Al-Mustapha: Afenifere, othersreject court verdict Posted by: Our Reporterin Featured, News50 mins ago 0 The Pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, and the Kudirat Initiative for Democracy (KIND) have rejected the weekendverdict of the Court of Appeal over the discharge and acquittal of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Sofolahan over the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola. KIND, the Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) established in memory of the late activist, wants the Attorney General of Lagos State to challenge the judgment at the Supreme Court. According to it, the appeal is in the overall interest of the dead and the living. It said it is also weighing the option of launching a civil action after obtaining the judgment and commissioning “a team of legal experts to study it in detail, with a view to determining whether a civil action is advisable at this point.” According to the NGO, in asking for the matter to go to the apex court, it is not in anyway “seeking vengeance or retribution,” but “a final judicial resolution of the question, “Who killed Kudirat Abiola?” It said: “Justice has not been served by the judgment of the Court of Appeal” and recalledthat the judiciary has failed in resolving any of the murder cases from the Abacha years tothe assassination of Chief Bola Ige under the Obasanjo government. “Is it that the Nigerian judiciary is incapable of resolving cases of political murders and assassinations, or that the Nigerian state lacks the competence, capability or will to prosecute cases of political murders?” it wondered and added: “With this reversal, theNigerian judiciary has now exonerated all persons that were brought to trial for the gruesome acts of murders and attempted murders that took place during the Abacha regime (before now, the persons tried for theattempted assassinations of Alex Ibru and Pa Abraham Adesanya had been set free, Muhammed Abacha, General Ishaya Bamaiyi, and the police officers, Alhaji Danbaba, and Rabo Lawal). Also, the men who were herdedinto court for the assassination of Pa Alfred Rewane were released for want of evidence. “ Afenifere also expressed dissatisfaction with the judgement of the Lagos State chapter of the group saying:”In our opinion, the witnesses who gave evidence of the truth at the inception of the trial were instigated to contradict their evidence to render the evidence ineffective. “Nigerians must remember that Kudirat and other Nigerians who were opposed to the Abacha regime were brutally butchered. We doubt if the law enforcement agencies will need to look for other culprits for these crimes. We already know who the murderers and accomplices are.” Mr Adamu Turaki, Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Jigawa chapter, however commended the appeal court for acquitting Maj. Hamza Al-Mustapha and Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan. Turaki told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)in Dutse that the judgment was commendable and will repose more confidence in the judiciary, considering the length of time spent on the trial. Lagos lawyer, Mr. Ebun Adegboruwa, said while he is happy that the system of due process and democratic resort to the law court, for redress, is working, “had the judgment of the Justice Mojisola Dada, of the Lagos High Court, that sentenced him to death, been delivered in 1994 when Al-Mustapha was CSO to late Gen Sani Abacha,he would have been executed by now. It is indeed gratifying that Al-Mustapha is now benefitting from the same judiciary that he worked tirelessly to annihilate.” He added: “Thus, I cannot take the acquittal as a verdict of clearance for Al-Mustapha. I personally tasted of the madness, of the wickedness and deprivations that Gen Abacha and Al-Mustapha subjected Nigerians to, when I was incarcerated in solitary confinement at the Directorate of Military Intelligence, Apapa, for nine months without trial. The judgment of Hon Just I.N. Auta, that Ishould be released, was ignored and deridedby Al-Mustapha and his co-dictators. But today, he was released from Kirikiri prisons the same day the judgment was delivered. “If it is indeed true that there was no evidence before the court linking him with the charges, or there is any doubt in the case of the prosecution, then he is entitled to the liberty of man. But that is not the end of the case at all. There is the judgment of man, judgment of self (conscience) and the judgment of God. It is clear to me that MKO Abiola, Kudirat Abiola and all other martyrs, who gave up their lives and liberties for this present democracy, have not died or laboured in vain.” Two members of the Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA) are also disappointed by theverdict. Mr Segun Olulade (ACN-Epe II) said: “As far as I am concerned, the judgment does not speak well of our judicial system, but whatever the judges have said is final
Posted on: Sun, 14 Jul 2013 03:14:22 +0000
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