My travails was over the video recording of the last moment of Abiola’s life – Al-Mustapha

Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd.) who served as chief security adviser to the late head of state, General Sani Abacha has revealed that a video camera recorded the last moment of Chief Moshood Abiola’s life.

The Punch reports that Al-Mustapha made this revelation when he fielded questions shortly after he delivered the third South-West annual lecture titled, ‘Developing leadership abilities in youths’, which was organised by the Asorodayo Youth Heritage Organisation, at Lafia Hotel in Oyo state.

AL-Mustapha also spoke about the death of Kudirat Abiola insisting he was not responsible for her demise in spite of the fact that he was initially found guilty before he was later set free by an Appeal Court.

Al-Mustapha hinted that there was a tape that captured the last moment of Abiola’s life and that it set the path for his travails as some powerful Nigerians were interested in getting and destroying it.

He said: “On October 21, 1998, I was arrested because of a video cassette, not because of the late Kudirat Abiola.

The family of the late Abiola was, as it is, a very close family to me. But something happened, which a particular camera in the villa captured.

“So, they wanted to take the videotape and burn it so that Nigerians would not know what happened. That was the beginning of my travails.”

“For 15 years, I didn’t have the chance to defend myself in newspaper, radio and television. So, the belief was Mustapha had committed an offence, even before my arrest. But the actual thing that happened to the late MKO Abiola is in that cassette that they want to see, that is why Mustapha was subjected to punishment and I was called names. They have wanted to know the whereabouts of that tape in the last 17 years.

“I appeared before 14 judges in Lagos. As soon as the matter was about to finish, they would stop it and take us to another court. For 15 years, I was in that state. Out of the 15 years, five years and two months, I served in detention with torture. The remaining was between Ikoyi Prisons, Kirikiri Prisons and Kuje Prisons.

“Many people, particularly lawyers, took money from those who were looking for the cassette. They would go to radio and television stations to rain abuses on me, rather than coming to court. But they did not know what was going on in the court of law.”

Al-Mustapha also denied killing Abiola’s wife, Kudirate in spite of the fact that he was arrested and arraigned for her death.

He said: “On the late Kudirat Abiola, Rogers himself confessed in a court of law along with other witnesses how much money they were given. Rogers confessed he was told to do so. He was given money. He was given a house. He was given a car every six months, and he was promised to be taken outside Nigeria. The plan was as soon as Lagos court pronounced me guilty and I was to be hanged, then they would rush me to prison and hang me without giving me the option to go for appeal. That was what happened.

“I thank God Almighty everything that happened in Lagos State Court was compiled and signed by all the 14 judges. We are putting it together. My father has already put the book together in three volumes. You will see them soon.”

“If I am guilty, there is no way I can talk, there is no way I can get the confidence to look into their eyes because they are the bigger ones above the law in Nigeria. I am doing so. I have done it yesterday, I am doing it now and I will to do it tomorrow. If I were dishonest, I couldn’t do that.

“That is why the matter is before the Supreme Court now for appeal. We have been begging them since 2013 for the matter to be heard so that everybody can hear what happened. Up till now, the Lagos State Government ran away from it. We are begging them to come to the matter. We have nothing to hide.”

In reaction, Dr. Ore Falomo who was Abiola’s physician said he was in court to give evidence against Al-Mustapha and thus wondered why he would say he wasn’t arrested for the death of Kudirat.

He said: “It is not for him to tell the public why he was arraigned. It is for the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and the attorney general that handled his case to tell us exactly why he was prosecuted. Should we be listening to what Al-Mustapha says about this?

“I was in court to give evidence against him – concerning the killing of Kudirat which he was accused of. I gave evidence of how I rescued her, how she underwent an operation at EKO Hospital and how she died.

“I also described the bullet that was retrieved from her body during the operation at the hospital. To the best of my knowledge, the prosecutor, that is, the Lagos State Government, represented by an attorney general back then, presented the case very well to the judge. The judge found Al-Mustapha guilty but on appeal, he was set free. I don’t understand how he came about the fact that he was not arrested because of Kudirat’s death.

“I don’t know about the video he is talking about now. The video was never mentioned throughout the trial. When he was examined in court, he never spoke about the video.”

Also, a human rights activist, Yinka Odumakin said Al-Mustapha was trying to rewrite history with his latest revelation.

He said: “As much as facts and history are concerned, Al-Mustapha was arrested for the killing of Kudirat; he was charged alongside (Lateef) Sofolahan and others, convicted for the killing, and sentenced. He went on appeal. The appeal freed him.

“But the Lagos State Government has appealed to the Supreme Court. To now say that he was not arrested and prosecuted for killing Kudirat Abiola is an attempt at rewriting history. If he can tell those lies openly, then the court now knows what he wishes to put on evidence before it.”