Hamza al-Mustapha
Hamza al-Mustapha | |
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Hamza Al-Mustapha (born 27 July 1960) is a retired
Early life
Hamza Al-Mustapha was born into an Hausa family and educated in Nguru. He enrolled at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna and was commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1983.
Military career
From August 1985 to August 1990, Al-Mustapha was
Military intelligence
Al-Mustapha was trained as a military intelligence operative. He held various command posts in the
He was also involved in counter-intelligence activities and at least two investigations of coup attempts; which brought him to the attention of General Sani Abacha. He also conducted operations in
Abacha era
Regime security
General Sani Abacha
Power politics
Al-Mustapha oversaw the reorganisation of the entire territory of Nigeria into six geopolitical zones, in this he cultivated a vast network of spies and informants across the federation;
- Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria.
- North East: Adamawa State, Bauchi State, Borno State, Gombe State, Taraba State and Yobe State.
- North West: Jigawa State, Kaduna State, Kano State, Katsina State, Kebbi State, Sokoto State and Zamfara State.
- South East: Abia State, Anambra State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State and Imo State.
- South South: Akwa Ibom State, Bayelsa State, Cross River State, Delta State, Edo State and Rivers State.
- South West: Ekiti State, Lagos State, Ogun State, Ondo State, Osun State and Oyo State.
Transfer of power
General Sani Abacha died on 8 June 1998, following his death al-Mustapha assembled the military hierarchy in order to avoid a succession crisis. General Abdulsalam Abubakar emerged as head of state on 9 June 1998 and al-Mustapha was removed from office and subsequently arrested.[5]
Arrest and internment
Arrest
Following his arrest, al-Mustapha was first held and questioned during the
Acquittal
In 2007, there were appeals for al Mustapha's release including from former military president
Release from internment
Following his release, al-Mustapha moved to Kano.[14] In January 2017, the Government of Lagos State filed an appeal with the Supreme Court of Nigeria,[15] for the apex court to uphold the previous death by hanging verdict of the Lagos High Court.[16]
In 2017, he made his political debut. With grassroots support and appeal to youth he founded the
Charges
Targeted killings
In October 1998, he was charged with the June 1996 Kudirat Abiola murder, wife of the presidential candidate
Al Mustapha and four others were also charged with a 1996 attempt to murder
Overthrow the government
On 1 April 2004, he was charged with being involved in a plot to overthrow the government. Allegedly, he had conspired to shoot down the presidential helicopter of President Olusegun Obasanjo using a surface-to-air missile that had been smuggled into the country from Benin.[24]
Drug trafficking
As chief security officer to the former head of state, General Sani Abacha, al-Mustapha was accused of involvement in drug trafficking, using diplomatic pouches to transport the drugs.[25]
External links
- Strike Force Member Vs Maj. Mustapha Hamza - Oputa Panel
- Major Mustapha Angrily Talks about The Death Of Chief MKO Abiola - Oputa Panel
References
- ISBN 0-7146-8488-0.
- ^ "Labarina 2,,tarihin Rayuwa da gwagwarmayar Major Hamza Almustapha ,Tsohon dogarin sani Abacha". YouTube.
- ^ "Cult of the Head of State". LitCaf. 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
- ^ I Got To Know About The Coup Plan Through Gen. Diya, Said Maj. Gen. Adisa - #Oputapanel, retrieved 2022-02-10
- ISBN 0-8157-3351-8.
- ^ "Al-Mustapha relieves his experience in detention; talks about Abacha and other issues". YouTube.
- ^ Edwin Olofu, Ifedayo Adebayo and Nicholas Ibekwe (March 5, 2011). "Hamza Al-Mustapha is alive and well". Online Nigeria. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ Nicholas Ibekwe (December 22, 2010). "Al-Mustapha, others acquitted of attempted murder". Next (Nigeria). Archived from the original on September 6, 2011. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
- ^ WALE IGBINTADE (October 5, 2011). "Al-Mustapha: Court fixes May 31 to rule on the application to re-open the case". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2011-06-25.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Abdulwahab Abdulah (August 18, 2011). "I was not Kudirat's personal assistant – Sofolahan". Vanguard (Nigeria). Retrieved 2011-08-19.
- Vanguard Nigeria. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
- ^ "Appeal Court Frees Al-Mustapha - P.M. News". www.pmnewsnigeria.com. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ "POINT OF VIEW: 15 Years After, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha Speaks Up". YouTube.
- ^ "Tearful Al-Mustapha declares... I met empty home!". Vanguard News. 2013-07-20. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ Soniyi, Tobi (2017-01-13). "Lagos Gets Supreme Court's Nod to Challenge Appeal Court's Decision Freeing Al-Mustapha, Shofolahan". THISDAY. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ "Kudirat's Murder: Lagos govt asks Supreme Court to convict al-Mustapha, Shofolahan - Premium Times Nigeria". 2017-08-29. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ "2019: Al-Mustapha Unveils New Political Party, the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN)". SIGNAL. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ Toromade, Samson (2019-02-27). "Votes won by all 73 presidential candidates in 2019 election". Pulse Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "Nigerian Appeal Court Rejects Application To Reinstate Late Dictator Abacha's Security Officer, Al-Mustapha, Others As AA Candidates". saharareporters.com. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Silas, Don (2023-02-21). "2023 Election: Al-Mustapha makes clarification on allgedly stepping down for Atiku". Daily Post Nigeria. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Ukpe, William (2023-03-01). "INEC declares Tinubu winner of the 2023 Presidential Election". Nairametrics. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ISBN 1-56432-238-6.
- ISBN 0-275-97881-8.
- ISBN 1-4349-9384-1.
- ISBN 1-4269-4508-6.