Abacha's arrest sparks riots
2002-09-21 10:20
Kano, Nigeria - Police released, then re-arrested, the son of Nigeria's former dictator after three years in jail awaiting trial on charges of corruption and money-laundering. The moves sparked an angry demonstration on Friday by thousands of Abacha supporters.
Authorities gave no clear reason for either the release on bond or the re-arrest of Mohammed Abacha, who is the son of the late General Sani Abacha, Nigeria's military ruler from 1993 until his death in 1998.
On Thursday evening, prison officials escorted the younger
Abacha to court to sign bail documents, following a decision by the High Court in the capital of Abuja in July to grant bond of 10 million naira ($80 000).
Yet a convoy of heavily armed police took Abacha back into
custody as he was leaving the court and whisked him away after a
scuffle with Abacha family members.
Thousands of Abacha supporters marched on Friday to the palace of the emir, or traditional Muslim ruler, of the northern city of Kano, angrily calling for his release.
The demonstrators, chanting "Let our young man go," remained
peaceful amid a heavy security presence prompted by fears of
violence.
Danlami Hamza, a federal legislator from Kano and close friend
of the Abacha family, warned that sympathisers of the Abacha family were "restive" and "contemplating taking the law into their own hands."
Witch hunt
Hadi Mustapha, an Abacha family spokesperson, accused President Olusegun Obasanjo of conducting a "witch hunt" against the family because they are northern, and Muslim. Obasanjo is a southern Christian.
Obasanjo's government has come under intense pressure in
predominantly Muslim northern Nigeria to release Abacha ahead of
next year's presidential vote. Obasanjo has said he will run for
re-election.
In May, Obasanjo's government signed an out-of-court settlement with the Abacha family calling for the return of billions of dollars in looted funds in European banks while allowing the family to keep a $100m share.
During five years of rule, Abacha and his cronies imprisoned,
tortured and occasionally killed political opponents and embezzled billions of dollars in state funds. He came to power after the military annulled 1993 elections which a southern businessman, Moshood Abiola, was widely believed to have won.
In July, Nigeria's Supreme Court acquitted the younger Abacha on charges of murdering Abiola's wife Kudirat, a leading junta
opponent, six years ago.
Mohammed Abacha remains popular in the northern city of Kano,
where family members still live.
Obasanjo was elected in 1999, ending decades of military rule.
The democratic transition was made possible by the death of Abacha of apparent heart attack a year earlier. - Sapa-AP
- SAPA