The Supreme Court has brought a definitive end to the long-running trial of Hamza Al-Mustapha, dismissing the case linking him to the assassination of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the presumed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Moshood Abiola.
In its judgment delivered on Thursday, the apex court upheld the decision of the Court of Appeal which had, in 2013, quashed Al-Mustapha’s conviction and death sentence imposed by a Lagos High Court in 2012. The Supreme Court held that the prosecution failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt, as required under criminal law.
Kudirat Abiola was shot dead on June 4, 1996, in Lagos at the height of Nigeria’s military rule under the late Head of State, Sani Abacha. Her killing became one of the most high-profile political assassinations of the era, widely linked to the repression of pro-democracy activists following the annulment of the June 12 election.
Al-Mustapha, who served as Chief Security Officer to Abacha, was arrested in 1998 after the end of military rule and arraigned alongside others on charges of conspiracy and murder. After spending several years in detention and standing trial, he was convicted by a Lagos High Court and sentenced to death by hanging in January 2012.
However, the Court of Appeal overturned the conviction in July 2013, citing major weaknesses in the prosecution’s case. The appellate court noted contradictions in the testimonies of key witnesses, lack of direct evidence linking Al-Mustapha to the murder, and reliance on hearsay and disputed confessional statements.
In affirming that decision, the Supreme Court agreed that the evidence presented by the prosecution was insufficient and unreliable, and that the lower court was right to enter a verdict of acquittal. The ruling effectively forecloses any further legal action against Al-Mustapha in relation to the case.
The judgment brings to a close nearly three decades of legal proceedings connected to the murder, but it has also revived public debate about unresolved political killings during Nigeria’s years of military rule. While the court’s decision settles the legal fate of Al-Mustapha, the question of who was ultimately responsible for Kudirat Abiola’s assassination remains unanswered.
Abuja Network News
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