Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has said all the loots being recovered by the current administration were stashed in foreign countries by successors of his former boss.
Al-Mustapha made the disclosure while speaking on the Voice of America (VOA) Hausa Service, which was monitored by reporters in Kaduna yesterday.
According to him, there were not more than $200 billion in Nigeria’s foreign reserves when Abacha assumed the mantle of leadership.
The Federal Government, United States and Island of Jersey had, on Monday, signed agreement on the repatriation of $318,460,320 looted by Abacha to Nigeria.
The Muhammadu Buhari-led government had earlier received $320 million also looted by the late former Head of State.
Al- Mustapha queried the source of the report that millions of dollars were stashed in foreign banks by his late boss, describing it as untrue.
He maintained that what is often referred to as “Abacha loot” were monies allegedly stolen after the death of the former leader by those who took over from him.
“But before Abacha died, our foreign reserves rose to over $900 billion,” he claimed.
Al-Mustapha said Abacha had stepped on so many toes while he held forte, stressing that this informed why some people were so angry to sponsor all manner of lies against him.
All the money being repatriated, he stated, “were those stolen by some leaders who served after Abacha’s death.”
He added: “I was forced to implicate the leadership of the defunct Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) under President Muhammadu Buhari then, during the military era.
“If there will be a genuine fight against corruption in Nigeria, many people will be arrested.”
