[Naijanet] ADISA ADMITS '97 COUP PLOT
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By Kayode Matthew & Ise-Oluwa Ige
LAGOS — FORMER Minister of Works and Housing, Maj.-Gen. Abdulkareem Adisa who
was sentenced to death along with Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya and others for their
alleged plot to overthrow late Gen. Sani Abacha in 1997 yesterday admitted
there was actually a coup in 1997.
Giving evidence before the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission
(HRVIC) sitting in Lagos, Gen. Adisa said he personally interpreted the
so-called four-point demand to be presented to Gen. Abacha by four generals as
a plan to overthrow the Head of State.
Lt.-Gen. Oladipo Diya had consistently maintained in his oral evidence before
the commission that there was no coup but that he only supported four serving
army generals to present a four-point demand on Gen. Sani Abacha, which
included the foreclosure of his self-succession bid.
The four generals whom he claimed accosted him with the four-point demand
before giving them tacit support for its presentation to Gen. Abacha are the
former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Ishaya Rizi Bamaiyi and Air
Vice-Marshal Idi Musa.
Others include former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2nd Mechanized
Division, Ibadan, Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi and former Director of Military
Intelligence (DMI), Abuja, Brig.-Gen. Sabo Alhaji. All the generals served
under late Gen. Sani Abacha.
Beside the demand on late Gen. Abacha to terminate with immediacy his
intention to succeed himself as the civilian President of Nigeria, the army
generals were also to force on him the following:
*Continued stay of the military in governance;
*sacrosanctity of October 1, 1998 as the hand-over date; and,
*immediate promulgation of the 1995 constitution which many people had worked
on.
According to Gen. Adisa, he said he was informed of the plan by the serving
generals to present the late Head of State with the four-point demand by the
former Chief of General Staff (CGS), Gen. Diya.
But according to him, "I was not impressed by the demands. I even asked Gen.
Diya who informed me of the four-point demand that what about if the late Head
of State refused to consent to them.
"But, he told me that if he does not agree to them, he said we would force him
to consent and to me, this is coup against the government of Gen. Abacha.
Others may not call it a coup, but to my own understanding, it is a coup
because it would involve the use of force."
Earlier, before he mounted the witness box to testify, former Chief of General
Staff (CGS), Gen. Diya was grilled for about four hours on the 1997 coup plot
which he maintained did not exist.
He did not wait to listen to the evidence of Gen. Adisa who was sentenced to
death over the 1997 coup plot. But his lawyer, Chief Kehinde Sofola (SAN),
waited behind to take note of proceedings.
Gen. Adisa who stepped into the witness box at exactly 3.34 p.m. testified on
the 1997 alleged coup plot for 86 minutes.
His testimony threw the commission members, journalists and members of the
public who had come to witness the proceedings into occasional laughter.
Specifically, he spoke on his relationship with the late Head of State, Gen.
Sani Abacha, his Chief Security Officer (CSO), Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Maj.-Gen. Bamaiyi, Lt.-Gen. Diya and other key
players in the late Abacha’s administration. He also spoke on the 1997 coup
plot.
His conduct in the box, his choice of words, made both the commission members
and others present at the sitting venue forget that time had been far spent.
Unlike all others petitioners who gave evidence before the commission, he did
not read his written petition but his lawyer, Chief Awomolo (SAN) methodically
led him in evidence.
The evidence ran thus:
Gen. Adisa, can you tell us how you were arrested?
Thank you (he readjusted himself in the box) I just came back from a social
function which I attended that day. So, Gen. Bamaiyi phoned me to find out
whether I had come back or not and I told him that I had come back. Shortly
after, one major (a military police of the Nigerian Army) swooped on me,
grabbed me on the neck, chained me seriously, pushed me and took me away.
Before I was brought before the Special Investigation Panel (SIP) headed by
Chris Garuba, I was dealt with by Omenka.
Omenka (former commanding officer, Security Group, Military Barracks at
Apapa). That is a big name. A number of people had mentioned his name. He is a
super-human being. He is very intelligent.
Because of his intelligence, they conceded many things to him. Gen. Bamaiyi
sometimes rebuked him because of what he heard about him. How he had been
dealing with people.
But, to me, I feel that Omenka should be brought to book. Wherever he is now,
he should be brought back. Most of the terrible things that happened then
which are now being given as evidence were done by him.
I was not tortured anyway throughout my stay in the cell even though we made
so many statements under so many conditions.
You mean you were not tortured at all?
Well, when I was arrested, I was handcuffed seriously the first day. The
following day, my legs were also chained," he recounted.
At this juncture, Gen. Adisa stood up in the box, craved the indulgence of the
commission to demonstrate with a poster how he was manacled. He showed it to
the commission and the entire audience.
