After he was released, Professor Odekunle(now late), political Adviser to General Diya, and one of those equally ropped into the 1997 Diya coup plot, gave an account of his ordeal as excerpted from a TELL Magazine interview:
“Finally, we reached our destination- Aso Rock. I saw about 40 to 50 of these people dressed in jeans, canvas shoes, blue or black T-shirts, fez caps, windbreakers and some of them wearing masks (hoods).
Later I gathered that these were the people called the Strike Force. Ironically, I had been working in the Aso Rock villa for about four years but I did not know of the existence of this Presidential Strike Force.
I saw Major Hamza El-Mustapha also. He was dressed in trousers, a light-coloured shirt and had this walking stick which they can sit on at times. He was sitting on it as I was pushed to him.
He said: ‘Yes, you this stupid Yoruba man. So, where is Diya now? Where is Olanrewaju now? Where is Adisa now?’ Anytime he asked this question, I just opened my mouth. I was wondering what else could have happened because all along, I had thought I was being arrested for this press coverage thing and that after this beating and interrogation, they would release me but until he was asking: “Where is Diya now?” “Where is Adisa, you this stupid Yoruba man.”
I didn’t really know what was happening. At times, he would ask again, “You stupid professor, yes, we have seen your draft speech you wrote..” Anytime he said something like that I would just exclaim “ah” and I would receive a blow ‘gboam’ on my head from one of the fierce-looking boys. One would give a blow from the right and as my head turned left another one would send it back with another deadly blow…
Then he (Mustapha) turned to me, “Go and kneel down there”…Anytime Mustapha was talking to me, somebody would just come and give me a blow on the back saying, “CSO is talking to you and you are standing, kneel down!” Another one would come and say “CSO is talking to you and you are kneeling down. Stand up!” And he too would give me a blow…
Suddenly, Mustapha ordered some of the boys to pour ice cold water on me, and this was around 5.30 a.m. during the harrnattan. So they started pouring ice water on my body. And now this may shock you. The son of General Abacha, Mohammed was the one applying electric torture prod on me. I have about six witnesses to bear me out on this. He would place the electric prod on my wet body. It is exactly like the electric shock one receives by handling a faulty electric appliance with wet hands…
Mustapha would say “You stupid Yoruba people, you think you are smart. See now, who is more knowledgeable- you a professor or me? Who is down now? Who is up? You people think you are wise. You are knowledgeable abi? Stupid professor”.
At the investigation panel in Jos headed by Col. Omenka, it was another round of interrogation, threats and intimidation. Omenka was the Lord and master of the interrogation team.He was the Alpha and Omega, the decider of what happens to you. On one of the sessions, I was outside till about 12 midnight before I was called in. I was totally exhausted, famished and gaunt. Omenka started:
“Professor, I’m going to shoot you. I’m going to eliminate you. I’m going to waste you”. I shivered. He said: “Professor, you may say you are a good person. Have you read a book called “Why bad things happen to good people?” I said I had not. He said, “Well, the man who wrote it is dead. When I finish with you, you’ll meet him in the great beyond and discuss the book with him”.
Sir Richard Akinnola II
