By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
The Supreme Court has definitively ended the murder trial of former Chief Security Officer, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd), over the 1996 killing of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, MKO Abiola.
In a unanimous ruling on Friday, the apex court dismissed the case, citing Lagos State’s complete abandonment of the appeal.
Justice Uwani Aba-Aji, presiding, noted that the state had failed to take any legal steps for over nine years despite being granted permission in 2014 to challenge an appellate court’s decision.
Lagos State, which had sought to overturn Al-Mustapha’s 2013 acquittal by the Court of Appeal, was absent from the proceedings and had filed no documents since the Supreme Court’s 2014 order gave it a 30-day window to act.
Al-Mustapha’s counsel, Paul Daudu, successfully argued that the state had lost all interest, urging the court to dismiss the matter entirely.
“The appellant has abandoned the case,” Justice Aba-Aji declared, stating that nine years was more than sufficient for Lagos to pursue the appeal.
The court also expressed displeasure that the state offered no representation or explanation despite receiving hearing notices since 2020.
This ruling seals the legal saga that began with Al-Mustapha’s 2012 death sentence by a Lagos High Court for his alleged role in Kudirat Abiola’s murder, a sentence overturned on appeal in 2013 due to insufficient evidence.
The Supreme Court’s dismissal closes the final chapter, affirming Al-Mustapha’s acquittal.