Steve Nwosu
8 December 2000
Lagos — Claims that Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, Chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, had a larger than life image during the Abacha era, were buttressed on Wednesday by former Chief of General Staff, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya, who said that Mustapha was indeed the number one citizen of the country for the latter part of that administration.
Testifying before the Justice Chukwudifu Oputa Commission on Human Rights Violations in a petition on the alleged plan by key officers of the Abacha regime to assassinate him, Diya said Mustapha was so powerful that even the Generals lived in constant dread of him. Asked if he was trying to make the commission believe that Mustapha was number two citizen during the era, and not him Diya, the former CGS cut in: "I will even put him at number one".
But in a sarcastic tone, Mustapha replied: "Thank you, sir, for the belated promotion."
Diya, who was implicated in the alleged coup plot of December 1997, for which he was sentenced to death by the Major Gen. Victor Malu Special Military Tribunal, alleged that Al-Mustapha pulled the strings during the Abacha years. "Even Abacha was a victim of Mustapha. He imprisoned everybody, including the Head of State."
Giving an insight into the enormity of the power wielded by Mustapha, Diya said that several decisions taken at the meeting by the Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), then the highest decision-making body in the country, were reversed unilaterally by Abacha, on the advice of Mustapha.
Citing other cases to buttress his contention that Abacha was indeed a victim of Mustapha's ploys, Diya said that on several instances, vehicles would stationed for Abacha to attend a public function only for Mustapha to tell him not to go.
On two occasions, Diya said, he had to be roused up in the morning to go to Kaduna to represent Abacha who Mustapha had asked not to travel.
On one of the instances, according to him, two visiting heads of state were already waiting for Abacha in Kaduna but he shunned them. No reason was given for Abacha's absence.
Asked why he did not resign as a brave officer, Diya said that was not allowed in army and that it would have made him an easy targer for his oppressors. "Though I may be brave, I am not a stupid man," he said.
Diya had claimed that the bomb which went off at the Presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja on Saturday, December 13, 1997, was actually planted to eliminate him.
Diya, who was billed to travel that morning to Markudi, Benue State to attend the burial of the mother of Brigadier-General Law-rence Onoja, then Principal Staff Officer in the office of the CGS, said he had escaped being blown up because of a minor stomach upset he had earlier in the day which delayed him for 10 minutes.
He said the bomb, which killed two operatives of Mustapha's Strike Force, had been planted by Mustapha and his men with the full knowledge of Abacha.
Diya said he refused to travel again because he was informed that a similar plan had been arranged at Makurdi.
He also alleged that he was later to come across a document in which a federal government delegation had already been put in place to travel to his Odogbolu, Ogun State, hometown to condole his community once it was confirmed that he was killed in the bomb blast.
The delegation, Diya said was to have been led by the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi. He said the first place scheduled to be visited by the delegation was Diya's Ikeja-Lagos residence where it hoped to proceed to Ijebu-Ode to visit the Awujale of Ijebuland. From there, the delegation, he said, planned to visit Odogbolu, where it was also to condole the Olu of Odogbolu.
Diya said flags were to fly at half mast after news of his death in the blast would have been broadcast. "Flags were to fly at half mast.
Announcement would have been made promising to hunt down and arrest the perpetrators of the act. Later some NADECO people will be arrested over the blast," he said.
He said that a document available to him before the blast showed that government masterminded it as those who were involved, Samaila Shuaibu and Samaila Usman were security personnel under Mustapha. Diya said that Samaila confessed to what happened at the Gwagwalada hospital, Abuja before he was taken to Aso Rock Clinic where he allegedly "died conveniently".
Diya accused the Nigerian Television Authority of editing out parts of the bomb blast story on the orders of Mustapaha who had directed Mohammed Labo of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) to do so.
On cross examination, Labo admitted being told by Mustapha that there was going to be a press briefing by the FCT Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Mustapha but denied that he was giving any instructions as to the content of the story. Rather, he said his boss directed him not to use the names of the victims as their families had not been contacted while he should leave out the name of Diya from the main story.
In his testimony, Bamaiyi denied knowledge of any plot to eliminate Diya.
He said he did not visit the airport on the day of the bomb incident as alleged by Diya.
In his own testimony, Mustapha said he did not have the powers that Diya had ascribed to him. However, when Oputa asked him to clear the air on why every petitioner had had to make reference to him as someone who wielded excessive powers, Mustapha said that his only "fault" was He said most of the petitioners saw him as powerful because they wanted power and saw him as standing in their way, protecting the man they all wanted to get out of the way. Although Mustapha denied ever being consulted by anyone on decisions taken by the PRC at its meeting or being in possession of any materials from such meetings, the lead counsel for the commission, Mr. M.I. Awokulehin reminded him that he had submitted as exhibits to the commission, a video cassette which he claimed contained recorded proceedings of a PRC meeting.
He said most of the petitioners were part and parcel of the "intrigues" and "power-play" which he remarked was the name of the game in the Abacha government.
Mustapha equally denied going to the airport on the said day, just as he denied assigning the SF operatives involved in the incident to the airport.
Mustapha debunked Di-ya's claim on how Samaila died. Mustapha said the Commission should go to the hospital to find out how Samaila died. He said Samaila's remains were handed over to Colonel Yakassai for burial. He said that since Diya was not at the hospital, he probably relied on accounts of his aides which were not true.
After Diya's testimony, Mustapha, who was to be cross-examined, moved closer and gave the erstwhile number two man the traditional military salute. Diya did not acknowledge the salute.
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