•Falana says Abdulsalami pardoned Diya,Adisa, Anyanwu, others in 1999
… Nobody pardoned me –Diya
•
Controversy yesterday trailed the state
pardon granted former Chief of General
Staff (CGS), Lt. Gen, Oladipo Diya, the
late Major-Gen Abdulkareem Adisa,
Major Bello Magaji, Mohammed Lina Bin,
Major Segun Fadile and former Managing Director, Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama as rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) said President Goodluck Jonathan goofed by endorsing last Tuesday’s Council of State action.
The council also pardoned former
Bayelsa State Governor DSP
Alamieyeseigha. Falana said Gen. Diya
and others implicated in the 1995 coup
against the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, were pardoned by his successor, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar in 1999.
Falana sent in a copy of the document
granting the state pardon, which was
reproduced here. Reacting to Falana’s
claim yesterday, Diya said he was not
aware Gen. Abubakar granted him any
pardon. But commenting on the pardon,
Falana wrote in a text message sent to
Daily Sun yesterday: “As I am out of
Lagos, I have asked my secretary to
send the statutory instrument to you.
The Presidency should stop playing on
the collective intelligence of Nigerians,
since there is no provision for double
pardon under the law. “In view of the
grave official error, the list of the
convicts granted unconditional pardon
should be reviewed to avoid any further
embarrassment.” However, in a
telephone interview from his United
Kingdom base yesterday, Diya debunked the allegation that he was granted state pardon in 1999 for his role in the phantom coup against Abacha. Diya denied the alleged 1999 state pardon,saying if it was done in 1999, he ought to have been paid what he is supposed to be paid.
According to Diya, “if it was done in
1999, I have not been paid what I am
supposed to be paid: pension, gratuity,
et cetera. So, I only believe that since
there was nothing mentioned about it,
the gratuity and pension, it has not been done.” The Ogun state-born former CGS said if it was done in 1999, then there should have been a formal letter written to him. He said “because if it was done in 1999, there should have been a formal letter written to me.
But no letter, no payment, no gratuity.
But like this one that has been
announced now, I know there will be a
letter from the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, formally
informing me about this decision and all
that go with it, be done,” Diya added.
Revealing his mood about the state
pardon, Diya said “I feel good, I feel
very, very happy,” saying “the only
remark I would have is that I wouldn’t be happy if anybody is left out on the
phantom coup list because I am not sure of the list yet. Some names are there,others are not there. Somebody is telling me that General Olarenwaju’s name is not there.”
Diya ended the conversation by further
enquiring from our reporter whether
names of Cols. Akiode and Edwin Jando
were included. Meanwhile, Adisa’s
widow, Hajia Ramat, has commended
President Jonathan, the National
Assembly and Nigerians in general for
the post- humous state pardon granted
her husband. Speaking with newsmen in Ilorin on Wednesday, Hajia Adisa said the gesture was a welcome development,adding that the entire family of the late General would remain grateful to Nigerians.
Hajia Adisa, who said she would have
been happier if the late General was
alive like other officers alleged to have
participated in the 1995 coup, however,
gave thanks to the Almighty God for
making the state pardon possible.
Executive Secretary of the National
Summit Group (NSG), Mr. Tony Uranta,
lauded the pardon for Alamieyeseigha,
saying it was justifiable and in order.
Uranta told newsmen in Lagos that
Alamieyeseigha deserved forgiveness by the National Council of State because of his role in ensuring peace and progress in Niger Delta. Uranta said that the pardon was in tandem with practices all over the world. “The United States of America during the tenure of Bill Clinton granted state pardon to his brother who was involved in drug trafficking.
That notwithstanding, Alamieyeseigha
played great roles in bringing the Niger
Delta insurgency to an end. He risked his life to ensure that there was peace in the Niger Delta so as not to affect the
nation’s economy that depends so much on oil for revenue.
And he is still playing same roles to
ensure that the peace in the region is
sustained,” he said. President Jonathan,
Uranta said, had the prerogative to
reject or embrace the advice of the
Council of State and since he approved
of their recommendations showed it was the right thing to do.”
Also, the immediate past commissioner
for information, who also served under
Alamieyeseigha, Chief Nathan Egba,
Special Adviser to Governor Dickson on
Political Matters, Chief Fred Agbedi and
Bayelsa State Publicity Secretary of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oson,
said the gesture was timely.
Egba said in tabling the request for state pardon before the Council of State,Jonathan as a man of conscience, knows that Alamieyeseigha suffered political persecution. His words: “I expect that Nigerians should by now learn not to rush to judgment each time there is a presidential decision that appears controversial. In this particular case Mr President ought to be commended for his courage in granting state pardon to all those affected, particularly Gen. Diya and his colleagues as well as Chief D.S.P
Alamieyeseigha.
As a man of conscience and high moral
standing, Mr President knows that
former governor sins were more political than criminal, in those hectic days of the infamous ‘political EFCC.”
LINK:
www.sunnewsonline.com/new/cover/controversial-state-pardon-jonathan-goofed/