Al-Mustapha, Shofolahan Won't Escape Punishment

•Onitiri-Abiola

•Onitiri-Abiola

One of the wives of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola has said that Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan would still face punishment over their alleged involvement in the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.

Mrs Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, a politician cum activist, said this during an interview with P.M NEWS at her Ikeja GRA residence while speaking on her Lagos State governorship ambition in 2015.

The death sentence passed on Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan by a Lagos High Court for the assassination of the wife of the acclaimed winner of the 1993 presidential election on June 4, 1996, was recently upturned by the Appeal Court.

•Onitiri-Abiola
•Onitiri-Abiola

Al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and Shofolahan, an aide to Kudirat, were subsequently set free from Kirikiri Maximum Prisons in Lagos after spending over 14 years in detention.

Speaking on their release, Onitiri-Abiola, the author of Farewell To Poverty-Let There Be Light In Africa, a book she dedicated to the memory of her late husband, Abiola, said that the duo would still receive their judgement on earth like the Lckerbie bombers, Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gadaffi.

She said the Court of Appeal’s unjust acquittal of Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan makes nonsense of Nigeria’s judicial system .

“I felt so much pain for Alhaja Kudirat’s children. Suddenly, they became orphans through government assassination of their parents. Suddenly again, they were denied justice for the brutal killing of their mother.

“Al-Mustapha was Abacha’s main chief security officer. Directly and indirectly he committed so many atrocities in the name of protecting and securing Abacha’s hold on power. One of them is the murder of Alhaja Kudirat, another is the arrest and inhuman incarceration of my husband, MKO Abiola, and more.

“He cannot bring so much unnecessary pain to innocent children and hope to enjoy the freedom he unjustly received,” said the business broker, consultant and realtor.

Related News

On her reaction when Alhaja Kudirat was murdered, the B.Sc graduate of International Management from Sacred Heart University, Fairfield, Connecticut, said: “Great shock! I did not believe an innocent woman could be killed for the sake of so-called power.”

Speaking on how the family is faring now that most of her husband’s investments like Concord newspapers, etc, have crumbled,  the mother of four said that she has a very strict policy not to discuss her family publicly.

When asked that as a woman, is she not afraid of the violence that characterises Nigeria’s politics, especially during election period? she said that she is counting on the grace of God.

“Before my husband’s election, it used to be very violent but his election was the most peaceful that this country ever had and after that, the people went back to the normal violent ways of winning elections at all costs.

“Things have changed now. This is a new beginning. In 2015, those who think that they can get into office or win election violently are dreaming. They are very wrong. They are dreaming of failing because it is not going to happen.

“If my husband did not take up arms to secure his mandate, but believed in peace to go about it even though he was assassinated in the process. I don’t know why those benefitting from what he died for have now decided to take up arms to secure positions for themselves.

“The people of this country are smart and wiser now. They are going to ensure that their votes count this time around. They would guard and monitor the ballot boxes. They have been deceived about four times now. They are tired and have suffered enough. Therefore, 2015 is going to be a different ball game,” she said.

—Jamiu Yisa

Load more