2015: Al-Mustapha Set To Revive Youth Movement
. I Will Support His Political Ambition – Dr Fasehun
. Warning To Him – CSP Rabo Lawal
Former CSO to ex-head of state, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha who spent 15 years in jail for his alleged role in the murder of late Kudirat Abiola, regained freedom on July 14; thus creating frenzy on the political scene over the possibility of a 2015 agenda. Is Al-Mustapha nursing a personal political ambition or he merely being used by the ruling PDP to prosecute Jonathan’s 2015 presidential agenda through massive youth mobilization?
Before coming under the grip of security crisis, the ancient city of Kano never went to bed early, confirming its credentials as the melting pot of socio-economic and political activities in the north-west state. Theonly departure from this was the restriction imposed on the city in the wake of security challenges occasioned by the activities of Boko Haram insurgency in the region.
However, Kano city, also known as the commercial nerve center of the north, was thrown into frenzy on July 14 as thousands of people braved security restrictions and lined the streets to welcome Major Hamza al-Mustapha;former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to ex military head of state, General Sani Abacha.
On that Sunday afternoon Al Mustapha reportedly flew into the Kano International Airport on a chartered flight marked M-BETY – Bonier 328 UK jet which was accompanied by three other flights that were occupied by members of the O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) including their leader – Mr. Frederick Fasheun.
The crowd at the Airport was unprecedented as it was tumultuous. Virtually all the Kano elected officials were present to received Al Mustapha, among them members of the House of Representative, State Assembly, members of the Kano state executive council, traditional monarchs and businessmen.
Although stringent security measures by the military frustrated thousands of people from gaining access to the VIP Lounge and tarmac of the Airport, hundreds climbed trees to watch proceedings at the airport where prominent ‘Kanawas’, comprising mainly members of the Abacha family, the Al Mustapha family and notable members of the Abacha regime had gathered to receive him.
As commercial activities in Kano’s four major markets came to a standstill, motorcyclists violated the law prohibiting them from carrying passengers to convey well-wishers round, chanting praises to Allah over Al-Mustapha’s release.Even women in purdah were not left out in the frenzy as they sneaked to the gates of their houses to catch a glimpse of what was happening.
The pomp and ceremony that accompanied Al-Mustapha’s reception in Kano – which was later replicated in other places, including his home state of Yobe-was understandable. Having spent about fifteen years in solitary confinement, there was every reason for him and his well wishers to celebrate his freedom in grand style. Little wonder that Al-Mustapha began his post-incarceration visits by first visiting religous leaders.
Al-Mustapha in Yobe State:
Friday, July 19, 2013, was a very good day for the people of Nguru, a local government area in Yobe State, where Major Hamza Al-Mustapha hails from. A mammoth crowd of sympathisers and well-wishers had gathered in the streets to welcome him home after 15 years of incarceration.
Although tongues have continued to wag over the circumstances surrounding his release, wherein some have accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of habouring a hidden agenda, the people of Nguru and Al-Mustapha see the judgement as an act of God. Speaking to the people after the Juma’at prayers at the Emir’s palace Mosque that fateful day, he said: “It is the everlasting God that had ordained for my release so that I will return and reunite with my people.
“I am aware of the sympathy and struggle that my people employed to make me regain
my freedom. I now come to appreciate everyone for the concern, love and care that you have shown. Thank you.”
Al-Mustapha, who was accompanied by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr Yerima Ngama, the senator representing Yobe South in the National Assembly, Alkali Jajere, and Mohammed Sani Abacha, received a arousing welcome by hundreds of symphatisers that nearly halted his convey from moving to Gashua. Before his departure, a sword crossing, indicating bravery and signifying that he would continue to be protected, was performed by palace guards, where he took part as Kanuri culture demands.
His fans and supporters used that opportunity to call on him to quickly resign from the Nigerian Army so that he would join the presidential race come 2015. “Nigeria sai Al-Mustapha! Yobe sai Ngama,” they chanted; meaning that Al-Mustapha is the candidate for Nigeria while Ngama is the candidate for Yobe.
