Edwin Clark Calls For Al-Mustapha’s Release

Former Chief Security Officer, CSO, to the late dictator Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, has won an ardent supporter in the person of Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, an octogenarian who has President Goodluck Jonathan’s ears.

Chief Clark, at a news conference held at his Asokoro mansion in Abuja on Wednesday called on President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos state to facilitate the release of Al-Mustapha who has been standing trial for the death of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the late MKO Abiola for the past twelve years.Clark, who said he’s been a lawyer for 46 years, also slammed the judiciary for its failure to eradicate corruption in Nigeria.

He also blamed senior lawyers for a situation where cases in court would drag and suffer several unnecessary adjournments on flimsy technicalities.

On Al-Mustapha, Clark noted that it is not proper to keep a man for twelve years, which is a long time.”In some countries if you commit such an offence the sentence would not be more than twelve years, so why do you keep one man for that long? I’ve appealed to Mr. President and to the Governor of Lagos state to free Major Al-Mustapha.”I am still appealing to Mr.
President and the Governor of Lagos State to grant Mustapha whatever you call it, pardon, and allow him to go home. It is unprecedented in any country for a man to be standing trial for twelve years to the extent that his son who was eight years is now 20 years and his mother has been severely sick. If there was enough evidence to prosecute him, they would have convicted him all this while. So why this delay” he queried.”If it is a murder or treasonable felony case and you cannot prove the ingredient of the offence, then release him,” he added. 

On the fight against the monster of corruption, he stated that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission have done their job but that the failure of the judiciary has caused the delay in eradicating corruption in Nigeria and not the anti-corruption agencies.“A situation where cases against high profile citizens, former governors and legislators have been in court for four years and above and people no longer talk about them is not acceptable. We see these  corrupt officers who have been charged to court parading themselves as celebrities in Nigeria as Senators , Legislators, party chairmen and all sort of things and that was why Ibori was parading himself at the Villa and was able to nominate his finance commissioner who had been indicted in London for money laundering and stealing money from Delta State as a Principal Secretary for the late President Yar’Adua.” He mentioned the cases of Senator Saminu Turaki, former governor of Jigawa State; Ayo Fayose former governor of Ekiti State; Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State, Chimaroke Nnamani, former governor of Enugu State; Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State, Boni Haruna, a former governor Adamawa State, James Onanefe Ibori and Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia State, to buttress his point on the failure of the judiciary to stem the tide of corruption in Nigeria.

Other high profile cases where he called on the judiciary to expidite action are those of Rasheed Ladoja, former governor of Oyo  state, Jolly Nyame former governor Taraba state, Michael Botmang former acting governor of Pleateau State, Attahiru Bafarawa former governor of Sokoto State, Adamu Adbullahi former governor of Nasarawa State and Chief Lucky Igbinedion former governor of Edo state.

Clark said that it is the duty of every Nigerian to eradicate corruption in this country and appealed to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, to establish special courts for corruption cases so as to facilitate accelerated hearing of these high profile cases.

By Nnamdi Felix / Abuja