Former Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, has alleged that some Yoruba leaders, led by Chief Ayo Opadokun, knew what killed Late Chief MKO Abiola.
It would be recalled that Al-Mustapha was remanded in the prison for 14 years in connection with the mysterious death of Abiola and his wife, Kudirat Abiola.
Al-Mustapha, who fielded questions from newsmen in Kaduna on Monday shortly after he brokered peace between the North and South-Eastern part of country, said the Yoruba leaders received bribe in dollars from the killers of Abiola.
The late Abacha’s CSO said Opadokun led others to the Presidential Villa to meet Abiola’s killers, but came out laughing after receiving dollars, just a day after Abiola was killed.
Al-Mustapha, who claimed to have videotaped how Opadokun and others collected bribe over Abiola’s death, said he had since submitted a copy to a Lagos High Court, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada.
According to Al-Mustapha: “Chief Opadokun is someone I respect so much as an elder. But 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. I initially didn’t want to reply him, but now that you have asked, I will tell you what happened.
“When Abiola died, a day after, he (Opadokun) was invited to the Presidency and he came to the villa alongside his friends. He came with anger into 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, they came out laughing, yelling and cheering 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 decide to video tape 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 with Abiola and that is my anger. The tape is in that court. Anybody that 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 (Central Bank of Nigeria) 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 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 enemies and they will abuse you in the papers. That is what they are doing to me, but I don’t care.
“In Yorubaland where culture is the watch word, late MKO Abiola was the last Aare Ona Kakanfo and for a Yoruba man of Opadokun’s standing, going against Aare Ona Kakanfo, what is that thing? I tell you, it is dollars. Thank you very much. I will speak more on this much later, God willing.”
. Nigerian Tribune.
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