Al-Mustapha: Can the ‘’Strike Force’’ creator still strike?

The date was Friday 12^th July 2013. Justice Rita Pemu of the Appeal court sitting in lagos and her all-female panel, brought to an end one of the most controversial and longest running murder cases in the history of the federal republic of Nigeria, when they unanimously discharge and acquitted Major Hamza al-Mustapha of the charge of conspiracy to murder Alhaja Kudirat Abiola in 1996.  Kudirat was the wife of the late chief M.K.O Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the annulled June 12, 1992 presidential election.

Well, you know or must have heard of the stories that shaped events from June 1992 to July 2013. The writer will deliberately not recount these events, solely because it is not the focus of this piece.

Please come with me.

What’s the big deal about al-Mustapha in the first place?  OK! He has been released, so what? What’s my own?

Now if, at some point, you have muttered or spoken aloud these questions, you have a companion. But the aftermaths may at most get you to think again, or at least frighten you. There is so much that concerns you.

Now this is why:

QUESTION 1: What’s the big deal about al-Mustapha?

Hamza al-mustapha, pet-named ‘’Alhaji’’ by his super-octogenarian grandmother, Fatima Hamza, was the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late General Sani Abacha. Al-mustapha, who once boasted of having the ‘’licensed to kill’’, joined the Nigerian army some thirty years ago 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 his former boss, Sani Abacha, who thereafter gave him exceptional powers, considerably greater than those of officers who were nominally his superior.

‘’Al-mustapha, trained in Israel and Korea, established a number of small security outfits, including the deadly- dreaded ‘Strike Force’ whose recruits were from the military and other security organisations. Al-mustapha was 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, co-ordinated a ring of traffickers in the Gulf states.

In October 1998,four months after the death of his boss, Sani Abacha, al-mustapha was charged with the murder of Kudirat Abiola and an attempt to murder Alex Ibru, publisher of the Guardian newspaper…………while imprisoned, he was charged with being involved in a plot to overthrow government. Allegedly he has conspired with others to shoot down the helicopter carrying president Olusegun Obasanjo using a surface-to-air missile that had been smuggled into the country from Benin Republic.’’

Al-mustapha once boasted of how he was perfectly in a position to take over the reins of leadership of Nigeria when Abacha died in 1998, but decided to ‘allow’ Abdusallami Abubarkar the honour.  He hasn’t forgotten.

Question 2: OK! He has been released, so what?

Al-mustapha is back, as the Washington Times puts it ‘’to haunt a nation wracked by sectarian violence and sectional politics’’.

Can this Hamza still wreck? Can he still strike? Does he still have the influence? Does he still have the Gulf states-Arab connection? Why does it matter?

Here is one man that has repeatedly yelled that men are after his life because he knows so much. From Abdusallami Abubarkar to Nuhu Ribadu, al-mustapha believes these men are not what, we the people, think they are. He knows something he hasn’t finished telling; some business not yet completed.

And now he is Out. Released.  Allowed.

To respond to the title of this piece: Can the ‘Strike Force’ creator still strike?

Yes, he can.

The question now is, where should he be placed such that his strikes are less damaging and not monumental like they were during the periods of 1993-1997?

The Nigerian army claims he has always been theirs; that they could have him.

A section of the political class has already rolled out his campaign posters for president and commander-in-chief!

And someone said the other day that the Nigerian Prison Service will find his 14years prison experience invaluable.

Now that we are here…..

Who decides where he goes; to a large extent himself. Who decides where he stays; to a large extent the people. Now this is interesting. Where would you rather have him stay? Your actions, your inactions, your silence are all decisions. It is important you note this: Whatever becomes of Hamza al-mustapha, you caused it.

-----Ogedegbe, Godwin   

@NOSADBG