By Toye Olori
LAGOS, Mar 14 1995 (IPS)

THE ARREST OF FORMER HEAD OF STATE, GEN. OLUSEGUN OBASANJO, REFLECTS THE GROWING DISENCHANTMENT IN NIGERIA OVER THE STYLE OF GOVERNANCE OF MILITARY RULER, GEN. SANI ABACHA.

RETIRED GEN. OBASANJO, THE ONLY NIGERIAN MILITARY RULER TO HAVE VOLUNTARILY HANDED OVER POWER TO ELECTED CIVILIANS, WAS MONDAY PICKED UP BY SECURITY FORCES FROM HIS FARM AT OTTA, ABOUT 50 KILOMETRES FROM THE ECONOMIC CAPITAL LAGOS.

THE DETENTION OF GEN. OBASANJO — MORE RECENTLY NOTED FOR HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE DEVELOPMENT DEBATE — FOLLOWED A SPATE OF ARRESTS OF MILITARY OFFICERS AND CIVILIANS IN CONNECTION WITH AN ALLEGED COUP PLOT TO TOPPLE ABACHA’S GOVERNMENT ON MARCH 1.

AT LEAST 29 PEOPLE HAD BEEN ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE PLOT, CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF MAJOR-GENERAL ABDULSALAM ABUBAKAR, SAID ON FRIDAY.

ONE OF THEM IS RETIRED GEN. SHEHU MUSA YAR’ADUA, GEN. OBASANJO’S NUMBER TWO IN THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT THAT RULED AFRICA’S MOST POPULOUS COUNTRY FROM 1976 UNTIL IT RESTORED CIVIL RULE IN 1979. GEN. YAR’ADUA WAS PICKED UP IN THE CAPITAL, ABUJA, TWO WEEKS AGO.

GEN. YAR’ADUA HAD BEEN URGING DELEGATES AT THE STATE- ORGANISED NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE IN ABUJA TO SUPPORT A CAMPAIGN AIMED AT RELINGUISHING ABACHA’S REGIME BY JANUARY 1996.

ON MONDAY HE TOOK THE MILITARY GOVERNMENT TO COURT TO CONTEST HIS CONTINUED DETENTION. IN A MOTION FILED BY HIS COUNSEL, CHIKE CHIGBUE, AT A FEDERAL HIGH COURT HERE, THE 52-YEAR-OLD YAR’ADUA IS CONTENDING THAT HIS ARREST AND DETENTION VIOLATES HIS FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS.

THE DIRECTOR OF DEFENCE INFORMATION, BRIG-GEN. FRED CHIJUKA, HAS ANNOUNCED A SCREENING PANEL SET UP TO INVESTIGATE THE LEVEL OF INVOLVEMENT OF THOSE ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH THE COUP PLOT WILL START SITTING THIS WEEK.

AS THE ARRESTS CONTINUE, ANALYSTS, COMMENTATORS AND POLITICIANS ARE QUESTIONING THE LOGIC BEHIND THE MASS CRACK DOWN ON OPPONENTS OF THE HARD-LINE ABACHA REGIME.

“THE MILITARY IS IN A DISARRAY,” LAGOS LAWYER TUNDE ALANI TOLD IPS TUESDAY. “I BELIEVE ABACHA IS MERELY USING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SETTLE SOME SCORES WITH OFFICERS AND CIVILIANS PERCEIVED TO BE STANDING IN HIS WAY.”

RETIRED ARMY COLONEL YOHANNA MADAKI AGREES WITH ALANI. HE BELIEVES ABACHA’S INTENTION IS TO PURGE THE ARMY OF OFFICERS WHO ARE AGAINST THE GENERAL’S CONTINUED RULE OVER NIGERIA AND WHO FEEL THE ABACHA JUNTA HAS SULLIED THE SOLDIERING REPUTATION OF THE CORPS.

“MY CONVICTION IS THAT THERE IS REALLY NO COUP PLOT, EVEN IF THERE WAS ONE, THERE IS MORE TO THE APPROACH THAN MANY MAY BE SEEING,” MADAKI, NOW A PRACTISING LAWYER, TOLD ‘TELL’ MAGAZINE MONDAY.

MADAKI ADDED: “THE HANDLING OF THE SITUATION IS VERY HAZARDOUS AND WILL FURTHER BRING THE MILITARY INTO FURTHER DISREPUTE.”

OTHERS HOWEVER PREFER TO SUPPORT THE ABACHA CRACKDOWN. YAHAYA MAHMOOD, A LAWYER IN THE NORTHERN CITY OF KADUNA, HAS CALLED “ON ALL RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS OF THE COUNTRY NOT ONLY TO COMDEMN OR DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THE RECENT RUMOURED COUP ATTEMPT BUT TO PRAY AND REFLECT SOBERLY”.

IN AN OPEN LETTER TO GEN. ABACHA, MAHMOUD, SAID: “THE PROBLEMS OF THIS COUNTRY SINCE INDEPENDENCE, HAVE INCLUDED LACK OF A COMMITTED AND PURPOSEFUL LEADERSHIP AND HONEST AND SINCERE ADVISERS”.

HE SUGGESTED A MEETING OF ALL PAST PRESIDENTS AND CURRENT HEAD OF STATE WITH THE PRESUMED WINNER OF THE 1993 ANNULLED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, MOSHOOD ABIOLA, TO DISCUSS THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN NIGERIA.

MEANWHILE, DELEGATES TO THE NATIONAL CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE FROM NORTHERN STATE OF KATSINA, GEN. YAR’ADUA’S HOME STATE, HAVE DEMANDED THE RELEASE OF THEIR KINSMAN.

A STATEMENT SIGNED BY THE EIGHT ELECTED DELEGATES, MADE AVAILABLE TO NEWSMEN, CALLED FOR YAR’ADUA’S RELEASE OR HIS ARRAIGNMENT IN A COURT OF LAW.

NIGERIA BEGAN SLIPPING INTO CHAOS AFTER FORMER HEAD OF STATE, GEN. IBRAHIM BABANGIDA, ANNULLED THE RESULTS OF THE JUNE 12 POLLS WIDELY BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN WON BY MUSLIM MILLIONAIRE ABIOLA — WHO WAS DETAINED BY GEN. ABACHA LAST JULY FOR DECLARING HIMSELF PRESIDENT AND REMAINS IN CUSTODY.

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