The second defence witness in the ongoing trial of Major Hamza Al-Mustapha yesterday told a Lagos High Court in Igbosere how he was detained and tortured in order to confirm that the accused person was involved in the murder of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
Kyari Gadzama who was the orderly to Al-Mustapha when he was the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, informed the trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada that despite the level of torture meted out on him by the members of the Special Investigation Tribunal, he stood his ground that he knew nothing about the issues for which he was being investigated.
Gadazama who was led in evidence by defence counsel, Olalekan Ojo, said that he was first arrested on the ground that he deserted duty. He said after the death of Abacha, Al-Mustapha was posted out after he had handed over to a new CSO, Major Aliyu.
He said other members of the Strike Force were also posted out. He said this prompted him to also leave the presidential villa. He however, stated that “I was ordered to remain in the villa by the new CSO”.
Gadzama stated that he was later re-arrested and taken to the police headquarters where he was kept in handcuffs and held in a cell for 17 days. He said they later brought in Bashir who was the Security Liaison Officer in the Security Department of the presidential villa to his cell and they were chained together.
“Bashir was telling me strange things that I did not know. He said his own (Al-Mustapha’s) was finished.”
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