Posted by By Chika Amanze- Nwachuku on
Justice Dan Abutu, presiding over the case of treasonable felony preferred against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha and two others, has adjourned the matter to September 29 and 30, for continuation of trial of the accused persons.
Justice Dan Abutu, presiding over the case of treasonable felony preferred against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha and two others, has adjourned the matter to September 29 and 30, for continuation of trial of the accused persons.
The judge fixed the September date following the annual vacation of the court which commenced August 1.
At yesterday's proceeding, however, a prosecution witness, Dr. Umar Ardo, a Special Assistant to Vice President Abubakar Atiku, told the court that he was unable to confirm the authenticity of the news of the alleged coup plot, after he was informed by one of the alleged coup plotters, Lt. Tahil Abdallah, that there were moves by some people to topple the government of President OLusegun Obasanjo.
The witness, who had in his evidence-in-chief, testified that Abdallah told him about the alleged moves by Al-Mustapha and others to overthrow the Federal Government, of which he (Abdallah) has been recruited to acquire the weapons and recruit foreign mercenaries, said at cross-examination by Olalekan Ojo, Al-Mustapha's lead counsel, that from the time he got the information till date, he could not confirm the authenticity of the information.
Ardo said the security team, led by the Chief Security Officer to the Vice President, who effected the arrest of the informant did not ask him to make any statement in his (Ardo) presence.
He was also not aware of any relationship between the informant and Al-Mustapha, before March 8, 2004, when he (Abdallah) approached him and would not know why the informant did not report the news of the alleged coup to his commandant first before coming to him (Ardo).
Asked why he did not ask the informant why he rejected seeing the President's Chief of Staff, the witness, said he did ask not such question, because the informant had earlier given him the condition that he was not going to talk to anybody other than the Vice President.
He said he did not ask Abdallah why he never reported such alleged moves to topple the government to State Security Service, and the National Security Adviser.