- Abacha Didn’t Steal, He Saved For Nigeria – Al-Mustapha.
- He claims the funds were misrepresented after Abacha’s death.
- He criticised misuse of democracy, despite political progress.
Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to late military ruler General Sani Abacha, has dismissed long-standing allegations that Abacha stole public funds and hid them abroad.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that in an interview with the BBC, Al-Mustapha claimed that the funds in question were not stolen but strategically used to support Nigerians during difficult economic periods. According to him, the money was kept in national accounts and disbursed through a government policy aimed at stabilising the economy.
“At that time, the government was running under a lot of hardship. There was no money,” he said. “So, we went to Libya with several people to learn how they were surviving. Libya had faced sanctions for 11 years.”
Al-Mustapha explained that the Abacha regime adopted Libya’s economic survival strategies. Nigerian-owned companies, he said, were empowered to buy essential goods with government backing and sell them at affordable rates to citizens.
“These were the things we copied, and by God’s grace, Nigerians were not crushed,” he said. “But after Abacha died, some people didn’t return the money. Instead, they created many false stories against him.”
He further questioned the narrative of looted funds being returned to Nigeria. “I don’t believe the money they say was returned to Nigeria was in Abacha’s name,” Al-Mustapha claimed. “Some returned it, others hid it.”
He also challenged critics to provide evidence linking Abacha directly to any of the foreign accounts. “Did Abacha ever travel abroad? Were the funds found with his signature? Or did anyone catch him transferring money? No,” he insisted.
On Nigeria’s democratic journey, Al-Mustapha acknowledged some progress but criticised the leadership’s approach. “Democracy is good, but using it in a way that harms the people is a big problem,” he concluded.
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