He spoke for two days with Dele Omotunde, TELL's deputy editor-in-chief and Dare Babarinsa, executive editor at his Ilesa country house. The interview, both a confession and a narration, was also a catharsis. Excerpts:- Professor Odekunle, we welcome you back from detention after all these days. On behalf of TELL magazine, we congratulate you on your release and for coming back home alive.
Could you tell us what you have gone through? How the news of your release came about, did it come as asurprise and what exactly was your immediate reaction? You'll recall that the judgment of the Special Military Tribunal, SMT, was given on April28 and we had expected by that verdict, to be released that same day or the next day. But from one day it became two days, then from days to weeksand later months.thus, expecting to be released was a daily affair.Now, when you asked me whether it came as a surprise, I'd say it didn't come as a surprise. yet it came suddenly because we were always kept in the dark as to what was going to happen.Anyway, to answer your question,I'd say I was surprised though at the same time, I was expecting that one day they would eventually come to effectthe tribunal's judgment. At the same time, we were expecting that the cases of those sentenced would be reviewed by the PRC [Provisional RulingCouncil]. (1) Theinformation at the time was that the PRC had not met. But as far as we were concerned, those of us discharged and acquitted had no business with the PRC since the convening letter stated clearly that only those who were sentenced would still have their cases reviewed by the PRC and the judge advocate - the lawyer assisting the tribunal – had stated that those who were discharged and acquitted were free "right from this courtroom."So we had been expecting that we would be released but it [the release] never came ... Since that April 28, it had been a waiting game. So, this particular day they just came about 10.30 p.m.or so and said "Prof., pack your load.
"What date exactly were you set free? July 15 [1998].I think it was a [Wednesday] around 10.30 p.m. when Major Mumuni and others came and woke us up. We were led from the ward to the prison comptroller'soffice where they called out our names. After the roll-call, they took us to the Rukuba Barracks where we slept for the night, in the officer's mess. So, these other people who were with you in Jos, I mean those who were freed.
how many were you and who was among them? I think we should be 14. Now I'm recalling from the number of us taken out in two Peugeot 505 cars [station wagons] from the Jos motor park to Abuja. Six were in one vehicle while eight were in the other, making 14. I don't know whether you want me to recount the names so as to make the number?
You can mention some of them.Okay.Lieutenant-Commander Bola Soetan, staff officer [finance] to General Diya,(2)who was accused of stealing but he was discharged and acquitted.Hajia Halima Bawa, who was also accused of stealing along with him - that's another story entirely. Then the four body guards who were said to have marched to the house of chief of army staff: Abimbola Owatimehin, Ibrahim Kotangora; DSP [Deputy Superintend of Police] Bawa, accused of receiving stolen goods and of aiding and abetting and whatever, one corporal who was serving the wife of General Tajudeen Olanrewaju.I can'tremember his name now ... and, of course, the Abacharist man, what do you call him ... emmm ... ehen en... Yomi Tokoya who was really mad about the injustice of keeping us for so long after we had been discharged and acquitted.
No comments:
Post a Comment