasanjo, with a note where I asked him to be very careful and be watchful," Al-Mustapha told the court.

"General Abdusalami, who initiated the whole blackmail against me became the Head of State not because he was the best at that particular time, but that was how God used me to prevent bloodbath in this country. Those against Abdusalami then had even planned that he should go to the United Nations Organisation with Military Uniform. Through intelligence, I was able to decode that game plan and sent same to Abdusalami," he told the court.

He also told the court that he was a pawn in the hands of powerful forces and that he was not responsible for the death of late Kudirat Abiola.

He said, "my predicament is simply a script that had been written. I was

earmarked for this punishment. Abiola's family is my family. I was told face to face by names I cannot reveal, that I will be killed. They cannot afford to have me around, running my mouth."

He also alleged that the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, then a Superintendent of police, had wanted him dead, but that he was saved by former Inspector General of Police, Mr Mike Okori, then a Commissioner of Police, who refused to act on a letter from the presidency, that he (Al-Mustapha) be eliminated.

From the video shown, Adesanya told journalists that the discussion with Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar centred on the setting up of a Sovereign National Conference to prepare the constitution by which Nigeria will be ruled. "The Head of State listened to our concerns and we concluded that the Government of National Unity will continue to be in place despite the death of Abiola.", Adesanya told newsmen

Asked by journalists how Abiola's death affected the outcome of the meeting,

Adesanya's response in the video was that he did not know.

Al-Mustapha also tendered a letter allegedly written by him to the Late Bola Ige telling him how he was used to douse tension generated by the death of the late MKO Abiola.

The letter which was read in open court, stated that after Abiola was confirmed dead, Ige was counseled to bring all other South-West leaders under the guise of dousing tension.

"All these actions were deliberate. You were only used unconsciously to ensure that Abiola's death was covered up. They succeeded in stopping all Yoruba leaders and Abiola's family from suing by paying them off with huge sums of money withdrawn from the Central Bank," he said in the letter.

Al-Mustapha had also alleged in the letter that the Chief Ige appointment as Attorney General of the Federation was aimed at rewarding him for the unconscious role he played in Abiola's murder.

"Unknown to you sir, you were made to deny people their rights even though they knew that you were one of the leading figures in human rights struggle in Nigeria, The same blood money given to the Yoruba leaders the day after Abiola was murdered was also used in paying the media," the letter read.

Ribadu wanted me dead

Al-Mustapha also told the court that in 2007, when he was in court, he overheard Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the then Commissioner of Police for Lagos State, Mr Mike Okiro, who later became the Inspector General of Police, debating on whether or not he (Al-Mustapha) was to be killed.

"The CP was bent on getting a letter from the presidency, stating that I be killed before he took any action. He refused to carry out the order. Some weeks later, CP Okiro was transferred out of Lagos State," he said.

He said his arrest and incarceration were as a result of the ambitions of the people in power and that if MKO were alive, he will not be in prison.

"The real culprits are in society and are being respected but here I stand, being persecuted for their transgressions. I am a mere victim," he told the court.

Meanwhile, trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the case till Aug 8, 9, 10 and 11 for continuation of trial.

http://odili.net/news/source/2011/aug/5/309.html

I was told face to face by names I cannot reveal, that I will be killed. They cannot afford to have me around, running my mouth

he's not even happy he's been alive for the 12 years he spent in jail?


does he know how many people have died in that period of time?

which mouth is he running?

this is what i called ganished truth bc alkl he said are truth bt he had to ganishe it to make it acceptable even to the layman understrandin did i talk

Irrelevant revelations.

Irrelevant revelations.

this guy is not serious!

same old poo.mtcheeeeeeeew

Sad to think but not surprised that the likes of Mustapha ever made it into the Nigerian Army Officer Corps. I applied to military secoundary school after my primary school even though I had a very high score, I got to turned down. Applied to NDA years later but was still turned down.
Am thanking God now they never accepted me or else I will be having his type as colleagues.
Shame!
The guy belongs in Boko-Haram heirachy.

old story, he said that longtime age.

