Fashola vows to Pursue Al-Mustapha’s murder case to Logical Conclusion

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines Saturday, September 14th, 2013

The African Examiner

Hamza-al-Mustapha

Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State has vowed to pursue the murder case against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha at the Supreme Court to a logical conclusion.

Fashola spoke at his administration’s 2,300 days in office Saturday at the Lagos Television Ground, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria.

The governor said the first report in respect of the verdict of acquittal of Al-Mustapha for charges of conspiracy and murder by the Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal had generated some mixed reactions.

According to him, he decided to act to ensure justice was done by ordering the Attorney General to proceed to the Supreme Court so that justice would be done in the matter, which is of utmost public interest.

“Because our constitution permits a further appeal to the Supreme Court, and because we place the highest premium on every human life and because the families of the victims deserve every right to agitate the matter to the final court, just as the accused would have been entitled, your government has appealed on behalf of the people to the Supreme Court,” he said.

Al-Mustapha, a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, and Alhaji Sofolahan, were on Jan. 30, sentenced to death over the alleged murder of Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996 in Lagos. Late Kudirat Abiola was the wife of the late business mogul and politician, Chief M.K.O. Abiola.

However an appeal in Lagos on July 12 order the release of both accused from the Kirikiri Maximum Prisons following their acquittal in the murder case.

Lagos state government has since filled an appeal at the Supreme Court challenging the ruling of the appeal court.

Many well-meaning Nigerians have argued that the release of Major Al-Mustapha, the CSO to the late dictator Gen. Sanni Abacha, was a political move by the present administration to pacify the north, an accusation that the presidency has strongly refuted.