In the picture he was wearing a prisoner’s short-sleeved shirt over a white
short. His hands and legs were chained.
He told the commission, showing his picture: "This is Adisa in action."
Justice Oputa, after he was shown the picture asked him: "And you said you
were not tortured?"
My Lord, what I mean by saying, I was not tortured is that I was not beaten.
Were your property seized after your arrest?
Some of my property were seized but we applied to the present government and
they approved the release of some of our property. But those I listed in my
petition, I have not seen them. They said they had released them but I could
not locate them.
"I tried to find out what happened to two of my vehicles which were seized
when I was arrested. I am happy today because during one of my discussions
with Gen. Bamaiyi here, he told me that he ordered them to be kept somewhere.
I thanked him.
Even my plot of land at Ikoyi was seized and I was told on inquiry at Alausa
who built a magnificent building on it and I was told the land had been given
to Major Al-Mustapha by the former military administrator of the state.
But when I asked Major Al- Mustapha about it, he told me: Walaitalai, I don’t
know anything about it.
But before he could be asked to come out to show the injured knee, Gen. Adisa
had jumped out of the box, rolling up his sokoto. He walked up to the Justice
Oputa’s seat and showed him and other members of the commission.
Justice Oputa jocularly asked him whether he would want to tender the injured
leg as an exhibit in the matter, a joke which threw all present at the sitting
venue into a wild laughter.
What about your eyes?
Yes, I also had problems with my eyes due to the perpetual darkness of the
cell where I was detained. I have done several operations on it in England
although I don’t know the terminology those oyinbos used for it.
There was a bomb blast in Ilorin sometimes in the military era, who do you
think caused it?
Well, I know there was a blast in Ilorin really during a launching. I told the
people that were present then that they should not turn my state to Hiroshima
in Japan. That particular time, I didn’t think the blast was being sponsored
by anybody in the government.
How is the relationship between you and the late Head of State, Gen. Abacha?
Gen. Abacha is my mentor. I cannot deny him anytime. Even though, he is dead,
I cannot deny him. I am a Muslim. Gen. Abacha helped me a lot. When I was to
be made governor, he signed its approval. When there was to be retirement of
some officers in the Nigerian Army, my name was on the list. When he knew, it
was at the studio that he removed it.
I was promoted Major General by him. I cannot forget him. Some of us cannot
express our minds the way they are. But this I always like to do. There are
some green grass under the green snake (He wanted to say some people are like
green snake in green grass).
Many people benefited form the Aso Rock during the time of late Abacha. A
number of them then were hiding.
But they said sometimes when Abacha was still alive that you were campaigning
for him to become President?
Yes, they labelled me as chief campaigner but I never mounted any rostrum
saying, "Vote for Abacha."
Although that time, I was asked that if he (Abacha) becomes President what
would I do. I told the journalists who asked me that time that Nigeria will
not be the first country in Africa where such happens. I know some of those
journalists are here today.
Were you among those that eased off Chief Ernest Shonekan from office via a
palace coup?
Major Al-Mustapha had told you here in his evidence that I was only a member
of Abacha’s inner circle but not a member of his inner caucus.
But I will like to correct an impression to put the record straight. We
overreact. The Interim National Government (ING) had then been declared
illegal that some people wanted to take over.
Gen. Adisa, what is the relationship between you and Major Al-Mustapha like
before the alleged coup?
Before the coup? Major Al-Mustapha is a good officer to me. Even when I was
arrested, he couldn’t look at my face. He gave me respect.
What about you and Gen. Bamaiyi?
Up till now, both of us are still best of friends. Even as COAS, he will
always say yes sir for me. It is condition that makes the crayfish bend.
What about Gen. Sabo and you?
He is my best friend.
What about you and Diya?
He is a very senior officer. I am not close to him. Aziza was still in the NDA
when Diya had passed out.
What is your link with the 4-point demand by some generals to late Gen.
Abacha, who is the originator?
I don’t know the originator, I was told of it by Gen. Diya. He said Bamaiyi
and others told him about it because I am not in the inner caucus."
Gen. Oladipo Diya who continued his oral evidence yesterday told the
commission that the video which was played at the public hearing on Monday
showing him weeping before late Gen. Sani Abacha was misleading.
Under cross-examination by one of the respondents counsel, Gen. Diya said he
met the late Head of State in his house on about two or three occasions and in
the video film showing him as weeping it was not in respect of the coup
allegation.
Gen. Diya recalled that he was not alone with Gen. Abacha in the video shown
and that they were all crying over a pathetic issue except Gen. Abacha
himself.
He also said the video showed him wearing a safari suit but when he met Gen.
