14th August, 2013
Following the filing of an appeal at the Supreme Court by the Lagos State Government against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan, earlier convicted and set free over the murder of Kudirat Abiola, two children of Kudirat have urged the Supreme Court to do a thorough job so that the alleged culprits will not escape justice.
Kudirat’s daughter, Hafsat Costello-Abiola said she was happy when she heard that the Lagos State Government had filed an appeal against the judgment delivered by the Court of Appeal which set Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan free.
Hafsat, in a statement made available to P.M.NEWS, said she was happy that the Attorney General had filed an appeal at the Supreme Court.
“I am reminded of Martin Luther King’s admonition that when evil men plot, good men must plan.
“In 1996, an unarmed woman was assassinated in cold blood. The gunman later confessed and identified those that sent him to commit the crime. 17 years later, within the democratic system that the woman fought to realize with her last breath, the mastermind of the assassination was set free.
“To date, no-one has been convicted for the crime. The woman was 44 years old. She left behind a husband who was being held in prison for treason and seven children, the youngest of which was 7 years old,” she lamented.
According to her, the Supreme Court presents the last opportunity for justice within Nigeria’s system for her mother and the family and that it was right and good that “we pursue this case to its logical conclusion.
“On behalf of my siblings and entire family, let me thank the Attorney General and the legal team working with him for their steadfast dedication to this case. Whichever way the appeal goes, there is victory in the fact that today in Lagos, good men and women are planning.”
Kudirat’s son, Abdul Abiola told P.M.NEWS on phone that he commends the state government for being on their side, saying that the family is hoping that the Supreme Court would do a good job in nailing the alleged killers of his mother.
“The Lagos State Government has been with us so far. From the Appeal Court, we now know that the Supreme Court is the last place to go. We will let the court take its decision. We are happy that in the face of this decaying system, some people are still there to get justice for those aggrieved.
“Our earnest prayer is that those who will judge the case at the Supreme Court should look at it critically and try to ensure justice so that those who lost people during that period will smile. The judicial system must redeem itself,” he said.
He added that his family was sure that justice would surely prevail, stressing that if the future must be better, the past must be reconciled, adding that “we pray the judges will do a good job.”
Reacting to the decision of the government to take Al-Mustapha to court, Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, Narional President, Women Arise, said the case is long overdue and prayed that the justice system should do a good job and bring the culprits to book.
“The former ruling was an aberration as it erodes the confidence of the people in the judicial system. Those who killed Kudirat Abiola must be unmasked,” she stated.
Founder, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, Comrade Debo Adeniran, urged the government to do a good job this time around so that the alleged culprits would not escape justice, adding that in the past, the government handled the case with levity.
—Kazeem Ugbodaga