Opadokun, others know Abiola’s killers – Al-Mustapha

Major Hamza Al- Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, on Monday said some Yoruba leaders led by Chief Ayo Opadokun knew those that killed the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

Major Al-Mustapha spent 14 years in prison over his perceived involvement in the killing of Abiola and his wife, Kudirat.

The former CSO while fielding questions from journalists in Kaduna on Monday, shortly after attending a meeting arranged to broker peace between the North and South-East parts of country said, the Yoruba leaders received bribe in dollars from killers of MKO.

He said Opadokun led others to the Aso Rock Villa to meet Abiola’s killers, but came out laughing after receiving dollars just a day after the business mogul was killed.

Al-Mustapha, who claimed he recorded how Opadokun and others collected bribe over Abiola’s death, said he had since submitted a copy of the video tape to the Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada.

He said: “Chief Opadokun is someone I respect so much as an elder. But what came out in the newspaper was his own imagination and falsehood against me. If you know my character, you will know that I will not be scared to say the truth. It does not matter who, it does not matter where, but you will later realise that I told you the truth. I initially didn’t want to reply him, but now that you have asked, I will tell you what happened.

“When Abiola died, a day after the politician’s death, he (Opadokun) was invited to the Presidency and he came to the Villa alongside his friends. He came with anger into the Villa. Those who killed Abiola invited him to the Villa. At that material time, they came to fight the government and they wanted to set the country ablaze considering the tone they came with. They went into the meeting, they came out laughing and yelling as if nothing happened in the country.

“A day after Abiola’s death if you remember, the country was on the verge of collapse. But seeing what was going on and the things around Abiola led me to suspect them. I had not handed over the Villa to Abdulsalami Abubakar’s government then, so I decided to video tape what they were doing and I have the tape and I have tendered the tape before a court of law, before Justice Mojisola Dada of the Lagos High Court.

“In that tape, money exchanged hands. They traded with Abiola and that is my anger. The tape is in the court. Anybody that wants to watch can get it and watch. it is now a public document. I didn’t want to talk about it before, but money was brought from CBN in my presence and it was shared.”