Serving a hated administration earned me conviction –Al-Mustapha

Major Hamza al-Mustapha said his conviction for the murder of the late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was because he served in “a hated administration”.

 Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, also said other allegations of murder and attempted murder levelled against the administration were “spurious conjectures.”

 Al-Mustapha stated this in a brief of argument he filed at the Court of Appeal Lagos, challenging his conviction by a Lagos High Court for the murder of Kudirat, obtained by our correspondent on Wednesday.

 He filed the brief through his counsel and a former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN).

 The appellate court headed by Justice Chima Nweze will hear the appeal on Thursday (today).

Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos High Court in Igbosere on January 30, 2012 sentenced Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan to death for the murder of  Kudirat.

The gunning down of Kudirat, a wife of the late winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, took place in Lagos on June 4, 1996.

 Al-Mustapha stated that the Abacha’s regime,  in which he served was a hated one, adding that his conviction was on “spurious conjectures” of allegations of murder and attempted murder levelled against the administration.

Daudu said, “Thus, that respectfully was the grouse against the first appellant (al-Mustapha). He served in a hated administration.”

 Among the allegations, which he said were levelled against the Abacha regime were “attempted murder of Alex Ibru; attempted murder of (Isaac) Porbeni; attempted murder of Pa (Alfred) Rewane; attempted murder of Pa Abraham Adesanya; murder of Alhaja Adedeji and the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola”.

 “It was on the basis of these spurious conjectures that the High Court of Lagos State was asked to convict two Nigerian citizens of the serious offence of conspiracy to commit murder and it did,” Daudu added.

 In the 40-paragraph brief of argument, Daudu said the judgment of the lower court was “needlessly long “showing that the trial judge was “at pains” to justify her decision to convict his client.

He said the judgment arose from “unreliable and discredited” testimonies of the star witnesses of the prosecution.

Meanwhile, the Lagos State Directorate of Public Prosecutions has opposed the appeal and urged the appellate court to uphold the conviction and sentence imposed on the appellants.

PUNCH