Tobi Ijalana
Son of the winner of Chief MKO Abiola, winner of the June 12 election, Jamiu Abiola, has said that the Abacha government decided to eliminate his mother, Kudirat Abioola, when it realised she was the one behind the oil workers’ strike that paralysed the polity.
According o him, Kudirat, became an arrow head of the battle when her husband got detained.
In an interview on NTA, Jamiu noted that the petroleum workers’ strike was potent and sustained until the government arrested the oil union leader then, Frank Kokori.
He said it was when they still saw how the struggle was going, and discovered it was being funded by Kudirat, that they went for her.
He noted that, hitherto, he had in company with other members of his family met MKO during the early days of his detention.
He noted that he advised his father to forget about the mandate and regain his freedom but the man said no.
“My father said he was ready to face the firing squad,” Jamiu added.
According to him, when he also told his mother to slow down, based on the fact that some of the champions of the battle, such as Alfred Rewane, had been killed, she too refused.
Jamiu said, “She asked, ‘Is it not just one bullet.’
Alhaja Kudirat Abiola (née Adeyemi), popularly known as Kudirat Abiola (1951 – 4 June 1996) was assassinated whilst her husband, Moshood Abiola was being detained by the Nigerian Government. Her husband was the winning candidate in Nigerian elections and he was arrested shortly after the elections.
She was born in 1951 in Zaria and was the second and senior wife of her husband.Her children with her husband were Yusau Olalekan, Hafsat Olaronke, Abdul Muman, Hadi, Moriam and Khafila. Her husband had over several other children.
She was assassinated whilst her husband was being detained by the Nigerian Government
The killing was the subject of an investigation and trial many years later.
According to accounts the murder was ordered and then carried out by six men. Abiola died in her car from machine gun fire. Her driver also died. Her personal assistant who was later accused of being involved with her assassins was in the car but was not hurt.
Her husband continued to be detained without charge after her death. He died in suspicious circumstances just before it was said he was to be released on 7 July 1998
