Yoruba Leaders Know Killers of Abiola, Says Al-Mustapha

Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Monday alleged that some Yoruba leaders, led by Chief Ayo Opadokun know those who killed the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election,  Chief MKO Abiola.
The former CSO was remanded in  prison for 14 years while standing trial for allegedly having a hand in the murder  of Abiola’s wife, Mrs. Kudirat Abiola.

In an interview with journalists shortly after a meeting to broker peace between the North and the Igbos, Al-Mustapha alleged that the Yoruba leaders received bribe in dollars from killers of Abiola.
According to him, Opadokun led others to the Presidential Villa to meet Abiola’s killers, but came out laughing after receiving dollars, just a day after MKO was killed.

Al-Mustapha who claimed to have video taped how Opadokun and others collected the bribe over Abiola’s death, disclosed that  a copy of the video had since been submitted to a  Lagos High Court presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada.

 Al-Mustapha maintained that  Opadokun was someone he respected so much as an elder.
“But what came out in the newspaper is 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, 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; they wanted to set the country ablaze, considering the tone they came with.

“They went into the meeting, they came out laughing, yelling and jeering 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 the Abdulsalami Abubakar 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 and they traded with Abiola and that is my anger. The tape is in that court, anybody that wants to watch it 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.

 “So, if I talk about Abiola’s wellbeing and safety and that of his family, I am telling Nigerians what really happened. Why should a person from the same South-west, who is supposed to protect Abiola’s interest, now be seen to be angry with me? He should be happy with me for saying the truth, so that it will not happen again in Nigeria.

“Now, they have forgotten about Abiola but the moment I talk, they will come to the pages of the newspapers and start insulting me, I didn’t want to respond to them, but since you have asked, I have to say this.
“All they have done is that they took money and the moment you talk about Abiola, you become their enemy and they will abuse you in the papers, that is what they are doing to me, but I don’t care.

“In Yoruba land where culture is the watchword, MKO Abiola was the last Aare Ona Kakanfo and for a Yoruba man of Opadokun’s standing, going against Aare Ona Kakanfo, what is that thing, I tell you, it is dollars. Thank you very much, I will speak more on this much later God willing” Al-Mustapha said.