A northern group, Arewa Unification Congress (AUC) at the weekend described the sentencing of Major Hamza el-Mustapha to death by hanging by Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos High Court as nothing but a conspiracy to eliminate him by highly influential Nigerians.



Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, the group alleged that al-Mustapha, whom they described as a highly intelligent officer, knows so much about what transpired while he was Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha hence very powerful Nigerians are desperate to eliminate him.

The group alleged that former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar flew into Lagos a day before what they described as a highly controversial judgement was handed over to the former CSO.

Chairman of the group, Ibrahim Aliu, an engineer, said the star witness, Sergeant Jabila Rogers made two contradictory statements during trial. According to him, Rogers had in a statement dated May 27,1999 asserted that he was not the person that shot Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996 and that nobody sent him to assassinate the deceased and that he was at his duty post at the Strike Force when he heard of the incident and at another time testified he was the one that shot Kudirat Abiola in June 4, 1996, that his then boss, Al-Mustapha asked him to eliminate the woman.

Besides, he averred that the former CSO, a military person ought to have been court-marshaled by the military, found guilty, dismissed and handed over to the police for prosecution before he could be tried by a civilian court and that to isolate Al-Mustapha in this negation of military rule the way it has never been done anywhere in the world smacks of gross injustice.

Relying on statement on statement credited to Prosecutor Lawal Pedro (SAN), Aliu argued that “conspiracy to murder is absolutely different from Murder itself and if proved is liable to 14 years imprisonment and not sentenced to death.”

Aliu said what was established against Al-Mustapha was conspiracy to murder, adding that
the man alleged to have conspired cannot be visited with a punishment reserved for those who actually pulled the trigger.

He described as noting but miscarriage of justice for Rogers who confessed pulling the trigger to be sent free and the his punishment visited on the alleged conspirator.

“At this juncture, sequel to the security challenges in the country, we call on the Federal Government to come to the aid of this contradictory evidence and one sided verdict as this cannot be accepted by any reasonable Nigerian”, he said.

Also speaking, woman Leader of the group, Alhaja Favour Adamu alleged that the presiding judge was a woman and a personal friend of the late Kudirat Abiola hence the matter was brought before her to nail the former CSO.


http://ascology.com/news/local-news/21777--Mustaphas-conviction-conspiracy---Arewa-Group.html

Hmmm, The beginning of the End of one Nigeria.