On the 8th of December 1997,Major General Shehu Musa Yar’adua died in Abakaliki Prison in Ebonyi State.
Wrote by Senator Shehu Sani
Hedied while serving a life sentence after being convicted for treason by the Late General Sani Abacha military tribunal in Lagos.
I was arrested in Kaduna in March 1995 and flown to Lagos where I met the late Yaradua who was also arrested and brought to Lagos.The late Tafidan Katsina and I were both taken directly to Kiri Kiri Maximum security prison and thrown into the cell with other inmates.We were kept in Block 2 of the awaiting trial section.
After spending about three months in the cell,we were picked up from our cells and taken to a Special Military Investigation panel headed by Gen Felix Mujekpero.I was seriously grilled.Other young military officers were tortured by the panel.They were striped naked and beaten with iron cables.I can hear them screaming and screaming.
They wanted to torture me but changed their mind seeing how slim I was and I was just in my 20s.During the period of the interrogations,they brought Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was earlier arrested.Obasanjo saw me and smiled.The likes of Col Lawan Gwadabe and Col Bello Fadile were all beaten and tortured in my presence.
Weeks later,Dr Bako Ransome Kuti and some journalists like Kunle Ajibade of The News Magazine,George Mbah of Tell,Ben Charles Obi of Classique were all interrogated.
After the interrogation,I was arraigned before a military tribunal headed by Gen Patrick Aziza and sentenced to life imprisonment.Obasanjo,Bako and the Journalists were Also convicted for life.Gen Yaradua and others were sentenced to death…..let me just stop here
