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Nigeria: Al-Mustapha Ordered Us to Kill Ibru-Rogers
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Daily Champion (Lagos)
24 July 2008
Posted to the web 24 July 2008
Ebele Akpeh
Lagos
A member of Late Gen. Sani Abacha's strike force, Sergeant Barnabas Jabila (Alias Rogers), yesterday told an Ikeja High Court that Abacha's former Chief Security Officer (CSO), Major Hamza Al-Mustapha orderd him to kill Mr. Alex Ibru the Guardian Publisher and burn down Guardian office in Lagos in 1996.
Rogers, who is a witness in the on-going trial on the attempted murder of Alex Ibru led by the state counsel, Mrs. Olabisi Ogunbesan, told the court that Al-mustapha allegedly informed him that Ibru was one of the enemies of the state that they needed to eliminate.
He explained that among the alleged enemies were also late Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, late Pa Abrahim Adesanya, late Chief Bola Ige and Segun Osoba, saying the former CSO commissioned the strike-force to assassinate them because they were stumbling blocks to the government.
Said he: "We had an informant, Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan who always told us about the whereabouts of Mr. Alex Ibru, so, that day we traced him and when we got to Falomo we shot at him."
So the next day, myself and CSP Rabo Lawal got to know that the mission was not successful so lawal who told us to lie low but he threatened to deal with one of the Katabo if he should disclose the incident to anyone," Roger stated.
He alleged that Lawal threatened to wipe out Katako's entire family; saying that he was the only person outside the strike force that knew about the fire incident on the Guardian office.
He added that they were not happy about the unsuccessful nature of the operation to set the house on fire.
Roger had earlier told the court that he and CSP Lawal were commissioned by Al-Mustapha to burn down Guardian house, but that the attempt proved unsuccessful.
According to him, they were six that went on the mission which they carried out at August and we also informed James Danbaba about mission in Lagos coercions he agreed to help us if we had any problem.
On that fateful day when we got to Guardian House we noticed a police patrol vehicles so we went back to Danbaba who now called the police on patrol that there was an armed robbery operations at Oshodi so they left that palace.
We were now told by Danbaba the former commissioner of Police to go ahead to carry out our operations which we did not unfortunately the next day when we bought the papers we found out that our mission was not successful.
During cross-examination led by the counsel to Al-Mustapha, Olalekan Ojo, Rogers agreed that he was visited when he was in the custody of the State Security Service (SSS) by late Bola Ige (SAN) who gave him some money and told him not to let any one know.
He said: "I uttered my testimony after I was visited while in the custody of the SSS that if I don't cooperate with them, they will leave me, trace me and after ward kill me."
"I uttered my statement then because I was afraid, so I cooperated with the state," he stated. He added that he was given evidence as directed by the state and I am still being paid my salary by the state, while I was in custody they told me what to do say in court.
His words: My testimony by changing my statement affect all the Defendants and seeing them today in court in regret my actions.
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The Presiding Judge, Justice Mufutau Olokoba has adjourned till Sept 1 to 5th 2008, for further hearing.
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