Get Guardian on GoogleFormer Chief Security Officer to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, Retired Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, has denied allegations that funds recovered by the Nigerian government are personal loots of the late general.
According to Al-Mustapha, the money was meant to empower indigenous entrepreneurs to provide goods and services for citizens at affordable prices, similar to Libya’s economic policies, which he claimed thrived significantly in terms of production under sanctions.
Speaking in an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Democracy Day, monitored by our correspondent, Al-Mustapha challenged anyone to produce documents signed by Abacha with any bank linking the recovered funds to his personal wealth.
“The money was not deposited in Abacha’s name,” he insisted.
The former CSO claimed that after Abacha’s death, some beneficiaries diverted the funds while others withheld them, leading to the current refunds being unfairly tagged as ‘Abacha loots’.
Al-Mustapha also addressed allegations of Abacha’s assassination, comparing it with the mysterious death of MKO Abiola, the acclaimed winner of the June 12 presidential election.
He cited unusual swelling of the hearts and chests of both Abacha and Abiola during their deaths as evidence of suspicious circumstances.
Speaking about the 1993 June 12 presidential election, which is widely regarded as the freest and fairest in Nigeria’s history, Al-Mustapha said, “The issue of June 12 is bigger than how people understand it. What happened at that time is not something the public really knows. And I am not ready to speak about it now.”
When asked about former military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida’s book and the claims made in it, Al-Mustapha said he was not invited to the book launch and had not read the book.
He added that he would rather not comment until he was better informed.
“I was not invited when the book was launched. I have not read it, so I won’t say anything for now, maybe later,” he said.
