Mar. 30, 2014
Ameh Comrade Godwin, DailyPost
Gunmen suspected to be soldiers, Friday evening, raided one of the homes of Major Hamza Al Mustapha (rtd), former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.
The attack was carried out at one of his mansions located in Durbin, Katsina area of Kano state.
It was gathered that the soldiers, armed with dangerous weapons invaded the place in trucks and reportedly cordoned several streets leading to the house and seized the occupants who were mostly women and children in an operation that lasted for one hour.
Vanguard reports that, Al-Mustapha’s younger brother, identified as Hadi, is also said to be a resident of the house that was ransacked.
Residents said the ‘soldiers’ came in trucks and tanks and, immediately they gained entrance into the building, ordered everyone around to lie face flat on the ground and, at gunpoint, conducted a thorough search of the building.
According to witness, “One Abubakar, reportedly a cousin to Major Al-Mustapha, was maltreated by the troops. He is recuperating at a private hospital.”
The source that the wife of Hadi, Al Mustapha’s brother, was forced, at gunpoint, to conduct the armed men round the building, adding that “the traumatized housewife was immediately taken to a hospital shortly after they left”.
Another source stated, “The invading forces were not friendly, not even the children were spared as the house was ransacked inside out all in the name of searching for an imaginary cache of arms”.
The source added, “The same treatment was meted to those outside. I heard their leader, a colonel, during a telephone conversation, telling the person at the other end that they had not found anything incriminating and that it seemed the information (they had) was not accurate”.
On her part, Hadi said that the family was still yet to recover from the damages done by the men, stressing: “We intend to come up with details of what happened and the action to follow in due course.”
Reacting to the story, the outgoing military spokesman in Kano State, Captain Ikediche Iweha, said, “Haba, we don’t invade houses. If the story you are telling is correct, then it must be the usual routine checks.
“In any case, give me time to verify the matter and get back to you,” he assured.