Let's be rational in our thinking. Why would Al Mustapha want Kudirat dead, when he was just the Chief Security Officer. Abiola and his wife was killed after Abacha was dead. In my opinion Abdulsalami the head of State then will know better than Al Musatapha. What about if the instruction given to Srgt. Rogers came from above without the notice of Al Mustapha.

"All these actions were deliberate. You were only used unconsciously to ensure that Abiola's death was covered up. They succeeded in stopping all Yoruba leaders and Abiola's family from suing by paying them off with huge sums of money withdrawn from the Central Bank," he said in the letter."



You yoroobahs have continued this suffering and smiling game here by yawning old story, old story instead of facing your leaders who took bribe money from the north and handed abioala to the ordinary almajiri to be slaughtered, aren't you yorobahs ashamed of yourselves. When will you guys stop killing your leaders, from bola ige to funsho william to abiola toi kudirat and so many others on the line. devilish people

info.fta:

Let's be rational in our thinking. Why would Al Mustapha want Kudirat dead, when he was just the Chief Security Officer. Abiola and his wife was killed after Abacha was dead. In my opinion Abdulsalami the head of State then will know better than Al Musatapha. What about if the instruction given to Srgt. Rogers came from above without the notice of Al Mustapha.

Dude get your facts right b4 rationalising anything: find out when Kudirat Abiola died, and who was in direct charge of the "killer squad".

r.i.p

I have noticed that some contributors on this nairaland are intellectually bankrupt. When Abiola died and there was tension in Nigeria, AbduSalami invited Afenifere and NADECO leaders for a way forward meeting. I learnt from the reliable source that the meeting was hot with Emeka Anyaoku and Kofi Annan in attendance. It was Kofi Anna that percified the Yoruba leaders that "now Abiola is no more, Nigeria must move forward and Nigeria cannot afford to experience another civil war again that in the spirit of patriotism, Yoruba leaders must shift ground".
It was at this time Bola Ige and others pushed for a unity government that will covene a sovereign national confab with a view of making a new constitution for Nigeria on how Nigeria is going to be governed because the reason behind annulment of June 12 Election was that some people believed that power was their birth right and they did not want power to come to South been Abiola as a southerner. This Al-Mustapha and his satanic boss,Abacha played a very prominent role in the June 12 annulment because this Mustapha is the most tribalistic of the officers in the Nigerian Army then. That is why he refused to take order from Diya who happened to be his senior. He claimed that he could not take order from a Yoruba. Pls let us get our facts right before we contribute.

1.how come somebody in prison have a clean and shiny skin . 2. in everything al mustalpha had said there is an iota of truth in it .he only needs to mention somebody name dat is alive with an unchallengeble evidence.i suspect that abdul salam

Senatorkolade:

I have noticed that some contributors on this nairaland are intellectually bankrupt. When Abiola died and there was tension in Nigeria, AbduSalami invited Afenifere and NADECO leaders for a  way forward meeting. I learnt from the reliable source that the meeting was hot with Emeka Anyaoku and Kofi Annan in attendance. It was Kofi Anna that percified the Yoruba leaders that "now Abiola is no more, Nigeria must move forward and Nigeria cannot afford to experience another civil war again that in the spirit of patriotism, Yoruba leaders must shift ground".
It was at this time Bola Ige and others pushed for a unity government that will covene a sovereign national confab with a view of making a new constitution for Nigeria on how Nigeria is going to be governed because the reason behind annulment of June 12 Election was that some people believed that power was their birth right and they did not want power to come  to South been Abiola as a southerner. This Al-Mustapha and his satanic boss,Abacha played a very prominent role in the June 12 annulment because this Mustapha is the most tribalistic of the officers in the Nigerian Army then. That is why he refused to take order from Diya who happened to be his senior. He claimed that he could not take order from a Yoruba. Pls let us get our facts right before we contribute.

Most contributors knows this the truth.

They are just twisting the fact due to tribalism.

And this is coming from  the Igbos.

So just chill, that is how NL roll.

A drowning man will even catch a straw. His revelations and genesis are snails useless and irrelevant. Let him fry in jail. Bas.tard!

