31st January, 2012
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, has hailed the verdict of a Lagos High Court on the assassination of Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the winner of the June 12 1993 Presidential Election, Chief MKO Abiola.
The party sees the sentencing of the perpetrators of the heinous act, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Lateef Shofolahan to death by hanging as meting justice to the victims of the callous acts of Al-Mustapha and his murderous gang which operated unfettered while the Abacha dictatorship lasted.
In a release in Lagos, signed by the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, the party said that the significance of the verdict is that no matter the length of time it takes, the guilty will always pay for his deed.
It says that the death sentence on Mustapha and Sofolahan is a warning to those in power to maintain the sacredness of human life and avoid getting entrapped in the panoply of power.
“After twelve years of waiting for justice to be done, it finally came with its unmistaken notice that no matter how long it takes, the sinner will never go unpunished. Nigerians are sufficiently aware of Al-Mustapha’s many atrocities in the dark days of Abacha’s tyranny where he displayed a seething arrogance that reduced human life to mere pun in his hands.
“Nigerians are aware of how Al-Mustpaha coveted power for the sadism it offers him when he tramples on other people’s lives and liberty and ran a fearful era that is built on exerting maximum pain and suffering on perceived opponents of the junta. We are all aware of how he disgraced and incarcerated army generals and kept them for hours in his waiting lounge; all in a bid to exercise naked power that is built on terror.
“The killing of Kudirat Abiola, a woman who committed no sin than demanding for the release of her unjustly incarcerated husband and the restoration of his mandate, was particularly sad. That Al-Mustapha and his cohorts could order the brutal elimination of an innocent woman in their quest for unquestionable power is a sad commentary on the naked display of brutal power. His sentencing to death by hanging by a court of competent jurisdiction after a long trial is a soothing balm to the spirit of Kudirat and all those killed in this era of criminal display of bizarre power.
“We noted that while the trial of Mustapha lasted, a lot of distractions, in form of hired crowd were procured by his agents to delay the case. We noted that many interests were mobilized to introduce various forms of distractions to the case. We noted that Mustapha deliberately engaged in sophistry and other forms of theatrics to divert attention from the main issue in the case. We noted however that he never really punctured the lead evidence supplied by his subordinate, Sergeant Rogers to the effect that Mustapha sent them on the assignment and indeed provided the armoury that callously felled Kudirat Abiola on Tuesday, June 4, 1996.
“Lagos ACN welcomes the judgment and sees it as a just relief to the spirit of Kudirat and a soothing balm to her family, friends and associates who have been waiting for twelve years for justice to be done on this issue. More importantly, we see the verdict as a timely warning for those in authority who operate with a demeaning attitude to human life that they will pay for their acts. It is a timely warning for those who display impunity while in public office that they would certainly be brought to justice in the long run.”