The children of the late Kudirat Abiola have alleged that Major Hamza Al Mustapha killed their late mother, using Sergeant Rogers as the hitman.
In a press statement issued and signed on behalf of her siblings, Khafila Abiola faulted the report in which Major Hamza Al-Mustapha accused Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo of instigating Sergeant Rogers to falsely claim that he was behind the assassination of the late wife of the winner of June 12, 1993, presidential election.
The children recalled proceedings of the Oputa Panel where Sergeant Rogers stated that he assassinated the woman and attempted to murder Senator Abraham Adesanya and Chief Alex Ibru, the late Publisher of The Guardian newspaper, based on the instructions of Major Al-Mustapha.
They noted that evidence of Sergeant Rogers was not challenged by Al-Mustapha and his lawyers at the Oputa Panel and that the Lagos State High Court convicted and sentenced the armed agents of Al-Mustapha to imprisonment for the attempted murder of Senator Abraham Adesanya.
The statement reads: “The Lagos State High Court also convicted and sentenced Al Mustapha and his accomplices to death for the cold-blooded murder of our mother. Their subsequent acquittal by the Court of Appeal was most likely politically motivated. The appeal filed against the judgment is currently pending at the Supreme Court. However, Al-Mustapha may be counting on the pervasive culture of impunity in Nigeria not only to attempt to deny his cruel role in the assassination of a defenceless woman; but to also now contemplate running for office, along with Mohammed Abacha, who was alleged to have provided his driver to convey the assassins to carry out the mission. Impunity lays waste to the promise of democracy for which our dear mother paid the ultimate price. As those that oversaw her assassination now seek to rewrite the history of what they did, we are forced to seek justice for our beloved mother within a jurisdiction, not for the political games that hold sway in Nigeria. Justice may be delayed but it must not be denied.”
It will be recalled that Al-Mustapha, who was the Chief Security Officer to the military head of state, Late General Sani Abacha, until his death in 1998, was charged with the assassination of Kudirat Abiola in 1996.
Sgt Roger, who was used as a hitman, claimed that he was obeying orders from Al-Mustapha.