He shuda killed his arzzze!

chino11:

"All these actions were deliberate. You were only used unconsciously to ensure that Abiola's death was covered up. They succeeded in stopping all Yoruba leaders and Abiola's family from suing by paying them off with huge sums of money withdrawn from the Central Bank," he said in the letter."



You yoroobahs have continued this suffering and smiling game here by yawning old story, old story instead of facing your leaders who took bribe money from the north and handed abioala to the ordinary almajiri to be slaughtered, aren't you yorobahs ashamed of yourselves. When will you guys stop killing your leaders, from bola ige to funsho william to abiola toi kudirat and so many others on the line. devilish people

dude, this thing is getting old mehn. you no dey tire? abi u dey get award for this thing?

About the purported letter Al-Mustapha claimed he wrote to Chief Bola Ige that "you were unconsciously used to douse the June 12".
The fact is that Al-Mustapha is regretting that Nigeria did not go to war after Abiola's death because they were really preparing for war then. This Al-Mustapha and Jeremiah Oseni were the ones Abacha were using to stockpile arms and armunition to fight the war against the south they were expecting. All the Nigerian weapons from the South were moved to the North in anticipation for their "holy war" in quote. So, for Yoruba leaders not to take the war option over Abiola's death was a big disapointment to a war admirer like Al-Mustapha. This is what Al-Mustapha means by "unconsciously used to kill june 12".
tapha means by "unconsciously used to kill june 12".

@senatorkolade
Thanks for the additional information. Just ignore the comments of the uninformed. Some are too young to know what happened or simply ignorant and mischievous. There was enough info in Tribune newspapers among others over the weekend for the uninformed anyway.

What baffles me is why the murder case is being linked to Abiolas death and Abdulsalam. Kudirat died in 1996 while Abiola died in 1998 at which time Abdulsalam came on board. How then is the circumstances of Abiolas death/Abdulsalams presidency directly linked to Kudis death? I just believe its time for Mustapha to defend himself and leave tribal sentiments and unnecessary distractions out of it.

in all these tales,this sicko has refused to address the reason for which he is standing trial; the killing of Kudirat Abiola.
At the rate he is ranting,it might take months before he comes around to addressing the issue at hand.
It seems he was a human right activist and pro democracy officer who was grossly misunderstood by Nigerians.

Free Al-Mustapha - Our Country Hero

Often, One can neither speak of 'CRIME' without punishment nor 'PUNISHMENT' without crime. This is the country whereby there is nothing called LAW.

A person is innocent until proven guilty.

To prevent abuses of law and justice, governments should not have the power to jail suspects without a trial. Every person is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his or her peers. The jury has the responsibility of hearing the facts and deciding upon the case, and unless they decide the person is guilty, the government should have no right to jail a person.

Jailing a suspect without trial goes against basic human rights, and essentially convicts a suspect without giving them due process. This is not only unfair, but I also believe it should be illegal. All suspects deserve the right to a fair trial, if necessary, and should not be subjected to treatment as a criminal if they are not yet a convicted criminal.


Wondering how could Government nailed someone for 14yrs without Evidence. would be different if there is no material evidence to prove the suspect guilty. It is time all Nigerians must look into this matter. There is more to it, there has been bias, the truth has not been said. Basically I got interested in the case because hard evidence at my disposal unequivocally shows that the case has been built on a long line of inconsistencies and injustices.


My question is how long, how many year should Government continue to nail Al-Mustapha. Its time we all Nigerians to say "FREE AL-MUSTAPA". All the allegations laid against him are worthless and false. All the media company both News Paper and Magazine have all been bribed saying all sort of things that are not true about the Al-Mustapha case on the charges of killing the Late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. A powerful man in this Nation bought and burnt down News Paper All Nigerian should read which proven Al-Mustapha as Innocent (The Guardian Sunday, September, 2011) Major Hamza Al-Mustapha has consistently maintained his innocence. He is our country Hero "Free Al-Mustapha".

Its Time, The Oppressed Shall Rise