Lagos State Vs. Major Hamza Mustapha

Conspiracy Theory

By

Max Gbanite

maxgbanite@yahoo.com

 

On Wednesday, July 23rd 2008, the former self acclaimed sharp-shooter to the late Head of State General Sani Abacha, Sergeant Barnbas Jabilla (aka- Rogers), without the aid of energy drink or under duress recanted his story in court live; the story accusing his former boss, Major Hamza Mustapha, Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Gen. Abacha, Mohammed Rabo Lawal, a former commissioner of Police-Lagos State, James Danbaba, OC MOPOL to state house under Abacha, Col. Jubrin Bala Yakubu, former military administrator-Zamfara State and Muhammed Rabo-Lawal as creative conspirators in the attempted murder of the Guardian Publisher, Alex Ibru, including arson-burning of Rutam-house; a weaved and concocted story I might add.

 

This very serious and now recanted accusation is the reason why these men are facing criminal prosecution that could earn them life-time-sentences if found guilty. The former Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen. Ishaya Bamaiye was once a member of the group, but as God makes men see the truth, his lawyers were able to extricate him from the group, had his case fast-forwarded, and at the end he was found not ‘Guilty’ as charged.

 

Today he is a free man physically, but psychologically broken. His spirit is currently undergoing methodological rehabilitation. How does a man explain to his children that he spent 8 years in detention without bail; though the crime is a bailable offence, and at the end of it, he was found to be innocent? Well, I hope he will after recuperation, file a civil suit against Lagos State for the violation of his fundamental human rights.

 

Sgt. Rogers’s recantations of his earlier testimonies linking these defendants to the alleged crimes were concocted according to him, due to all manner of inducements by state functionaries.

 

Whether this is true or not, what happened to Chief Alex Ibru and others under late Gen. Sani Abacha’s regime was totally and absolutely wrong and unacceptable. However, after 8 brutal years of endless trial, Sgt. Rogers while testifying for the prosecution as a fourth prosecution witness before Justice Muftan Olokooba of Ikeja High court told the same court that his earlier testimonies accusing the defendants were false.

 

FACTS:

While under cross-examination, this man (Rogers) admitted that he is telling the truth now, because he was deceived by promises made to him by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the late Attorney General of Federation (AGF) Chief Bola Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Col. Kayode Are, former DG-State Security Services (DG-SSS), and the Personal Assistant (PA) to Kanu Agabi, the AGF as of the time.

 

He (Rogers) stated that these high ranking officials induced him into falsely implicating these men who have remained incarcerated for 8 years without knowing when the case might end.

 

Hear the inducement theory according to this scum-of-the-lowest-rat (Rogers), “they promised to build a house for me in Ilorin, there are other promises not fulfilled… ‘am not happy that they have not given me the house, I heard they bought a house for Muhammed Abdul, (aka Katako). I feel cheated.” 

 

The same repentant coward narrated how Chief Bola Ige gave him monetary inducements, reinforced by visitations of Prof. Osibanjo, former Attorney General of Lagos State and Arthur Worrey, while he was in protective custody. As if that was not enough, he clinched his testimony as if in a Nigerian-Home-Video by saying that, “I was told to say all the things I said against my former boss by the SSS officials who told me that Al-Mustapha wanted me dead. I was angry with Mustapha. An official of the SSS told me that I should cooperate with the authorities.”

 

As I read the statements in the Daily Newspapers, it reminded me of the trial in Ibadan of the late AGF-Bola Ige’s alleged killers trial, when his cook after initially identifying the alleged killers to the police later recanted his story at the trial; this recantation caused Mrs. Ige so much anguish that it probably led to her early death; what a shame.

 

While studying this case of Rogers and Al-Mustapha et el, am quickly reminded of Friedrich Nietzche comment to his friend who lied to him. He said, “what upsets me is not that you lied to me, but that from now on I can no longer believe you.”

 

What I find puzzling is that the so-called human rights organisation and Nigerian Bar Association have not picked up on this matter. Why is Lagos State still bent on continuing with the trial, when their star witness has changed his story? If those accused of killing Chief Bola Ige were immediately discharged and acquitted for lack of evidence, one even contested and won an election to the senate from the prison, why then are these men not being discharged. Moreover, no where in the civilized world are people held in detention for 8 years going on the 9th year for actually killing someone, talk less of an attempted murder for that matter.

 

Whilst it was true that the regime of Abacha was repressive and many bad things did happen. But, the doctrines of soldiering dictate that one must obey orders.

 

I state categorically that I am not advocating for or by any stretch saying that these accused men are innocent. However, if they are being persecuted and held in detention for 8 years because Sgt. Rogers was cajoled, induced, bribed, sadakad, and egunged to lie against them; then it makes sense that the Femi Falana, Gani Fawehinmis (SAN), Agbakogba’s (SAN), and others of this world, should cry for their justice. After all as William Black put it, “a truth that is told with bad intent beat all the lies you can invent.”

 

Lagos State government should please review this case and dismiss and acquit them immediately, except if new incriminating evidence is tendered against the accused. At the same time I pray that the current Attorney General of the Federation use his might and bring justice for these unjustly detained men; unjustly, since the only witness for the prosecutor has become a hostile witness, it is also instructive that the current Inspector General of Police (IGP) should invite all the named inducers: Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Col. Kayode Are (rtd.), former Attorney General Kanu Agabi’s P.A., and others and find out their involvement in this matter while they are still alive; Let the conspiracy theory be unraveled.