Al-Mustapha was speaking before Justice Mojisola Dada in continuation of his evidence in chief over the shooting death of Abiola’s wife, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in 1996.
The former all-powerful CSO to General Sani Abacha tendered a VHS video tape labelled “Abraham Adesanya’s visit to the villa.” The judge however ordered that the tape will be played today (Thursday).
Al-Mustapha said that after the sitting of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission led by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa in 2001, he wrote an 11-page letter to Chief Bola Ige, who was then the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Obasanjo regime. It was entitled “How You (Chief Bola Ige) Were Used in the Murder of Abiola.”
According to him, other prominent figures were used through Chief Bola Ige, who he said was the instrument that was used to get in touch with other Yoruba leaders to bargain for the death of Chief Abiola.
He said some prominent Yoruba elders visited the Presidential Villa and were visibly angry over the June 12 incident, but that after “inducement from the released funds,” they all disappeared. He said, “When we finished the initial handover, we agreed on a 16 point agenda and one of them was to release MKO Abiola, his mandate in addition to conducting a short transitional programme. But Chief Bola Ige was drafted into the Presidency and against our earlier agreement, they refused to release Abiola. Those Very Important Persons (VIPs) came to the Presidency to negotiate for the case of Abiola instead of talking of his release. Those who were coming to the Villa delayed his release for a month in order for him to be murdered.”
Al-Mustapha also said, “I have two tapes which recorded both their coming into the Villa and their departure, when they came into the Villa to see General Abdulsalami Abubakar. There are two cameras used, one for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the second was operated by my body guard attached to the Villa. When they arrived, they appeared angry and refused to grant interview but when they were leaving, their countenances and statements changed. It was no longer about June 12 and Abiola’s matter, it was now the issue of state security and the need to for the country to forge ahead”.
He tendered a letter with reference number NSA/320/5 dated July 8, 1998 (a day after Abiola’s death) allegedly written by Major-General Abdullahi Mohammed, the then National Security Adviser (NSA) and approved by the Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar directing the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release $200 million, £75 million and N500 million in cash.
According to the letter which was read in court, the money was ordered sequel to the July 7, 1998 demise of Abiola.
Al-Mustapha said the money was withdrawn to settle some prominent personalities prior to Abiola’s death and that he obtained the memo from a counter-espionage photocopier machine.
He said “the money was brought and off-loaded in my presence. The money was brought to the Head of State in a long brown bag. South West leaders were brought to converge with Gen. Abdulsalami on the murder of Abiola.”
Al-Mustapha, who told the court that his personal effects confiscated by the General Abubakar’s government contained vital information that would help his testimony, begged the court to order the military to release them.
He said on assumption of office, Abubakar ordered him to hand over four bullion vans to the new Chief Security Officer (CSO). The bullion vans, he said, were used to protect the Villa by ferrying cash from the Central Bank directly to the Presidency. He said several people, including a former body guard in Aso Rock, one Sani Garba, a member of the strike force Kyari Gadzama and a former Chief of Defence Staff were used to incriminate him.
He said, “Garba was told that I hated him, that I was to shoot him anywhere I see him. He was tortured and he confirmed it before Justice Olokoba. But he was released when they failed to induce him to implicate us. Aminu was also induced to witness against us with money, cars and houses. They put us in the same aircraft with Aminu from the Force Headquarters in Abuja to Lagos.
He said Sgt. Rogers and the driver Aminu Mohamed, alias Katako were however cowed to do their bidding. “They were told that I was their worst enemy, that I was to shoot them. Eventually Rogers submitted. Katako also followed.”
al-Mustapha had told the same court last Monday that $200, £75million and N500 million were withdrawn from the Central Bank to appease South West leaders and douse tension that arose after the death of Chief M.K.O Abiola.
He also said he had documentary evidence to show that shortly after the death of late Abiola, the then Head of State ordered that various sums of money should be withdrawn from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
No comments:
Post a Comment