Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, the former Chief Security Officer to the late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has once again defended his late boss, claiming that the widespread allegations of Abacha looting Nigeria’s funds are unfounded.
In a recent interview with the BBC, Al-Mustapha insisted that the funds associated with Abacha’s regime were actually used to sustain Nigeria’s struggling economy during difficult times, and not siphoned for personal gain as widely reported.
“At that time, the government was running under a lot of hardship. There was no money. So, we went to Libya with several people to learn how they were surviving. Libya had faced sanctions for 11 years,” Al-Mustapha said.
According to him, after studying Libya’s survival strategies under sanctions, the Abacha-led government introduced policies allowing Nigerian-owned companies to access government support. These companies, he explained, were able to purchase goods and sell them to citizens at more affordable prices.
“These were the things we copied, and by God’s grace, Nigerians were not crushed. But after Abacha died, some people didn’t return the money. Instead, they created many false stories against him,” he added.
Al-Mustapha also questioned the evidence behind claims of Abacha’s looting.
“I don’t believe the money they say was returned to Nigeria was in Abacha’s name. The money was kept in national accounts to support this economic plan. Some returned it, others hid it.”
“Did Abacha ever travel abroad? Were the funds found with his signature? Or did anyone catch him transferring money? No,” he stressed.
When asked about Nigeria’s current democratic system, Al-Mustapha acknowledged that while political structures have improved, the living standards of ordinary Nigerians have not.
“Democracy is good, but using it in a way that harms the people is a big problem,” he concluded.
