Former Chief Security Officer to late General Sani Abacha, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha was back in court on Monday to face cross examination after he testified for three days last week.

Responding to questions from the prosecution, the solicitor-general of Lagos state, Mr Pedro Lawal, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha said the statement he made in October 1999, admitting complicity in the murder, was extracted from him under duress by the Special Investigative Panel (SIP) set up by the State Security Service.

"The statement was declared as my visa to Lagos by members of the SIP," he said. "The statement was a dictation, while I was blue-flamed from a nylon paper and also because my brother was in detention and I was allowed to see my children for the first time in the 12 months that I was detained. I also did it because they would let me go to the prison and have access to a lawyer."

He stated that late General Sani Abacha became Head of State after a consensus of the military and civilian came together to remove the interim government and change the course of history.

Al-Mustapha revealed that General Abacha was the most hated and misunderstood head of state in Nigeria, but maintained that the coup marked a "change of course in the political history of Nigeria, which was always agreed on by a consensus of military and civilian leaders," adding that "the person who suddenly found himself in power (Shonekan) called for rescue. No military government ever comes into existence on its own without an agreement between the military and some civilian leaders, and this marriage is continuous until when personality clashes comes in, causing a rift."

Speaking on the murder of late Kudirat, he denied knowing the late NADECO chieftain Pa Abraham Adesanya, Sulia Adedeji and Alfred Rewane, Al-Mustapha denied having any knowledge of their murder and maintained that he read the stories in the news. "I heard of their deaths in the news," Al-Mustapha said.

Adedeji and Rewane were also murdered by suspected agents of the then military government, while Pa Adesanya survived an assassination attempt.

He also denied knowledge of the attempted murder of the publisher of Guardian newspaper, Chief Alex Ibru, and former Sports Minister, Mr Isaac Porbeni.

He admitted that National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) was an opposition group to Abacha's regime, but added that the military was, indeed the biggest opposition to regime, claiming that "we contained over four coup attempts" from the military during that period.

Speaking on his relationship with the then Military government, he affirmed that the government he was part of arrested some of those people, but claimed he knew nothing about the arrests.

"If I had being part of the council that ordered their persecutions, I would not be here (court) today," he said. "The agencies responsible for their arrest should be in this court for their duties, but I am the sacrificial lamb."

Still holding on to his innocence, he however testified that he visited the late Chief Abiola to condole with him in detention after hearing about the late Kudirat’s death, revealing that he went with a copy of the Koran and a diary.

Al-Mustapha stated that the then Inspector General of Police signed the arrest warrant of the late MKO Abiola.

"The arrest was not under my control. He was brought under my watch in Abuja after he complained about the police around him. I paid ₦800,000 quarterly for cooking his meals," he said. "Those people who stood against Abiola are people that are high up there that cannot be brought to court." He said the questions prosecution should ask is what happened on the day Abiola died.

"He slumped with his face down, how come all those that are in the room didn’t help him?" he said.

He, however, affirmed the existence of a special group of bodyguards and the Special Strike Force (SF) during the Military regime.

According to the former CSO, this was to "contain/repel all aggressive/offensive attacks on the government The Strike Force was created on 1/02/1995 and resumed work by 05/1995."

He revealed that the strike force members were sent to Libya while the bodyguards went to North Korea largely because of "their welfare" and not just trainings because "we would even give better trainings here in Nigeria".

Mustapha also admitted sending Rabo Lawal to Lagos thrice, but he said this was to protect Abacha’s property after plans by NADECO to burn the house were uncovered.

He stated that "between the 4th of June, 1996 when Kudirat Abiola and her driver were killed and June 6, 1998 when former Miltary leader, Abacha died, the police investigated her death" and urged the court to demand that the agency make public what they found out.

Mustapha went on to ask the prosecution to put in a request to the court to ask the Abdulsalam administration to release Chief Abiola’s diary as it would shed light on some of the dark spots in the case.

The cross examination continues on Tuesday.