By Ali Alkali
One of the star witnesses in the murder case of Kudirat Abiola, Muhammad Abdul, also known as Katako, who during the trial testified against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha has yesterday said that he was bribed by the government to lie, and that Al-Mustapha is innocent.
Katako made the startling revelation in an interview with the Hausa service of Radio France International (RFI), monitored in Abuja.
“Yes, I lied. But later I reflected over my life and what I will meet in the hereafter. Whatever financial reward one gets here for giving false testimony, one will one day definitely die. So, I realized what I was doing was mortgaging my hereafter, and went back to the court and told them that I lied”, he said.
Asked why he gave the false testimony in the first instance, Katako said, “I was promised so many things. But let me clarify something first. When I was arrested my case had nothing to do with Major Al-Mustapha. I was arrested concerning the issue of Mohammed Sani Abacha. They told me they wanted to recover some money from him and they promised me 10 percent of whatever they will recover, plus a house at any place of my choice. After convicting him, they will also take me to any country of my choice.
“Then later, they brought Al-Mustapha’s case, read all the charges against him and told me what to say when I am taken to court. That was how I found myself among the witnesses introduced in court”, he said.
Among the people who lured him into the trap, according to him, were “Colonel Kayode Are (rtd), former Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, former Lagos state Commissioner of Justice, Yomi Oshibanjo and his deputy, Fola Author-Worrey. We sat with these people several times. These are lawyers. I asked them if anything was going to affect me negatively; and they said no. They said I should not worry about any anything. They said these people are your lawyers; they will not lie to you. After all, this is a government case and you are a government witness.”
Katako said he now regrets his action, because as a Muslim he is supposed to be a good person, not the cause of someone’s pains or death.
“But even though I went back to the court earlier and said that I lied, still the court decided to discard my second testimony and based its judgement on the lies I told earlier. That’s why I now want everybody to know the real truth, through other means”, he said.
Asked if the lofty promises made to him were fulfilled, he said: “Only one promise was fulfilled. They bought me a house in Jos,” he said.
He however added that it was not because of the unfulfilled promises that he was spilling the beans, because even if the rest were fulfilled, he will not accept anything from them now.
“My conscience is pricking me; that’s because of my false testimony against an innocent person. That person is now facing death by hanging. If he is killed, his blood is in my hands; and no matter how long I live, one day I must die.
“So, I want the world to know that he is innocent” , Katako concluded.
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