Young Yoruba nationalists on Sunday defended the integrity of the late leader of Afenifere, Chief Abraham Adesanya.
The nationalists, who worked with Adesanya as members of the political committee of the pan-Yoruba organisation in a statement, said they had been motivated by the exemplary leadership of the late senator who led an uncommon life of discipline, self denial and accountability.
Signed by Jimi Agbaje, Dayo Adeyeye, Akinyemi Onigbinde, Funminiyi Afuye, Yinka Odumakin, the nationalists said they had “watched with trepidation the national hysteria over the courtroom testimonies” of the former chief security officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Major. Hamza al-Mustapha.
Al-Mustapha is facing charges for the murder of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“We have watched with trepidation the tragedy of a nation with fallen ethos slipping into hysteria over the cheap innuendoes and courtroom fables from Major Al Mustapha as he opened his ‘defence’ in the murder charges levelled against him,” the group said.
The group alerted the nation to be wary of the al-Mustapha’s testimony and not be swayed by his posture of innocence in the sordid events he coordinated while he was CSO to Abacha.
“It is against this background that we believe it would amount to sinful silence not to raise our voices in a season of moral crisis where a murder accused is taking advantage of the national fickleness of the minds to rake mud against the memory of the late Adesanya and his deputy, Chief Bola Ige, to muddle his role in the murder of Amazon Kudirat Abiola,” the statement said.
The group stressed that the salient issues must remain in “the public domain and not ‘the cheap innuendoes and courtroom fables” of the suspect on trial.
“We are of the firm conviction that Nigeria still has to inquire into the events of June and July 1998 for posterity but the matter at Igbosere High Court is the murder of Kudirat,” the group added.
By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
The nationalists, who worked with Adesanya as members of the political committee of the pan-Yoruba organisation in a statement, said they had been motivated by the exemplary leadership of the late senator who led an uncommon life of discipline, self denial and accountability.
Signed by Jimi Agbaje, Dayo Adeyeye, Akinyemi Onigbinde, Funminiyi Afuye, Yinka Odumakin, the nationalists said they had “watched with trepidation the national hysteria over the courtroom testimonies” of the former chief security officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Major. Hamza al-Mustapha.
Al-Mustapha is facing charges for the murder of Kudirat Abiola, the wife of the winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
“We have watched with trepidation the tragedy of a nation with fallen ethos slipping into hysteria over the cheap innuendoes and courtroom fables from Major Al Mustapha as he opened his ‘defence’ in the murder charges levelled against him,” the group said.
The group alerted the nation to be wary of the al-Mustapha’s testimony and not be swayed by his posture of innocence in the sordid events he coordinated while he was CSO to Abacha.
“It is against this background that we believe it would amount to sinful silence not to raise our voices in a season of moral crisis where a murder accused is taking advantage of the national fickleness of the minds to rake mud against the memory of the late Adesanya and his deputy, Chief Bola Ige, to muddle his role in the murder of Amazon Kudirat Abiola,” the statement said.
The group stressed that the salient issues must remain in “the public domain and not ‘the cheap innuendoes and courtroom fables” of the suspect on trial.
“We are of the firm conviction that Nigeria still has to inquire into the events of June and July 1998 for posterity but the matter at Igbosere High Court is the murder of Kudirat,” the group added.
By Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja Courtesy Of: Punch
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