ACN urges Lagos to appeal Al-Mustapha's release

2013-07-15 23:00:48

The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has urged Lagos State Government to contest the acquittal of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, of the conspiracy and murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, was discharged and acquitted last Friday by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Lagos.

In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Joe Igbokwe, on Monday, the ACN said the judgment by the Appeal Court, was yet another indictment on the capacity of the nation's judiciary to avail Nigerians of justice.

"Al-Mustapha's acquittal is a shame and follows a pattern that has never punished high networth offenders for crimes they committed against the state or fellows Nigerians," the statement read.

The party said it was still in shock over Al- Mustapha's acquittal, given all evidence that had so far been tendered against him and his co-accused, Lateef Shofolahan.

It said, "Weighty evidence had been proferred against Al-Mustapha, including confessions of Sergeant Rogers, Maj. Muhammed Abdul, (the men that allegedly pulled the trigger that killed Mrs. Abiola) and Alhaji Lateef Shofolahun.

"Dismissing the case for lack of evidence seems to be a way of ensuring that Al-Mustapha escapes justice for the acts of crime and not in any way helping the soiled image of the Nigerian judiciary."

The party noted that the acquittal came a few days after a popular Internet news site did a detailed report of an extensive plan to free Al-Mustapha and ensure that he escaped punishment for Kudirat's death.

ACN said, "We believe that the judiciary, by this questionable verdict, is hoping to consign the killing of Kudirat Abiola to the long list of unsolved assassination cases that haunt the country today.

"While we align ourselves with the opinions of millions of Nigerians, who have called on the Lagos State Government to appeal the latest verdict and diligently pursue the course of justice for the slain Kudirat Abiola, we state that Nigeria is sitting on a keg of gun powder if Nigerians could be killed at will and their killing shoved under the carpet."

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Abeg make una 4get dis keg of gun powder talk everywhere for TV, Newspaper, internet forum everyday- Haba. I don tire to dey hear dat word - Nigeria sitin on keg of gun powder---- nonsense. If d gun powder wan explode mk e xplode na.
The one wey we dey for dis country e no worst pass person wen swallow bomb....