MKO Abiola: Abdulsalami’s Govt Killed My Father Says Son, Jamiu

Jamiu Abiola, son of the late business mogul and winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election, MKO Abiola, yesterday, faulted the recent claim by former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd), that Abiola was not killed but died after falling ill in detention.

Abubakar said, recently, in an interview, that MKO Abiola was not killed but died after falling ill in detention.

The former Head of State also debunked claims that Abiola took poisoned tea, which led to his death.

But Jamiu, in a chat with Vanguard, said his father was killed by Abubakar’s government, adding that Abubakar’s account of the actual death of his father is irrelevant for several reasons.

His words: “It is like a final act in a play like the death of Julius Caesar. When we speak of the death of a political opponent the government can be liable in two ways.

“The person may be killed directly like in the case of my mother who, as you know, was shot by Sergeant Rogers acting on behalf of the then military government.

“Or the person may be killed indirectly by allowing him to die as in the case of my father.

“Trying to pin down my father’s death on poison would be a waste of time since there was an autopsy report and it did not state poison as the cause of his death even though that might still be possible as far as I am concerned, depending on the type of poison.”

Conceding that Abiola had a heart problem, Jamiu said: “But my father did have heart problems and General Abdulsalami knew that.

“The general public knew too. Even those who saw him the night before his death said he was not well, so why was he not given proper medical attention?

“Why were the likes of Kofi Annan allowed to see my father weeks after Abacha died, but my family members were only allowed to see him a day before? Did my father even know who Kofi Anan was?

“My mother had been murdered in cold blood, and yet it did not even cross his mind to allow my father to see us after such a tragic loss.

“He was more interested in getting foreign diplomats to talk to my father and persuade him to relinquish his mandate so that he (Abdulsalami) could enjoy a more legitimate stay in power.

“If an armed robber comes to your house and tries to steal your money, try to stand in his way and see what happens.

“When people cheat you and you insist on retrieving what belongs to you, they may kill you. But God will judge. By the time we die we, will all reap what we sow.”