Speaking to our correspondent, one of his supporters, Malam Bashir, whose group wore T-shirts with Al-Mustapha’s photograph and inscription, said, “Al-Mustapha is out of prison to accomplish what was prophesied on him as Nigeria’s president.
“We give our 100 per cent support to Al-Mustapha because of the good things he has done for us.”
At Nguru, his first port of call was the Emir’s palace, where he was warmly received. After the Juma’at prayers he moved to the house of the chairman, Board of Trustees, Al-Mustapha Foundation, Alhaji Shettima Shehu Tabacco, who has been battling with ill-health for a very long time.
The Al-Mustapha Foundation was established in 1997 during the administration of the late General Sani Abacha, where he served as the Chief Security Officer. It was a poverty alleviation initiative that brought succour to the masses in Nguru and Gashua towns through different intervention schemes.
The Foundation was into mass transit services, selling of assorted grains to people at subsidised prices, feeding the needy during fasting periods and assisting victims of different categories of disaster.
Secretary to the Foundation, Alhaji Sani Yahuza, told Sunday Trust that the generosity and humility of Major Al-Mustapha was noticeable, especially among his people, adding, “People of Nguru, Gashua and all that visited us when the Foundation was alive will forever remember him as a hero and one with the people at heart.”
On whether Al-Mustapha has political ambition, the chairman, Board of Trustees of the Foundation said he had not mentioned anything about going into politics, but that he promised to continue with the good work he started through the Foundation.
He, however, added that Al-Mustapha embarked on a humanitarian work as a military officer, not a politician. “So we believe he has the heart to do it wherever he belongs,” he added.
During his tour of Yobe, Al-Mustapha did not visit any government official, not even the state governor, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam. Senator Jajere, who accompanied him, however, told Sunday Trust that, “My coming has no political undertone, Al-Mustapha has been a very good friend to me. And I came here based on that.”
But political pundits in the state believe that his visit to Nguru and Gashua was to mobilise political support for the PDP from the grassroots. Yerima Ngama is seen as one of the strong contenders for the gubernatorial seat in Yobe State come 2015.
Political Agenda:
Beyond the frenzy of jubilations that heralded Al-Mustapha’s release, there have been perceived political undercurrents over some of the actions and comments credited to him after regaining his freedom. Although he declared during an interview with the Hausa service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) that “I am not thinking of politics”, his body language and visits to political heavyweights across the geopolitical zones of the country is being is viewed with the possibility of a covert political agenda.
From these visits coupled with unfolding events following his release, pundits and political bookmakers are wont to believe that Al-Mustapha is either nursing a personal political ambition or there is a hidden addenda by the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) to use Al-Mustapha to prosecute President Jonathan’s presidential project in 2015.
One such event that lends credence to this was the visit on July 26 to the national secretariat of the PDP by a group of Northern elders and youths who endorsed Jonathan for the exalted position and pleaded with him to make himself available in 2015.
The elders and youths came under the aegis of three groups, namely: Northern Elders Forum, North/South New Nigeria Forum, Fresh Air Continuity Group of North West and Northern PDP Youth.
Interestingly, the group led by a former Education Minister under the late Gen Abacha’s regime and former Presidential Aspirant of All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP, Dr Dauda Birmah, declared that the North would ever be grateful to the PDP led Government of President Jonathan for creating a conducive atmosphere that made the release of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha possible after over 14 years of incarceration.
While hailing Jonathan over the release from prison of Al-Mustapha, they promised to get most voters in the north, especially North West to support and vote for him.
“Major Mustapha’s release would not have been possible by the ordinary fiat of the court if not for the underground work of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and the consent of the executive of the Jonathan led administration”, Birma said adding that the release of Major Al-Mustapha had further fuelled the support of the North for the re election of President Jonathan come 2015.
Although the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) spokesman, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, later distanced the north from the statement by Birma, analysts are of the belief that the framework for Jonathan’s 2015 ambition in the north may have been planted with especially divisions already manifesting from the zone on the matter.