Abacha in his house after his (Diya) arrest he was wearing a shirt and a
trouser the same dress he wore when he appeared before the Special Military
Tribunal.
On his encounter with the late Head of State, Gen. Diya said: "I saw Abacha on
December 28, 1997 about a week after my arrest. What we saw in the video did
not take place.
"I did not apply to see the Head of State. It was Major Al-Mustapha who sent
Major Argungu to me that the Head of State wanted to see me and this was about
12 midnight.
"When I got to Abacha, all he asked me was when I knew Bamaiyi and his group
were coming to see him in his house with the four-point demand why didn’t I
tell him?
"I them said Sir, I am sorry but one, we were not in good terms and second I
supported what they were coming to present to you. These were issues which I
had argued with you before."
When he was asked if he was put in chains before he met the Head of State, he
replied, "yes, after my arrest I was handcuffed and chained on the legs.
"But when I wanted to enter a vehicle that would take me to Abacha, the
handcuffs were removed and before I entered to see him, the leg chains were
removed."
He also told the commission that Lt.-Gen. Bamaiyi came to commiserate with him
on hearing about the bomb blast and it was this visit that Bamaiyi now called
a coup meeting.
"I saw Bamaiyi three times once in my office and two times in my house. I
never suspected he was carrying a tape on his chest though I saw that his
chest was bulging out.
"Why should a general carry a tape on his chest to come and meet another
general in order to implicate him?
Is it for money. Position or what.
Answering questions from other counsel, General Diya said "there were
important meetings which General Abacha did not attend because Major Mustapha
told him he should not go.
"An example was a function in which the secretary-general or OAU was attending
the president of Chad was there and other important dignitaries. Abacha had
agreed to attend but in the morning of the meeting, a message was sent to me
that I should go and I had to go.
"Many innocent persons were punished over the alleged coup Professor Odekunle
was charged and convicted for treason for writing a memo to me in 1994 that a
street should be named after Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Abuja."
Diya was further asked if he helped late General Abacha in his self-succession
bid and he said "God forbid, it is not true.
"When Bamaiyi came to me with their four points demand, he was the one who
said if Abacha refuses we will remove him. But my response was that Abacha
will not even refuse if you are really sincere in your mission.
"I have learnt a lot from my experience. Any body coming to my house now will
be searched to ensure he is not carrying any tape on him I have discovered
human beings are unreliable.
"These generals came to me because they wanted to entrap me."
General Diya will continue his evidence today.
Earlier, one of the journalists detained in 1997 by the late Abacha regime,
Mr. Soji Omotunde presented his petition before the commission and narrated
his ordeals in the hands of his captors.
He said that Saturday October 25 1997 at 3.15 p.m. a Peugeot 504 saloon car
crossed his vehicle, stopped him and demanded to know if he was Soji Omotunde.
He explained that when he confirmed he was Soji Omotunde, the men who were
fully armed slapped, and kicked and dragged him into their own car.
"I started shouting my name to members of the public who were watching us as I
did not know who my abductors were.
"They sped off blowing siren to clear the road. I was then taken to a building
where I was handcuffed. And on Sunday October 26, 1997 I was driven to Abuja
and kept in a cell. Interrogation commenced on Monday, while I was quizzed on
a story published in the African Concord Magazine titled: Al-Mustapha -
Ruthless iron man behind Abacha.
"I was also interrogated on another story titled Abacha’s secret fears: Why he
won’t go in 1998.
"I was asked to disclose the source of my information but I refused and as a
result I was kept in a solitary dark cell. I was denied access to my relations
and I was not given medical attention for the first four weeks.
"A federal High Court Lagos ordered my release and awarded N100,000 damages
but these were ignored.
"Everything we published in the magazine had been confirmed from all the
evidence of those who appeared before the commission. Our only regret was that
we didn’t publish everything we had on the story."
Mr. Omotunde therefore urged the commission to award him N50 million to
compensate him for his losses.
Meanwhile, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha has withdrawn his application to testify in
camera over the death of late Chief M.K.O. Abiola in detention.
Mustapha, in his oral evidence before the commission had said some generals
who lost out in the power game killed Abiola but prayed the commission to take
his evidence in camera in view of the threats to eliminate members of the
family.
Commission chairman, Justice Chukwudifu Oputa then asked him to furnish his
counsel with necessary information while filing the application which the
commission will consider whether to grant it or not/
But yesterday, Mr. Amobi Nzelu representing Mustapha said "we have agreed we
will no longer testify in camera. We will now testify in public so that the
public won’t think we are up to a game."
Thursday has been fixed for Mustapha’s evidence on Abiola’s death.
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Vanguard: Transmitted WEDNESDAY, 13th DECEMBER, 2000
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