BEVERLY HILLS, May 31, (THEWILL) – Former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha says he would soon reveal how his late boss, Gen. Sani Abacha, and the acclaimed winner of June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, died, hinting that Abacha and Abiola’s deaths were from same source.
This was as he described President Muhammadu Buhari as an honest and dedicated person who deeply loved the country.
Al-Mustapha, who addressed journalists in Lagos on Sunday, stated that Abiola and Abacha were very good friends before some fifth columnists caused disaffection between them, assuring that he would make the comprehensive revelation in his yet to be completed book, Mustapha’s Memoirs, which he said would be in three volumes.
His words, “For instance, when Chief MKO Abiola was in prison, many notable Nigerians visited him. They will visit him in the morning, and when they come back to the Villa in the evening to see Abacha, they would say a different thing entirely.
“Unknown to these notable Nigerians, particularly notable Yoruba personalities, who visited Abiola, their visits were recorded on video. I did the video recording without their knowledge.
“These people would visit Abiola and come back to tell government a different thing about him.
“These same people would still go and tell Abiola a different thing about government. They are on video. The agencies of government have these videos evidence.
“These same people told MKO Abiola never to accept any compromise or negotiations. They advised him never to come back home without his mandate. All these things are on video.
“Of all the Yoruba leaders, only Oba Tejuosho told MKO Abiola the truth: to accept the conditional bail and go home.
“Only Oba Tejuosho told MKO Abiola that Abacha was his friend, urging him to reconcile with Abacha who was ready for reconciliation. It was Oba Tejuosho who told MKO Abiola that he still had the goodwill and would win if he re-contests after Abacha.
“What killed Abacha is what killed MKO Abiola. But I would reveal that after my court case, still at the Supreme Court. I would publish a book which has three volumes— the Mustapha’s Memoirs, which will tell what happened under Abacha and how he died.”
Al-Mustapha further disclosed that contrary to what is being widely reported, the late head of state did not loot the nation’s treasury. He explained that most of the funds recovered in different parts of the world were kept there by the Abacha government in anticipation of sanctions likely to be imposed on Nigeria at the time by the international community because the then ruler “stepped on toes”.
The former CSO insisted that at a stakeholder meeting convened in Abuja involving traditional rulers, key politicians and senior members of the Abacha cabinet, it was agreed to keep some money abroad so that the country will stay afloat when the expected sanctions eventually came.
According to him, “General Sani Abacha served this country for four years and seven months and during that period, he stepped on many toes. Aside the two or three coup plots that were made known to the public, there were several others that were not made known.
“These collaborators with some members of the international community were bent on removing him from office. General Abacha is dead today but those powerful forces are yet to forgive him. While alive, General Abacha’s enemies teamed up with the international community and they threatened to impose sanctions on the country.
“There was a meeting in Abuja where it was agreed that money should be kept outside the shores of the country so that when sanction came, that money will keep Nigeria afloat. Tom Ikimi was the foreign affairs secretary then.
“At that time oil was selling for seven or eight dollars. We took no loan to run the economy and that was when we also created the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). I was embarrassed while in prison and I heard about what people called ‘Abacha Loot’. I wrote from prison to the late Abacha family to publish and make public whether those monies were in his name, date of lodgements before he became head of state or after he became head of state.
“I was at the meeting where the decision was taken but because all of us could not leave the Villa, I had to go back before the meeting ended. Like I said, Abacha stepped on toes and those people have still not forgiven him even in death.
“You should also remember that Abacha was not traveling out of the country. At the beginning of his administration he did go to Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and perhaps one or two other countries and that was in 1994. Most of his travels were within Africa, so how was he able to stash such money outside the shores of the country?
“While as his CSO, the only bank account I had was with the Bank of the North and that was where my salary was paid. I went to the Army to serve my country and not to make money as I came from a well-to-do family,” he said.
Al-Mustapha pleaded with Nigerians to give him time to conclude all the court cases involving him and the federal government, just as he promised to reveal what actually took place on the day the late General Abacha died.
“Like I said before Oputa Panel, what killed Abacha was also what killed MKO Abiola. I will just plead with you to have patience; once I’m through with the court cases, they will be made public in my memoirs and they are in three volumes.”
The ex-CSO, who was quick to point out that he was not a card carrying member of any of the political parties in the country, described the current President as a man of character, uprightness, transparency and sincerity who deeply loved the country.
“General Buhari is an honest Nigeria who has been dragged into politics. No one can question his love for the country. Even his enemies acknowledge that. And those are the qualities we saw in him; that was responsible for his appointment to head of the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF,” he said.