Added to this is the seeming romance between the released Al-Mustapha and the late Sani Abacha family. Mohammed Abacha is said to be very popular with the youths in the north; hence the PDP is said to be counting on this to its advantage using Al-Mustapha who is said to have been commissioned by the ruling party to mobilize northern youth in support of Jonathan ahead of 2015. Al-Mustapha was believed to have been the ‘unsen hand’ that worked with Daniel Kanu to mobilise youths in support of Abacha’s self succession bid. This is also underscored by the fact that Buhari is also popular among the northern youths.
Sunday Trust gathered that Al-Mustapha is heavily relying on Mohammed Abacha’s popularity with northern youths to prosecute the 2015 Jonathan agenda through a proposed youth summit aimed at mobilizing youths for Jonathan. Given that the former is still nursing grudge with the defunct CPC for denying him the governorship ticket in the last elections, it is believed that Mohammed Abacha would provide Al-Mustapha with the needed support for this project.
Major Hamza Al-Mustapha’s visit to elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark after his release has also been given political coloration by political analysts, especially given the latter’s closeness to Jonathan on one hand and his open support for the President’s re-election in 2015. The same goes for Al-Mustapha’s romance and visit to OPC leader, Frederick Fasheun who is seen as possessing the kind of political influence that can galvanize support for Jonathan’s re-election in the South-west zone. He also visited the Niger Delta Militants leader, Asari Dokubo.
During his visit to Fasheun, Al-Mustapha said:“I have found a father, highly dogmatic, a senior citizen of this country, a detribalized elder, an intellectual, a person that is a father indeed with a wide shoulder and a big heart, a man that is very reliable, responsible, dependable.”
Similar visits were undertaken by Al-Mustapha to politicians in places like Benue and Nasarawa states where behind the scene political horse-trading was believed to have been carried out with the political intent of galvanizing support in favor of the Jonathan’s 2015 presidential project.
PDP chieftain and former governorship aspirant in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo said rather than wooing Al-Mustapha for his perceived 2015 project, Jonathan’s political interest is better served if he goes further go get the killers of the late Kudirat Abiola.
According to Ardo who firmly believes that Jonathan is not eligible to re-contest in 2015: “Al-Mustapha has no electoral value to Jonathan or the PDP; what is morally wrong can not be morally right. Though his acquittal is right, it would be morally wrong for Al-Mustapha to be conscripted into Jonathan’s political project.
“If I am to advise Jonathan, he should distance himself and the PDP from Al-Mustapha because he has absolutely nothing to gain but everything to lose”, Ardo said.
Also racting Dr. Fredric Fasehun, leader of the Oodua People’s Congress [OPC] said:
“For anybody to say Al-Mustapha's release was political is a charade. We all know that two heads are better than one. He was initially sentenced to death by one person in a High Court but three Justices of the Court of Appeal found him innocent and he was released. What is political about that? That is the problem with Nigerian elites, they will not see anything good in a good person like Al- Mustapha.
They are just afraid of him because he knows their secret. But must they keep an innocent man in prison for life? Let them give it any interpretation they like but it would have been bad for us collectively if we had shed innocent blood, it would have been like the case of Sodom and Gomorrah for the country. God would never have forgiven us. If he wishes to contest election as they are speculating, he is fit to do so.
Al-Mustapha is fit for any position he is interested in. He is good for the presidency if he wishes to contest because he is young and intelligent. And I can assure you that Nigerian youths are ready to support him. I will as well throw my weight behind him because he is a good young man. Like I said, anytime Al-Mustapha is ready to contest, he is fit to do so and I will back him. I have always backed him because as a crusader of justice, I will never back any injustice. I learnt they have gone to the Supreme Court. I will only urge the Apex court to accelerate its judgment on the matter and let’s see if they will take their case to divine court.”
