How prosecution’s case against Al-Mustapha failed

Facts of the caseThe case of the prosecution is that the appellant conspired with another to murder and allegedly did murder Alhaja Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway opposite Cargo Vision, Ikeja Area of Lagos State.The prosecution called four witnesses, namely: Dr. Ore Falomo (PW1), Barnabas Jabila, a.k.a. Sgt. Rogers (PW2), Mohammed […]

Facts of the case
The case of the prosecution is that the appellant conspired with another to murder and allegedly did murder Alhaja Kudirat Abiola on June 4, 1996, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway opposite Cargo Vision, Ikeja Area of Lagos State.
The prosecution called four witnesses, namely: Dr. Ore Falomo (PW1), Barnabas Jabila, a.k.a. Sgt. Rogers (PW2), Mohammed Abdul a.k.a. Katako (PW3) and D.C. Yusuf (PW4), while the appellant called two witnesses and testified himself.
The facts leading to this appeal can aptly be put as follows. This trial started at the Lagos State High Court as ID/43C/99 in which the present appellant with Mohammed Abacha, Rabo Lawal and one Mohammed Abdul were charged with conspiracy and murder. Mohammed Abacha was eventually discharged by the Supreme Court on July 11, 2002, on the ground of non-culpability. The charge metamorphosed into the present charge No ID/37C/2003.
No eyewitness on record
Noteworthy is that the crime, subject matter of this appeal was initially investigated by the Nigeria Police Force at Panti in 1996, a Special Investigative Panel, SIP, and the Agbaje Panel set up in 1998 by the Government of General Abubakar Abdulsalami. The accused persons were absolved of any involvement by the SIP and the Agbaje Panel in the death of the deceased.
On June 4, 1996, the deceased was shot dead. There was no eyewitness on record to the actual crime, but one Dr. Mark Adesina whose statement is recorded at pages 10-18 of Vol. 1 of the Record of Appeal and whose name is listed as number one in the list of witnesses at the back of the information but was never called as a witness. PW1 – Dr. Ore Falomo witnessed the removal of a white bullet which was taken by the police. He testified that the deceased died after a head surgery and after her second cardiac arrest. Autopsy was conducted on the deceased. After the commission of the crime, some members of the Abiola household were suspected of the commission of the crime. At the trial, the prosecution called four (4) witnesses, PW1, PW2, PW3, and PW4 respectively, while the appellant called two (2) witnesses.
Al-Mustapha
PW1 – Dr. Oreoluwa Falomo testified that he was going to Ikosi on the 4th of June 1996 when he saw people running in front and thought it was an accident. He, as an orthopaedic surgeon thought he could help. He then saw Alhaja Kudirat Abiola slumped on the back of the car and the driver also shot. He recognised them as he had known these victims before. He arranged for a vehicle to rush them to the hospital. The deceased had been shot on the forehead and was bleeding from that spot. The driver had also been shot, but his condition was not as bad as that of the deceased.
One Dr. Ogunbanjo, informed him that the victims were in Eko Hospital. He went there and saw the deceased and a consultant who advised an urgent surgery. Two neurosurgeons agreed to work together. Alhaja Kudirat Abiola was still unconscious and bleeding.
She was operated on and a special bullet that was not commonly seen was extracted from her skull. The operation lasted about two to three hours. She suffered a cardiac arrest. She appeared stabilized, but she suffered another cardiac arrest and she passed on.
A post mortem examination was performed on her body by one Dr. Alimi, who issued a report. He took part in moving the body to her house for burial. He made statement to the Police.
He told Police that it was a 5th Columnist in the Government that killed the deceased, going by the look of the bullet. The Police took the bullet away and never released it to them after the post mortem examination. He had told the Police that the bullet belonged to the family of the deceased in mediolegal term.
He had known the Abiola family and indeed was the personal physician and friend to the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola. He was very very close to the family.
Under cross-examination he said he had not trained as a ballistician, but he described what he observed as a doctor. He did say that the Police took away the spent bullet by force and said they needed it for investigation. The Police were picking and choosing what they wanted him to write in his statement. He had made many statements, about four, but he is surprised that he is shown only one.
He testified that he had met the appellant before, and indeed he facilitated his visit to Late Chief M.K.O. Abiola when he was in detention at Aso Rock Villa. He was not shown Exhibit “A1″ before he came to court. It was his first time of seeing the document since he made it.
PW2 is Barbarnas Jabila, alias Sgt. Rogers. He is a soldier of the rank of a Sergeant. He worked with the strike force in the Presidential Villa in Abuja, before joining the Nigerian Army January 1987, and trained as a peashooter Antitank Commander, Strike Security Force, an anti-terrorist outfit and attended a special course in North Korea. He knows the appellant as the Chief Security Officer to Late General Sani Abacha. Rabo Lawal was the officer in charge of Mobile Police in the Presidential Villa. The appellant used to send him and Rabo Lawal on assignment, and Rabo Lawal used to lead them when on assignment. His duty is to provide security as assigned by the appellant as Special Anti-terrorist outfit and other special assignments. One Lateef Shofolahan used to give them information.
He knows the deceased, and the appellant gave them order to eliminate her because she was doing some bad things against the state. When she came back from Burkina Faso, the appellant gave them the order to move in and provided logistics that they should stay at Dodan Barracks.
O/C Mopol took them to Alhaji Lati who in turn took them to Abiola’s home. That Alhaji Lati gave them information that the deceased would soon move out. As soon as the deceased came out, he opened fire. That one Rabo Lawal gave money to Lateef Shofolahan to give them. The date in which he opened fire on the deceased was the 4th of June 1996. He returned the arm to the appellant through his orderly, Karo who confirmed receipt. The gun looked like MP5.
He was shocked that the secret leaked. It was not supposed to leak, as he was doing his job. The appellant told him to keep quiet and that he should deny everything. At that time, Abacha had died.
On the day of the incident, they drove a 504 station wagon given to them by Dodan Barracks. The deceased was in a white Mercedes Benz. As she drove out of her premise, they trailed the Mercedes Benz to one roundabout, where the people in the Mercedes Benz dropped one small girl. The vehicle moved towards Alausa Secretariat and they trailed it until they got to an express road. They went closer and he opened fire at the car directly. After that he told Katako to drive him back to Dodan Barracks.
Foreign posting
Under cross-examination, he did testify that all he had said in examination-in-chief concerning the alleged involvement of the appellant were things he was told to say by the federal government and the Lagos State government. And that there are certain things which the Lagos State government does not know.
The Attorney General of Lagos State, Yemi Osibanjo, and the Solicitor General of Lagos State, and many others of Lagos State visited him when the case was being investigated by the SIP. The SS facilitated the visits of SSS because he was in their cell. He was given a promise by the authorities for agreeing to be a witness in this case. He was promised a house, job for himself and his wife, security for his family and a foreign posting. His wife was moved to Abuja from Jaji where she was given an initial monthly allowance of N15,000, but later increased to N20,000. The money got to her through SSS.
Anytime the authorities visited him in the SSS cell where he was detained, they gave him money. Chief Bola Ige gave him N100,000.00. His handset and link was given to him by the Attorney General of Lagos State. He agreed to testify against the appellant as part of his duties to the State. In 2005, in spite of the promises which the State made, he was being paid half salary. The promises made to him were not fulfilled.
His statement of September 29, 1999 was made during the SIP, and that was the time that they discussed what they would give him. The statement was a response to the promise. During the SIP, and SSS officer prostrated to him and said he would be told to go and on the way he would be killed. He was afraid and cooperated.

To be continued