The Lagos State Government has said that it will take appropriate actions after ‘critically’ studying judgment of the Appeal Court that set free Major, Hamza al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
Al-Mustapha was sentenced to death by hanging by Justice Mojisola Dada of a Lagos High Court, but the Federal Court of Appeal, that sat today in Lagos discharged and acquitted him along his co-conspirators, Alhaji Lateef Shofolahan over the murder of wife of winner of the June 12, 1993 election, Alhaja Kudirat Abiola.
But the appellate court in a unanimous decision held that the appeals of Al-Mustapha and Shofolahan succeeded and acquitted and discharged them.
The lead judgement in both appeals was read by a Justice of the Court of Appeal (JCA), Justice Rita Pemu. Reacting to the judgement. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Lateef Ibrogba said the state would look at the judgement and take decision on the judgement.
“As a government, we study the judgement and from there we will take decision on what next to do. We are convinced that he has case to answer that was why we prosecuted him. There is need for us to study the judgement to know what to do. We are going to study the judgement. Until we see the full detail of the judgement, that is when we know what to do. The plan over to challenge the judgement or not will be taken after we have read the judgement. We want to see the judgement before taking decision,” he said.