Yinka Odumakin, the spokes person for Afenifere Renewal, a pan Yoruba social cultural association stated “It is because Nigeria is what it is. In some other climes even if Al-Mustapha was not guilty of the offence he was accused of, coming out from such prison should be a moment for sober reflection and lying low for him. But this country being what its, a country where even those who were charged for crime, people who just emerged from EFCC net are invited to come and chart the way forward for the country. It shows how low Nigeria has sunk. That people are even canvassing or calling on Al- Mustapha to come and run for the presidency of Nigeria shows that Nigeria is fast becoming a Banana Republic and that is why all these things are happening.
Well, it’s part of the tragedy for the nation whose moral courage has collapsed and when morality is down and we have sunk below anything can happen. What we are witnessing are the symptoms of the disease that is killing Nigeria.”
Social critic and anti-corruption crusader, Abubakar Tsav also believes that Al- Mustapha does not have any electoral value having just regained freedom from 15 years of incarceration. Tsav who spoke with Sunday Trust on telephone said having been released from prison it was only natural for Al-Mustapha to embark on thank you visits to people who played roles in his regaining freedom.
When asked during an interview with the BBC Hausa service on whether he would be interested in politics following his release, Al-Mustapha reportedly said: “I am a military man; I am not thinking of politics. I spent 15 years in solitary confinement I do not know what is happening in Nigeria presently; I am just a guest. However, only God knows what will happen tomorrow.”
Al-Mustapha was the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of General Sani Abacha, military head of state of Nigeria from November 1993 to June 1998. After Abacha’s death he was arrested and tried for murder and attempted murder of Kudirat Abiola. On 30 January 2012, a Lagos High Court convicted him over the murder of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief Moshood Abiola. He was also sentenced to death by hanging but was discharged and acquitted of the crime by the appeal court, Lagos division on Friday, July 12, 2013.
The appellate court said there was not enough evidence to incriminate Al-Mustapha in the murder of the Late Kudirat Abiola. On 12 July 2013, The Court of Appeal in Lagos discharged and acquitted Hamza Al-Mustapha from the murder of Kudirat Abiola. The verdict overturned that of the Lagos High Court which sentenced him to death by hanging. The presiding judge, Justice Rita Pemu, accused the lower court jude, Justice Mojisola Dada, of being ‘‘stroked to secure a conviction by all means”, consequently setting Al-Mustapha free.
Recalling his ordeal in Kirikiri prison where he was held for 15 years, Al-Mustapha was quoted as saying: “It appears to me like a dream. Way back in 998 I was here at Kano Government House in tattered clothes with chains all over me and I was then taken to my residence where they searched my house thoroughly. Here I am the same Al-Mustapha coming to Kano Government House as a free man and with happiness all over my face and the faces of relations, friends and other well wishers.”
Al-Mustapha joined the army and was trained as an intelligence operative. He was involved in at least two investigations of coup attempts. His conduct of interrogations brought him to the attention of Sani Abacha. When Abacha was Chief of Army (August 1985 – August 1990) Al-Mustapha was his Aide-de-Camp.
He was appointed Chief Security Officer to the Head of State (CSOHS) with a Special Strike Force Unit during Abacha’s military regime (17 November 1993 – 8 June 1998). Other security outfits at the time were the Office of the National Security Adviser under Ismaila Gwarzo, the Directorate of Military Intelligence, the State Security Service and the National Intelligence Agency. All of these units engaged in extrajudicial killings of people seen as threats to the regime. Both Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha gave Captain (later Major) Hamza al-Mustapha exceptional power, considerably greater than other officers who were nominally his superior.
After being appointed Chief Security Officer, Al-Mustapha established a number of small security outfits recruited from the military and other security organizations, and trained in Israel and Korea. Abacha’s National Security Adviser Ismaila Gwarzo and al-Mustapha were said to be responsible for much of the “torture, killing and wanton looting” during Abacha’s rule. On the orders of Sani Abacha’s wife Maryam, Al-Mustapha detained and tortured several women suspected to be Abacha’s girlfriends. As head of the State Security Service (SSS) Al-Mustapha was also said to be involved in drug trafficking, using diplomatic pouches to transport the drugs. His wife, an Arab in origin, coordinated a ring of traffickers in the Gulf States.
Source: Sunday Trust
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