Embattled former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to General Sani Abacha Major Hamza Al-Mustapha yesterday told a Lagos High Court that he spent N800,000 per quarter to feed the acclaimed winner of June 12,1993 presidential election Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola while he was in custody of the police.
He said his decision to take care of Abiola’s welfare stemmed from his complaint against the inhuman treated meted to him by the police. Mustapha, who disclosed this at his ongoing trial over the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, said it was the then Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Coomasie who ordered Abiola’s arrest.
He said Abiola was kept in Police custody until he started complaining of the treatment therein, adding that the development prompted him to minister to the needs of Abiola.
“I became responsible when he complained about the police. I was the one feeding him. I spent N800,000 quarterly to feed him. Those who stood against Chief Abiola are those who are in “high places” in this country and they can never be brought to book.”
According to him, the strongest opposition to the government of Abacha was the military. “There were military coups then. General Abacha by my own understanding was the most hated head of state”, he said. He also punctured the roles played by NADECO chieftains toward actualization of June 12 elections saying they were insincere in their agitation. He accused them of saying different things when they met Abacha, different from what they said in public.
He said, “When tension was so tense, NADECO chieftains were visiting Abacha and even Abiola was visiting Abacha and I was the one facilitating it. NADECO agitation for June 12 was compromised.” He further told the court that he sent a former member of the strike force, CSP Rabo Lawal to Lagos to protect the properties of Abacha which were threatened by the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) led protest and not to kill Alhaja Kudirat.
According to him, he heard about Kudirat’s death in the news and promptly contacted Abiola and commiserated with him over the incident. “I sent him to Lagos to protect General Abacha’s property that was being burnt,” he said.
“I did not order anybody to kill Kudirat Abiola. There is no doubt that there were oppositions to the government of General Abacha at the time just as it happens in other governments. Abacha was the most hated head of state. I did not order the arrest of any political figure in the country during the administration of Abacha but I sent Rabo Lawal to confirm the act of burning Abacha’s properties in Lagos and not to checkmate the activities of NADECO in the state. Infact, it was the Garrison Command in Lagos led by retired General Patrick Azazi that was directed to take over protection of the said property.”
“The strongest opposition then was within the military and not NADECO. I can also confirm to you that the struggle by NADECO at the time was not genuine,” he added.
He said on several occasions he helped Alhaja Kudirat to see her husband in detention.
Al Mustapha further said it was untrue that Sergeant Rogers admitted that he shot Kudirat on his orders. He said Rogers made the admission under duress. “I appeared last before the SIP in October 13, 1999 after intense torture that I cannot forget and my statement to them was like a visa that they needed to begin my prosecution. It was under duress that I made it. If the prosecution have seen the torture and in any of us and the conditions we were subjected to, you would never have prosecuted this case”, he declared, disclosing the scars in his stomach which he claimed was as a result of the tortures he received.
Besides, he challenged the police to produce the report on the investigation of the murder of Kudirat. He denied that he was close to the late Pa Alfred Rewane and Admiral Perboni but said he knew the Guardian publisher Mr. Alex Ibru, whom he said was known to him because he was a minister under Abacha. According to him, Pa Anthony Enahoro was a father to him.
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