Leader of the Niger- Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPVF, Alhaji Mujahideen Asari-Dokubo, has appealed to Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to former Head of State, late General Sani Abacha to forgive his accusers.
Asari gave the advice on Sunday when he received the former CSO, at his Abuja residence .
He said he believed that Al-Mustapha never killed late Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, saying that his arrest and subsequent incarceration for 15 years was politically motivated.
“For me as a person, I was very convinced that you were not part of what happened because I was very close to Kudirat and I was very close to the Lagos group that was responsible for the judicial manipulation that was going on. And I wrote those things and people said we were paid to write . People believe that anybody who says the truth or has a contrary opinion has been paid to do it,” he said.
Asari, a former National President of Ijaw Youth Council, IYM, while thanking God for sparing the life of Al-Mustapha in prison, urged him to forgive his enemies.
“We just thank God that this is not a period for politics and making political statements but what is important is that truth has prevailed over the hypocrisy of those who wanted to sacrifice an innocent man to satisfy their perceived interest.
“As a brother, I will tell you to forgive all the people who have offended you over these years they have kept you there. Maybe, even if you were around, you would have died. In one way or the other, they would have killed you if you have not been away, but Allah who kept you alive this period of difficulty when it was quite easy to kill you didn’t put it in their mind.
“For me, forgive them. It is when you forgive that you gain more benefits from Allah.
In his remark, Al-Mustapha recalled his troubled times, stressing that he was not found guilty of murdering late Mrs. Abiola.
“You know there were 10 panels I faced in five years. None of these panels found me guilty of anything. My offence was just one: Mrs Abiola’s murder. All in all, I stayed for 5 years, 2 months in solitary detention.”
He said he chose not to assume power during the death of his boss, adding that some people cashed in on his humility and loyalty to the service of the country to punish him unjustly.
The Kano-born military officer, stated that God used him to stabilize the country which was thrown into turmoil at the death of the former Head of State.
“Ours is to serve, preserve the country and I did. If I had wanted, after the death of General Sanni Abacha, this country was to witness another thing. But in our character, ours is to serve the country and I did. Nobody fires one bullet the day General Abacha died. God gave me the courage. But there were so many confusion, so many agitation at that time.
“But God used me to stabilize a course and it is the course that gave birth to this democracy. So, if I had not done so that time, we would have changed the course of history. But because we kept quiet, we were humble and committed to the country, people now turned it around.”
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