Hamza Al-Mustapha, General Sani Abacha’s former Chief Security Officer, has denied charges that his former boss stole Nigerian money and stashed it in foreign nations.
amid an interview with the BBC, he said that the money was utilized to help Nigerians amid difficult economic times.
He argued that the funds were not stolen but rather held in a national account to promote Nigeria’s economic goals.
According to him, “At the time, the government was facing significant challenges. There wasn’t any money. So we traveled to Libya with many other folks to learn how they were surviving. Libya had been sanctioned for 11 years.
He explained that after studying Libya’s system, the Abacha administration implemented a program that enabled Nigerian-owned businesses to obtain government assistance in purchasing commodities and selling them to Nigerians at reasonable costs.
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“We duplicated these things, and by God’s grace, Nigerians were not crushed. However, after Abacha’s death, several people did not return the money. Instead, they fabricated numerous bogus stories about him.
“I do not believe the money returned to Nigeria was in Abacha’s name. The funds were held in national accounts to support this economic strategy. “Some returned it, while others hid it,” he stated.
He questioned the charges further by asking, “Did Abacha ever travel abroad?” Were the funds discovered alongside his signature? Or did someone catch him moving money? No.”
When asked about Nigeria’s democracy, Al-Mustapha acknowledged political progress but claimed that ordinary Nigerians’ lives had not improved.
“Democracy is good, but using it in a way that harms the people is a big problem,” stated the president.
