Hamza Al-Mustapha, former chief security officer
(CSO) to Sani Abacha, former head of state, has
alleged that those who staged a protest to the
presidential villa in Abuja after the death of MKO
Abiola, were bribed with money brought from the
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Speaking with reporters in Kaduna after brokering a
peace deal between stakeholders from the northern
and southern parts of the country, Al-Mustapha said
Nigerians will still know the killers of Abiola.

Abiola, who was incarcerated for laying claim to his
mandate, died before he was to be released.

Al-Mustapha was later arrested over Abiola’s death.
He spent 14 years in prison and was later set free.

In the interactive session with reporters, Al-Mustapha
alleged that some leaders received bribe from the
killers of Abiola.

He claimed to have captured those who collected the
bribe on tape and submitted a copy of the video
Mojisola Dada, justice of a Lagos high court.

The retired major said he did not want to open the can
of worms before, but Ayo Opadokun, renowned
political activist, forced him to speak out.

Opadokun had recently tongue lashed Al-Mustapha
over a recent interview he granted.

“What came out in the newspaper is his own
imagination and falsehood against me. If you know my
character, you will know that I will not be scared to say
the truth, it does not matter who, it does not matter
where, but you will later realise that I told you the
truth,” he said.

“Initially, I didn’t want to reply him but now that you
have asked, I will tell you what happened.

“A day after Abiola died, he (Opadokun) was invited to
the presidency and he came to the villa alongside his
friends. He was very angry in the villa. Those who
killed Abiola invited him to the villa. At that material
time, they came to fight the government, they wanted
to set the country ablaze, considering the tone they
came with.

“They went into the meeting and came out laughing,
yelling and jeering as if nothing happened in the
country.

“A day after Abiola’s death, if you remember, the
country was on the verge of collapse. But seeing what
was going on and the things around Abiola led me to
suspect them, I had not handed over the villa to
Abdulsalami Abubakar government then, so I decided
to videotape what they were doing and I have the tape
and I have tendered the tape before a court of law,
before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos high court.

“In that tape, money exchanged hands and they
traded that with Abiola’s memory, and that is my
anger. The tape is in that court, anybody who wants to
watch it can get it and watch, it is now a public
document. I didn’t want to talk about it before, but
money was brought from CBN in my presence and it
was shared.

“So, if I talk about Abiola’s well-being and safety and
that of his family, I am telling Nigerians what really
happened. Why should a person from the same south-
west, who is supposed to protect Abiola’s interest now
be seen to be angry with me? He should be happy with
me for saying the fact so that it will not happen again
in Nigeria.

“Now, they have forgotten about Abiola but the
moment I talk, they will come to the pages of
newspapers and start insulting me. I didn’t want to
respond to them, but since you have asked, I have to
say this.

“All they have done is that they took money and the
moment you talk about Abiola, you become their
enemy and they will abuse you in the papers. That is
what they are doing to me, but I don’t care.

“Thank you very much, I will speak more on this much
later God’s willing.”

When contacted, Opadokun said he could not speak
because he was on the road and running late to attend
a television programme.

“I can’t hear you well,” he told TheCable on the
telephone.

“I am on the way to a programme on TVC and I am
running late. Can we talk later?”

TheCable