Abdulsalami camp opens up… How Abiola died
From AKIN ALOFETEKUN, Minna

Sunday, August 28, 2011
After weeks of keeping quiet, in the face of series of allegations by Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, the erstwhile chief security officer to the late General Sani Abacha, over the death of Chief M. K. O. Abiola and the killing of his wife, Kudirat Abiola, reactions have finally come from the camp of the former head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar.


advertisement


Speaking on his behalf, in Minna, Niger State capital, Alhaji Shuaibu Badeggi, one-time director-general, publicity under the administration of Governor Abdulkhadir Kure of Niger State and spokesman of the former head of state, described Al-Mustapha’s testimony in court as tales by moonlight.

To Badeggi, Al-Mustapha is either mentally deranged or a perpetual liar, who believes that such lies, if told persistently, would hoodwink the gullible and confuse the judge.

He also gave a graphic account of how Abiola died, submitting that neither the United States government nor General Abubakar had hand in his death. He also threw a bombshell on the alleged coup in which former Chief of General Staff, General Oladipo Diya in the Abacha government was convicted.

“As far as I am concerned, Diya did not organise any coup. Abacha and Al-Mustapha themselves did, in order to eliminate those he (Abacha) felt could antagonise his ambition to transmute into life president following his adoption by the five leprous parties,” he said.

He absolved Chiefs Abraham Adesanya and Bola Ige of any wrong doing, describing them as “too above board to receive bribe.” He charged Al-Mustapha: “Defend yourself against the allegations that you sent Jabilla Rogers to kill Kudirat Abiola and stop the rigmarole.”

Looking at the Nigerian judiciary critically, what is you assessment?

I believe in the capacity of the Nigerian judiciary to right the wrongs and also in the Nigerian constitution, as a tool that upholds the fundamental human rights of individual citizen. I equally believe that criminal justice in Nigeria may not be that perfect, when compared with what obtains in Europe and America, but our judges are trying their best under difficult conditions.

Recently, Major Al-Mustapha opened his defence, where he made several allegations over Chief MKO Abiola’s death and others. What’s your take on this?

These are nothing but tales by moonlight to divert the attention of gullible people to the fundamental case of the dastardly murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. The diversion can’t help him and can’t set him free. He should know that the ascension of General Abubakar to power was a kind of rendezvous with fate, in the sense that by all imagination, the General cannot be counted among the people that aided and abetted the annulment of the June 12, 1993 election. Secondly, he was not a hustler for power. He never involved himself in any coup, real or fathom. When Abacha died, his second-in-command, Diya, was in prison over a coup that was organised by Abacha and Al-Mustapha themselves to eliminate those he felt could antagonise his ambition to transmute into life president, following his adoption by the five leprous parties.

Abubakar was never perceived as enemy to Abacha, so his coming to power was ordained by God and not through any premeditation or ambition.

Al-Mustapha made allegations about Abiola’s death, to the effect that he was killed…

At the Oputa panel, we heard Al-Mustapha saying Abiola was beaten to death. Today, he is telling the world Abubakar murdered the man. What I know is that this guy is either mentally deranged or he is an officer trained in the art of lying. Abiola could have died of stress occasioned by frustration. First, look at the calibre of people that came to advise him to jettison his mandate. The like of Kofi Annan, Emeka Anyaoku, Susan Rice and Thomas Pickering advising him to drop his mandate could be frustrating for somebody who had suffered so much in the hands of Abacha. He was treated like a common criminal for four years only to come and be advised to just go home. It was more than enough to cause cardiac arrest and death.

Imaging Al-Mustapha saying Adesanya and Bola Ige collected bribe to kill June 12. That is a pathological lie as far as I am concerned. These men were too above board to collect bribe. Look at somebody, like Adesanya, only providence saved him from the Abacha killer gang. The allegations beat my imagination and that is why I say he has mental problem, thinking that if he implicates people, he could be granted state pardon.

A criminal like that would have been beheaded in a sharia state, like Saudi Arabia; even in Europe he would have been jailed long ago, rather than allow him to abuse court processes of seeking adjournments on flimsy excuses. They should have jailed him. Thank God the like of Dr. Ore Falomo are still alive. International pathologists conducted post- mortem examinations on the deceased politician. The same thing for Susan Rice and Thomas Pickering. These people can still be contacted, so that they can tell the world what they know about Abiola’s death.

What do you know about Abiola’s death?

What I know is that America has no reason to want to kill Abiola. What would (Bill) Clinton gain by Abiola’s death. Susan Rice does not work for CIA and Nigeria is not Cuba or any Latin American country, like Brazil, Chile or Argentina. Abiola was not murdered. The advice from the eminent persons could have shocked and frustrated him and caused him stroke and eventually, death. Al-Mustapha should defend himself against the allegation that he sent Jabilla Rogers to kill Kudirat Abiola. He should leave General Abubakar out of this. He should prove his innocence and stop creating diversion and legal confusion that will not save him



http://odili.net/news/source/2011/aug/28/508.html

DOnt even know what to believe anymore.


Why cant the court subpoena all the cables the sent to the US WRT that meeting the Susan Rice supposedly had with Abiola


Why is Abdulsalam not being called to give his own accounts of events. Why? Too many questions, too little answers

I hate this country. Thank God I am no more a citizen of Nigeria.


Phock Nigeria!

God help Nigeria

Turns out I was wasn't the first to open the thread.

Anyway, someone is trying hard to cover the truth.

Did Abiola die of stress? So why did Abdusalam loot the treasury to settle some SW leaders to look the other way? Na wa oo. I bet we will never know the truth of the matter.

Mustapha over to you!