Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Wednesday continued his testimonies before a Lagos High Court in Igbosere, alleging that the late Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, and former Afenifere leader, Pa Abraham Adesanya, were “used” after the death of the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election, Bashorun MKO Abiola.

Al-Mustapha, in his evidence-in-chief before Justice Mojisola Dada, also said Adesanya led Yoruba leaders to the Presidential Villa to meet the then Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, in order to douse the tension generated by Abiola’s death.
Al-Mustapha, who is standing trial for alleged complicity in the murder of Abiola’s wife, Kudirat, added that though the Yoruba leaders were unconsciously used in the alleged murder of Abiola, they however kept quiet when they realised that they had been used.
He tendered a VHS video tape labelled “Abraham Adesanya’s Visit to the Villa” and requested through his lawyer, Olalekan Ojo, that it be played in the court but the judge objected on the ground that the court room was too stuffy and that she could hardly breathe as a result of lack of air conditioner.

The judge however said the video tape would be played Thursday at the continuation of the trial.
Al-Mustapha, in his testimony, also told the court that shortly after the sitting of the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission Report (aka Oputa Panel) in Abuja, he wrote an 11-page letter to Ige entitled “How You (Chief Bola Ige) Were Used in the Murder of Abiola”.

He said: “I was separated from Abiola and the late Chief Bola Ige was brought to the Presidency as a liaison to the South-west leaders and to bring people against our collective agreement which was to allow Abiola to go home. At this material time, monies were disbursed to a number of people negotiating on Abiola rather than allowing him to go home.
“I have two tapes which recorded both their (Yoruba leaders) coming into the Villa and their departure. When they came into the Villa to see Gen. 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 for the country to forge ahead.

“I was in the Presidency and was in the process of handing over to the new Chief Security Officer on the one hand and Abdulsalami on the other hand. I was briefing General Abdulsalami on issues of national security. I also drafted a 16-point agenda with Abdulsalami. Part of the agenda was Chief Abiola’s release from detention and short transition programme.
“Along the line, I was asked to hand over issues about Chief Abiola to late Chief Bola Ige. He (Ige) was appointed as a liaison officer between the Presidency and the South-west. Chief Ige continued to bring South-west leaders to the Presidency against our initial plan to let M.K.O Abiola go home or to be given his mandate within a short time.

“After the death of Abiola and during one of the visits by the Yoruba leaders to Aso Rock, this particular visit was led by Chief Abraham Adesanya. When they got to the Villa, they were visibly angry, annoyed and mad and refused to speak to the press men within the Villa.
“But when they were leaving, their comments were totally the reversal from the situation on ground in the country. They were very happy while leaving! The reaction and comments by late Pa Abraham Adesanya on the situation in the country at that particular time clearly put June 12 issue as secondary and they were saying that no matter what, the country must forge ahead.
“There were two cameras that captured the visit; one was for the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), while the other one was for me. I stationed and instructed my bodyguard to capture the whole thing.

“That was one of the major reasons why Abdulsalami had to seize everything I had including documents, tapes and even my shoes.
“Whether Chief Bola Ige knew that he was used to murder Chief Abiola is another matter entirely because I wrote him an 11-page letter between June and July, 2001.”
Absolving himself of complicity in Kudirat’s death, Al-Mustapha told the court that his plight was due to the fact that he knew a lot about what happened at the time.

He said in order to nail him at all costs, soldiers who served under him as members of his body guards and Strike Force including his personal orderly were induced to give evidence against him at the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) set up to investigate the alleged crime.

The former CSO also 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 Abubakar directing the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to release $200 million, £75 million and N500 million in cash.

The letter, which was read in the open court, stated that the money was needed following the sudden event of July 7, 1998 (Abiola death) in the country and due to influx of visitors from within and outside the country as well as for administrative purposes.
On how he got the letter, he said: “I was still at the Presidential Villa handing over property of the Presidency to the new Head of State. The secretariat where photocopy of the letter was made was the same secretariat that I headed as CSO to Gen. Abacha. I got copies from the memory of the photocopier machine.”

He said he was still in the Villa at that particular time and was in the process of handing over to the new CSO, adding that by virtue of his presence in the Villa, he was able to retrieve a memo from counter espionage photocopier machine signed by Abdusalami and the then NSA.

In the memo, Al-Mustapha said the CBN governor (then Mr. Paul Ogwumah) was directed to withdraw funds from the treasury. The memo was with reference number NSA/A/320/5 and was dated July 8, 1998 and was tendered and admitted as exhibit D12.
He said the publisher of Abuja Mirror and elder brother to the former Inspector General of Police (IG), Abadina Coomassie, also got the memo through a source in the CBN. He alleged that unfortunately, Coomassie was poisoned while planning to publish the memo.

Giving background to the massive withdrawal of money from the CBN, Al-Mustapha alleged that Abdusalami instructed the then NSA to raise a memo requesting funds and disguised as if the funds were meant to take care of visitors to the Presidency both internationally and within the country; to service presidential aircraft fleet and to take care of logistics of the soldiers in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Part of the money, according to Al-Mustapha, was used to appease South-west leaders and douse the tension that trailed Abiola’s death.
He added that after the approval of the memo, the CBN governor was specifically instructed on phone to bring the cash to Aso Rock.
The case continues Thursday.
http://www.nigeriamasterweb.com/paperfrmes.html

This guy should substantiate his claims with enough evidence, it is good we are witnessing something like this so that our leaders of the past, whom we presumed holy could be really ascertained. With a video clip like he claimed, everything will be bare.

Free Al-Mustapha - Our Country Hero

Often, One can neither speak of 'CRIME' without punishment nor 'PUNISHMENT' without crime. This is the country whereby there is nothing called LAW.

A person is innocent until proven guilty.

To prevent abuses of law and justice, governments should not have the power to jail suspects without a trial. Every person is innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his or her peers. The jury has the responsibility of hearing the facts and deciding upon the case, and unless they decide the person is guilty, the government should have no right to jail a person.

Jailing a suspect without trial goes against basic human rights, and essentially convicts a suspect without giving them due process. This is not only unfair, but I also believe it should be illegal. All suspects deserve the right to a fair trial, if necessary, and should not be subjected to treatment as a criminal if they are not yet a convicted criminal.


Wondering how could Government nailed someone for 14yrs without Evidence. would be different if there is no material evidence to prove the suspect guilty. It is time all Nigerians must look into this matter. There is more to it, there has been bias, the truth has not been said. Basically I got interested in the case because hard evidence at my disposal unequivocally shows that the case has been built on a long line of inconsistencies and injustices.


My question is how long, how many year should Government continue to nail Al-Mustapha. Its time we all Nigerians to say "FREE AL-MUSTAPA". All the allegations laid against him are worthless and false. All the media company both News Paper and Magazine have all been bribed saying all sort of things that are not true about the Al-Mustapha case on the charges of killing the Late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. A powerful man in this Nation bought and burnt down News Paper All Nigerian should read which proven Al-Mustapha as Innocent (The Guardian Sunday, September, 2011) Major Hamza Al-Mustapha has consistently maintained his innocence. He is our country Hero "Free Al-Mustapha".

Its Time, The Oppressed Shall Rise