Mohammed Abacha - Arrest and Deal With Government

Arrest and Deal With Government

In 1999, Abacha was arrested and charged with the murder of Kudirat Abiola (wife of MKO Abiola) and the attempted murder of Alex Ibru, head of The Guardian, an opposition newspaper. Sani Abacha's Chief Security Officer Hamza al-Mustapha was his co-defendant. In 2002 Abacha was ultimately acquitted and released by President Olusegun Obasanjo. This was after an agreement was reached between the government and the Abacha family that they would hand over the balance of funds embezzled during his father's rule. Musa Umar Kazaure of The Weekly Trust said that the move was politically motivated. The prison did not immediately release Mohammed Abacha after Obasanjo acquitted him.

ON April 18, 2005 Justice Amina Adamu Augie of the Court of Appeal in Abuja said that Mohammed Abacha would undergo a trial at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory due to offenses related to the stealing of public funds. Mohammed Abacha filed an appeal to fight the judgment.

As of 2008 he is married with two children, a son named after him and a daughter.

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