By Lekan Bilesanmi

Dr Fredrick Faseun is a medical practitioner of over 35 years standing. This presidential aspirant in the fourth republic is however better known as founder  of Odua Peoples Congress which he says promotes  and protects Yoruba interests. He cautions, in this interview, that  Major Hamza  Al Mustapha, the former chief security officer to the late Gen Sani Abacha, incarcerated and being tried for murder in Lagos, must not be allowed to die in prison. The implication, he notes, could wipe  out the  Yoruba  in the north even as he said the suspension of the former President of Appeal Court Justice Salami is another ploy to marginalise  the Yoruba race from the political hierachy of the country.

You are probably the only Yoruba to have been championing the release of Al-Mustapha.Many are wondering,what really is in there for you?

There is nothing material in there for me but there is a lot of moral and spiritual in it for the country. I don’t believe that a sane person will begrudge an opponent for 13 years. I have something better to use my time for. I do not think incarcerating Al-Mustapha for 13years is not damaging the image of  this country, our judiciary and the prestige of the country in the comity of nations. I don’t also think that Nigeria has a claim  to  rule of law  and of social justice if you imprison a  citizen for 13 calendar years and 20 prison years unconvicted. There is a lot of inmorality  in that; it is an embarrassment to Nigerians and the judiciary.

It’s unfortunate that Nigerians don’t think that there are some people who can fight for social justice without any material gain in return. I have never expected material benefits in any struggle I undertake and nobody  has rewarded me or pay me for anything I have done in support of social justice. If I see a fellow Nigerian that is being wronged, why should I not be in the position to say so?

Al Mustapha is not the only one in such situation. There are several others who have been there even longer than him.

Do you know how many peoples’ cause I have fought? I have had to pay for the release of some prisoners when I was in Kuje, Suleja, Kirikiri, Ikoyi prisons. I don’t stand on roof tops to announce what I do and I don’t. I am always there to fight  for  social justice. When I was in Kuje, a young man had been there for  eight  months before I got there, do you know why he was imprisoned? He stole one tuber of yam in Suleja market.

He needed to pay N10,000  for  his release, he could not afford it. Somebody that stole a tuber of yam and you want him to pay N10,000. I gave the N10,000 and he was released. I didn’t announce it on roof tops, that’s part of my crusade  for  social justice. We gave a national assignment to Al-Mustapha, as a bull dog and watch dog for the head of state and, in the process of doing that, he stepped on some powerful toes and who incidentally are now behind his imprisonment without conviction and you think every Nigerian should keep quiet? Must we begrudge the thing for 13years just because of the dead?  And yet, you are championing national unity, integration, peace, growth and development; it’s only a mad man that will keep grudging for 13years.

Not many believed his story that  leaders collected bribe from former  head of state, General  Abubakar Abdulsalami, to supress the pressure arising from the  death of Chief M.K.O Abiola.

Many people misunderstood the video  that was shown by Al-Mustapha. He didn’t say Yoruba leaders came to Abuja to collect money, he said NADECO leaders. I  was a NADECO  leader, Ndubisi Kanu was a NADECO  leader, Fred Agbeyegbe was another.

Late Pa Anthony Enahoro was one,late Beko Ransome Kuti was another. He said NADECO  leaders, he did not mention any name, he only said NADECO leaders and incidentally the leadership of NADECO at that time was Yoruba and we all know  that the late Pa Adesanya would not take a kobo gratification from anybody, but can we say same for everybody?

We all know and I think what the Yoruba people should agitate for is a  high powered commission of inquiry to go into the matter and advise accordingly. I will not be part of a group that would say it should be swept under the carpet. Another reason  I support the release of Al-Mustapha  is because, in this type of matter, you can ask a fifth columnist  to come  and liquidate him. If they kill him in our land, every Yoruba  person in the north is dead because he is their idol. And one of the factors of our insecurity and somebody that is rendering Nigeria less secured is the man you have put in  prison.

The north has not said one word against his incarceration, is it because  he is acceptable to them? No. I do realize that the matter has become a political one; it is  no longer a legal matter and I personally and  as a lover of Nigeria and crusader of social justice,I have done my best to prevail on this young man not to squeal out anything because, by virtue of his position, he is a reservoir of national secrets, secrets of individuals in this country and, because he is being held for this number of years, and he feels frustrated  and if he starts squealing, it may inflame the country because he has a whole lot of sensitive information which, if allowed to be released to the public, could turn the country upside down. The snipet  he released recently is still being discussed, can you imagine if he should now open up, what would happen? That would be against our national security.

The NJC/Salami  
If the NBA threatened  its members because of this matter, then there is more to it than we are reading on the pages of newspapers.

The NBA is the core of the judiciary, so they know who is wrong and right. I  don’t think the president should have taken the position he took by appointing another judge to replace Salami. He should have set up a panel, a completely neutral panel to look into the matter. However, this is another marginalization of Yoruba interests. Don’t say why does Fasheun always look for Yoruba interests in everything, let us be honest; in the first 11 of Nigeria protocol list, Yoruba is not there. And the Appeal Court does not even feature in that list, now you have removed the head of that court who happens to be Yoruba, what do you think Yoruba would think when you have not actually come to the end of the case before removing him?

The question one is asking is, have you exhausted all avenues of finding out the truth? And you have already suspended one of the players and now the  Bar association is saying no which is in a better position to know, but I as a Yoruba, I am saying this is another episode of Yoruba marginalization. They are removing Yoruba out of positions that matter in this country and unfortunately the Yoruba themselves are not seeing it, because as it is,we don’t have anybody of influence in this country anymore.