The Punch

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I didn't order Kudirat's killing - al-Mustapha

Ade Adesomoju

Major Hamza al-Mustapha, on Monday, told a Lagos High Court that he did not order the killing of the late Chief Moshood Abiola's wife, Kudirat, in 1996.



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Al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer to the late General Sani Abacha, said his previous confession was made "under duress and intense torture."

"I am not aware of any order, or gave any order, to anybody to kill Kudirat Abiola or any other person in my life," he told the court.

Kudirat was gunned down in Lagos on June 4, 1996 by suspected members of the late dictator's killer squad allegedly under the command of al-Mustapha.

A member of Abacha's personal security outfit, The Strike Force, Sgt. Barnabas Jabila (aka Sgt. Rogers), had confessed in the past that he shot Kudirat on the order of al-Mustapha.

The ex-CSO, however, told Justice Mojisola Dada that Jabila was induced by his prosecutors to indict him (al-Mustapha).

Al-Mustapha and a former aide to the late Kudirat, Lateef Shofolahan, are standing trial for the murder of the woman who fought to restore the result of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by her husband.

He told the court under cross-examination, "The Strike Force had its commander. Its commander reports to my second- in-command; and my second- in- command reports to me. The Strike Force is to attack, repel and manage all attacks on the seat of power. It is small but it's a strong mobile defence for the seat of power (sic).

"The Strike Force was conceived by the Joint Intelligence Bureau. It was established on February 1, 1995 and they resumed duty in March 1995. It is a small body made up of 75 trained soldiers and created to confront any attack by a large force against a sitting government."

Though he admitted that the National Democratic Organisation formed in 1994 was a formidable opposition to his late boss, al-Mustapha revealed that the military constituted the strongest opposition to the Abacha regime.

According to the ex-CSO, Abacha's government survived four different coups before the goggled dictator died on June 8, 1998.

Al-Mustapha had told the court in his testimony last week that Abacha was killed by those he refused to name.

He also denied unleashing the Strike Force against the members of NADECO in Lagos.

"My primary assignment as the CSO in the presidency was to protect the president, his family, his personal property and the seat of power. Gen. Abacha directed me to ask Rabo Lawal to go to Lagos to 'confirm the security' of his (Abacha's) house on Victoria Island, Lagos, after NADECO members threatened to burn down the house," he said.

The former Chief Security Officer refuted the claim that he established the SF or that he was its head though admitted that he was aware of its activities. The former CSO was questioned by the prosecutor, Lawal Pedro.

Asked if he knew about the murder of Pa Alfred Rewane, Alhaja Suliat Adedayo, Isaac Porbeni, all killed under the Abacha dictatorship, and the attempts on the life of Publisher of The Guardian, Alex Ibru, al-Mustapha said he only became aware of them in the news.

While al-Mustapha's counsel, Olalekan Ojo, told the court that he had filed an appeal against a ruling of the court on the no case submission delivered on July 14, Justice Mojisola Dada adjourned the matter to Tuesday (today).

Only last week, the former CSO alleged that Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar regime bribed some political leaders of the South-West in order to douse the tension that followed Abiola's death in 1998.

He also said the former boss of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, received an order to kill him while he (al-Mustapha) was being moved from Abuja to Lagos. http://odili.net/news/source/2011/aug/9/805.html