Al-Mustapha Stop Defending The Indefensible, Abacha Truly Stole Our Commonwealth

Abacha

I was bemused this morning when I read a story in LEADERSHIP Newspaper, entitled: “Abacha, Abiola Were Killed By Same ‘Forces,’ Says Al-Mustapha”.
The story was based on an interview the former chief security officer (CSO) to the late head of state General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha granted journalists in Lagos.
If Al-Mustapha had restricted himself to the account on how Abacha and Abiola was killed by same ‘forces’, it would not have mattered to me. But when he wants to stand history on its head to claim that “There was nothing like Abacha loot”, he needed to be confronted with facts and figures.
According to the said report Al-Mustapha said that most of the funds recovered in different parts of the world were kept there by the Abacha government in anticipation of sanctions likely to be imposed on the country by the international community.

This cannot be true. If you want to hide money in anticipation of sanctions by Western Powers, does it make common sense to keep your savings in Western Banks where they can confiscate it with ease when they impose the sanctions? Right from 1979 following the Islamic Revolution in Iran the West imposed sanction on the country and its leaders. Their money in Western Banks including in the United States was seized. It was only after President Barack Obama restored relation with the Islamic country this year that they are talking about de-freezing  Iranian assets in US banks.

Is Al-Mustapha kidding me that between 1994 and 1998 when Abacha was head of state, about 19 years after Iran was under sanction, that Abacha administration did not know that Western Banks will expose them when sanction begins? If Abacha was sincere why did he not keep the billions of dollars in Eastern European or Asian banks? The truth is that the money was stolen. Period.

Below is except from my soon to be published book entitled: “NIGERIA: Corruption Unlimited”. Read part of the section I dedicated to lootings by General Sani Abacha, with reference for further reading. Enjoy:

“Investigations carried out by the General Abdulsalami and Chief Olusegun Obasanjo governments revealed that between November 17, 1993 and June 8, 1998, when Abacha held sway as the maximum dictator, he treated the treasury the way General Idi Amin of Uganda treated its country’s treasury; like a hapless cow milked for a certain death. Abacha not contented with raping the country through kickbacks from inflated contracts, on many occasions dipped his hands into the vaults of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where the strong currencies of the United States of America and British held out great attraction for him.

“It was revealed that on March 25, 1994 alone, Abacha stole $37.6 million from the CBN. Ismaila Gwarzo, his National Security Adviser, NSA, was allegedly his main pointsman in looting the apex bank. Gwarzo reportedly told a Special Investigation Panel, SIP, set  up to unearth the Abacha loots that the late Head of State sent his special assistant to the bank between June 1996 and October 1997 to collect a total sum of $456million and £232 million for him.

“Below shows a breakdown of money allegedly stolen on each trip to the Central Bank on behalf of Abacha.

February 15, 1995 -$4 million and £2 million

February 17, 1995 -$4 million and £2 million

February 27, 1995 -$4 million and £2 million

July 8, 1995 -$5 million, £2 million and another £2 million in traveller’s cheques

December 29, 1995 -$5 million

March 28, 1996 – Abacha requested for $5 million and £3 million. The CBN ran out of foreign currencies. It paid  him only $3.801 million. He was said to be very angry but collected the money grudgingly.

May 29, 1996 -$5 million and £5 million. The bank ran out of pound sterling and sent $12.5 million to Abacha.

June 20, 1996 -$10 million  and £5 million, August 20, 1996 -$30 million and £15 million

September 24, 1996 -$5 million, September 30, 1996 -$50 million and £3milion.

October 14, 1996 -$5 million, November 11, 1996 -$5 million and £3 million

 February 18, 1997 -$6 million, February 28, 1997 -$3 million

March 3, 1997 -$3.27 million, March  6, 1997 -$ 1.21 million

April 22, 1997 -$60 million, april 28, 1997 -$60 million and £30 million

June 30, 1997 -$4.9 million, July 9, 1997 -$5 million and £2 million

August 8, 1997 -$10 million, October 18, 1997 -$12.3 million

October 21, 1997 -£5.88 million, October 23, 1997 -£14.76 million

October 29, 1997 -$24 million, December 10, 1997 -$24 million

December 18, 1997 -£6.15 million

WHERE THE MONEY WAS KEPT

“After the death of Abacha, investigators in Nigeria, Europe and America stumbled on over 130 bank accounts at home and abroad where some of the stolen money was kept.

“The banks are:

Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, ANZ, London Branch, ANZ, New York, ANZ, Frankfurt, Bank in Liechtenstein A.G. Vaduz, Bank Len, Zurich, Bankers Trust Company, London, Bankers Trust Company, Frankfurt, Bankers Trust Company, New York, Banque Barring Brothers, Geneva, Barclays Bank, New York, Barclays Bank, London, Banque, Edonard Constant, General Banque Nationale De Paris, Geneva Banque Nationale De Paris, London.

Banque Nationale De Paris, Basle, Citibank N.A. London, Citibank N.A. New York, Citibank N.A. Luxembourg, Citibank Zurich, Credit Lyonnais, New York Credit Suisse, New York, credit Suisse, General, Credit Suisse, Zurich, Dentche Morgan Grenfell, Jersey FIBI Bank (Schweiz) A.G. Zurich, First Bank of Boston, London, First Bank of Nigeria Plc, London, Goldman Sachs and Company Zurich, Gothard Bank, General Inland Bank (Nigeria) Plc, Lagos, Bank, Vaduz, Leichtenstein Landesbank, Vaduz M.M. Warburg and Company, Luxembourg, M.M. Warburg and Company Zurich, M.M. Warburg and Company, Hamburg, Marrill Lynch Bank, London, Nigerian Intercontinental Merchant Bank Limited, Lagos, Paribus, London, Paribus, General, royal Bank of Scotland, Leeds Standard Bank London Limited, London, UBS AG, Zurich UBS AG, Geneva, Union Bancaire Privee, Geneva,  Union Bancaire Privee, London, Union Bank Of Nigeria, London Branch, universal Trust Bank of Nigeria Limited, Lagos, Verwaltungs  Und Private Bank A.G, Vaduz.

Source: Tell Magazine, October 7, 2002.

“In all these revelations, of greater concern to most Nigerians is what they considered the alleged unaccountable nature of how the government of Abdulsalami Abubakar and that of Obasanjo spent the returned loots leading many to allege that the Abacha loots was in turn looted.”