Former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the General Sani Abacha, Major Hamzat Al-Mustapha, has absolved his former boss of stealing public funds, saying all the reference to ‘Abacha’s loot’ by successive governments are false and deliberate attempts to smear his name even in death.

Al-Mustapha made the declaration at a media interaction at the Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos on Monday. He explained that the funds described as loots were kept in foreign accounts to forestall threats of sanction against the then military government by the international community so that the country could survive.

Al-Mustapha said the move was made after due consultations with the relevant stakeholders.

He said: “During the time of Abacha, sanctions were threatened upon Nigeria. And at the request of some notable Nigerians, including traditional rulers, key politicians, and businessmen from the North and South, some modalities were taken to allow some monies to be saved in some foreign accounts abroad so that when sanctions come, that money will be able to keep Nigeria afloat. At that time, Chief Tom Ikime, was the foreign affairs minister.

“These stakeholders can still testify to what that money was meant for. And I can remember many of the big men who attended the Abuja meeting where this decision was taken. They were many that the council hall in the Villa could not contain them. There are many big men you can ask to get all these issues.

“The lodgments will show whether those monies were kept in his name before he became Head of State, and whether the monies were kept in his name after he became Head of State,” he added.

He said the people behind the smear campaign were ‘untouchable Nigerians’ who Abacaha had to deal with in the face of the mounting opposition against his government.

“Gen Abacaha is dead, but those on whose toes he had stepped upon decided to invest in smearing his name,” Al-Mustapha said.

“In Nigeria, over the decades, there were some Nigerians who were bigger than the law, bigger than security agencies, bigger than government in Nigeria. But during Abacha’s tenure, in the course of trying to remove him from office violently, Abacha had to defend himself and he allowed the law to take its course.

“Some notable Nigerians were arrested, they were tried and they never took it in good faith. They have still not forgiven Abacha even at death.”

According to him, the establishment of Petroleum Trust Fund still remains a good testimony of the vision and prudency Abacha brought into the management of the nation’s resources during his regime.

“A that time, oil was $7 yet policies were taken, including PTF so that Nigeria could grow. Little as I was then, I created PTF and it worked,” he said.

Al-Mustapha challenged former President Olusegun Obasanjo to explain to Nigeria what he did with over $7 billion left behind by the late Abacha.