Almustapha Hamza

Hamza Al-Mustapha, born on 27 July 1960 in Nguru, is a retired Nigerian Army major and intelligence officer who served as Chief Security Officer to Head of State General Sani Abacha from 1993 until his death in June 1998. His family background is Hausa, and he was educated locally before enrolling at the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna.

After being commissioned into the Nigerian Army in 1983, Al-Mustapha served as an intelligence operative. Between August 1985 and August 1990, he held a role of significant influence under General Sani Abacha’s command, though his exact position (like ADC) was later clarified to be that of Chief Security Officer.

His tenure under Abacha marked him with exceptional responsibilities, including counter-intelligence operations, investigations into coup attempts, and extensive deployments in international missions such as Chad, Liberia, Bakassi, Gambia, and Sierra Leone. He reorganized Nigeria’s administrative zones into six geopolitical regions, establishing a network of informants nationwide.

Al-Mustapha’s role under Abacha included overseeing elite military-security organizations and maintaining the regime’s security. His influence was so profound that even his superiors respected him greatly; former officials like Major-General Abdulkareem Adisa testified to his pivotal role in the Abacha regime’s stability.

Following General Sani Abacha’s death on 8 June 1998, Al-Mustapha was removed from office and arrested for alleged crimes, including a suspected involvement in the assassination of Kudirat Abiola. He faced multiple trials, torture, solitary confinement, and psychological abuse during his detention at Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison.

Despite appeals from former military president Ibrahim Babangida and acquittals on most charges by 2013, Al-Mustapha was convicted in 2012 of the murder of Kudirat Abiola. The Court of Appeal overturned this conviction in 2013, but he remains legally implicated in the case.

After his release, Al-Mustapha relocated to Kano and entered politics, founding the Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) in 2017. He ran unsuccessfully for president in both 2019 (PPN) and 2023 (Action Alliance), where he was disqualified due to procedural disputes but continued campaigning, splitting the party’s factions.

Throughout his career, Al-Mustapha has been accused of various crimes, including drug trafficking via diplomatic pouches, involvement in coup plots against Obasanjo, and alleged attempts on the lives of Abiola, Ibru, and Porbeni. His political and military legacy remains controversial, marked by both influence under Abacha and enduring legal controversies.