• How God used me to save Tinubu’s life
• Late dictator locked me up in 32
detention camps for 5 years
From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
A member of the defunct National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) from Ebonyi State, Francis Ede, has disclosed how God used him to rescue Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu from being killed by the military junta of Gen. Sani Abacha.
Ede was among over 290 persons allegedly slated for execution on the orders of the dictator in his desperate attempt to remain perpetually in power.
The dark-goggled maximum ruler had on November 17, 1993, overthrown the contrived interim government of Ernest Shonekan after Military President Ibrahim Babangida stepped aside on August 26, 1993.
Abacha arrested some members of the pro-democracy group and other prominent persons whom he perceived were impediments to his ambition and falsely accused them of plotting to bomb the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Ejigbo Depot in Lagos State.
Ede, who recalled that he was detained at 32 different detention camps for over five years, said that during his travail, on September 12, 1994, he and other accused persons were taken to the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI) where they received the beatings of their lives, before being forced to sign fabricated confessional statements.
“Afterwards, we were taken to the Presidential Task Force on Anti-Abacha led by ACP Zakari Biu at Alagbon, close to Ikoyi, Lagos. Some days later, I was told by one Emma Ogolo that the only condition for my release was to admit that I was sent by the then Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu to bomb the Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Ejigbo Depot. But I refused. Not even their threats could make me capitulate,” he said.
According to Ede, all the detainees were implicated by the government then and possibly to eliminate them in the process over the allegation that they had perpetrated series of bomb blasts across the country purposely to destabilise the government and remove the Head of State from power.
He mentioned some of the detainees to include Tinubu alongside two of his aides, Akeem Apatira and Dr Benson Akintola. Other detainees, according to him, include Senator Polycarp Nwite, Senator Mac Nwulu, Prof Wole Soyinka, Senator Ameh Ebute, Dr Fredrick Fasehun, Olu Falae, Dr Beko Ransome Kuti, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Chief Anthony Enahoro among others.
He added that the oppressors were mean and had dressed the detainees in green robes which signified that they were already condemned persons.
“All the detainees from various parts of the country fell under various false allegations: those who were accused of stirring up disaffection and sedition, those convicted by the Aziza Military Tribunal for alleged coup plot, those linked to the frivolous bomb blasts and the ones arrested for the protest over Kudirat Abiola’s murder.
“After the arrangement for the execution involving execution duty soldiers who gathered at the Kirikiri Maximum Security Prison had been made, fortunately, Gen Sani Abacha died at the early hours of June 8 1998, the very day that we were supposed to be killed,” Ede narrated.
According to him, immediately after Gen. Abudusalami Abubakar took over power, he (the Head of State) withdrew all the charges against some political detainees and ordered their release. But because he did not have the connection or who to speak for him, his freedom was denied, a situation which made him the longest detainee in the Abacha military junta.
He further narrated: “When some human rights groups got wind of my incarceration, their officers intervened and secured my release through court order to the DMI towards the end of 1996. But I was rearrested by other agents on September 12 1997, but eventually luck came my way on May 19 1999, when the Miscellaneous Offences Tribunal, Lagos, presided over by Tijani Abdullahi, discharged and acquitted the rest detainees.
“That was how I regained my freedom after five years and nine months through the effort of Dr Clement Nwankwo of the Constitutional Rights Projects (CRP) and Femi Falana (SAN) of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights.”
In addition, Ede disclosed that the charge levelled against him which was Decree 2, was the highest offence in the world. He described his survival during the periods as the highest miracle of the century and also appealed to be remembered by some of his fellow ex-detainees whose fortunes had changed for good.
He also explained that his ordeal had been looked into by the defunct Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission known as Oputa Panel, established purposely to investigate human rights abuses of the military rules between 1984 and 1999 by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Ede said that N100million was collectively awarded to him and another co-detainee, Chukwuma Mba. But he lamented that perhaps because of lack of connection, nothing has been done about the ruling till date.
He lamented that life has not been easy for him since he regained his freedom as he had lost his means of livelihood and was eventually forced to relocate to Ebonyi, his home state.
The troubled man stated that efforts to connect with his former co-detainees for assistance had not been fruitful, even as he disclosed that he and Mba visited Tinubu at Alausa, while the president was governor of Lagos State.
He recounted: “When we were released from tribunal in Ikoyi on May 19 1999 through the efforts of the then chairman of Constitutional Rights Project, Dr Clement Nwankwo and his other legal colleagues, they took us straight to a medical rehabilitation centre for trauma victims located at No 20 Mbonu Ojike Street, Surulere Lagos. We were later transferred to another rehabilitation centre in Lome, Togo, where they attended to us for some months and then referred us back to the Surulere centre, with a report recommending me for a rehab centre in Boston, USA, which was never attended to till date. I actually suffered enough torture in detention and even had a fracture in my leg.
“But due to the money involved, I went to see Governor Tinubu in Lagos for financial assistance. He gave us the sum of N1 million, but surprisingly and unfortunately, we were hijacked within Lagos Governor’s Office Alausa and the money was taken from us, and we went home empty-handed. Till date, efforts to see Tinubu had been totally blocked.
“However, I must say that Tinubu as Governor really wanted to help us. During my visit to him with another co-detainee from Ebonyi State, Chukwuma Mba, after our brief meeting, he handed me over to one of his close aides and asked that I could always reach him through the man who is currently a ranking senator from one of the South-West states. It’s really unfortunate that the people around the the Governor’s Office didn’t allow us leave the place with the money.
“But after then, no succour has come from anywhere. I had to relocate to my state; Abakaliki, Ebonyi State. By then, I had lost my job with True Detective Newspapers published by Senator Polycarp Nwite. So, presently, I serve as a real estate agent in Abakaliki just to take care of my family.
“Even at that, I have not given up; I have been trying to meet Tinubu. Last year, Femi Falana gave me a letter to meet the ranking senator (names withheld) for him to assist me see Tinubu. I travelled to Abuja but was told that the National Assembly was on recess, and so, the senator wasn’t on seat.
“But I must confess that I am very happy that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, one of the key factors in the struggle for democracy is now President. I am happy that we fought together for Nigeria’s democracy.”
Ede who said that he has no regrets playing the roles he played then, fighting the military over the annulment of the June 12 1993 election, explaining that all he did was in a bid to bring the military to its knees and restore democracy to the country.
“I am appealing to South-East political office holders and any persons that can help to look into my plight and advocate for me as one of the persons who had paid dearly for the struggle and sustenance of democracy which Nigeria is experiencing today,” he pleaded.