YEJIDE GBENGA-OGUNDARE relives some happenings on the day a Lagos High Court convicted Hamza al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer to the late Head of State, General Sani Abacha.

The light atmosphere at the Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere on Monday, January 30, 2012 was like a scene out of a movie as spectators who wanted to watch the trial live found out that it was not business as usual.

In fact, many were forced to have a change of heart about the police as officers, who were at the court to secure the premises and manage the crowd, proved that they were up to the task.

People, who were not aware that a high profile case was going on in that court, were alerted that morning by the unusual and heavy presence of security men around the premises of the court.

The men, fully armed and accompanied by trained sniffer dogs were all over the entire area of the court as well as all nearby streets. They cordoned off every entrance with stern-looking security operatives armed to the teeth as early as 7.00 a.m.

There was no free entrance for anyone, including judicial staffers, as both gates leading to the court were closed and passers–by and members of the public, who wanted to enter the court premises, were thoroughly screened by the heavily armed combined operatives of the prison guards, Lagos State special anti-crime force, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and the State Security Service (SSS).

Everyone had to identify themselves and those who had no legitimate business within the court were turned back; leaving no room for loitering. Security remained tight until 5.00 p.m when the court finished delivering its judgment.

Even al-Mustapha’s supporters, who had been coming to court at every sitting, had to bow to the change in tide. To their disappointment, security men, who included prison guards, and various police departments - the mobile unit and anti-bomb squad denied them entrance into the court.

Al-Mustapha was brought to the court in a prison reform van at about 9.35 a.m. beaming with smiles with the expectation that the end to his travails was nigh.

The major, sporting a white jalamia with a matching cap, had time to wave at his supporters who had besieged the court premises as early as 7.00 a.m amid the tight security personnel who escorted him.

By 9.00 am, the security men started screening the few people that would be allowed into the court room. The few people allowed to go in included journalists, identified friends and relatives of the convicts and lawyers from both sides.

The case could not start at 9.00 a.m. and the trial judge, Justice Mojisola Dada, had to stand it down when the defendants were not produced by the prison authorities at the specified time of about 9.35 a.m. However, the tranquillity of the court was shattered with piercing screams of siren of the fleet of vehicles conveying the convicts to court.

The former Chief Security Officer (CSO), in his characteristic manner, was full of smiles when he entered the court room. He even had time to spare to greet friends and family members in the court room as he entered the court and shook hands with them. His countenance that morning was that of a man who knew the outcome would be in his favour, even the judge’s warning that the judgment would last for hours did not spoil his good mood. It was indeed a tedious experience for both the judge and everyone in the court room and she had to abandon reading al-Mustapha’s evidence which formed the bulk of the judgment after reading 30 pages.

It would have been more stressful for al-Mustapha if he had to stand for the seven hours that the judgment lasted, but he was lucky as his counsel, Mr. Olalekan Ojo, immediately after the case was called, craved the indulgence of the court to allow al-Mustapha to sit giving the excuse that he had recently been admitted at a Navy Hospital for more than four weeks.

It was not a smooth sail as she had to take a break twice to seek permission of counsel on both sides.

The convict maintained a relaxed countenance as the judge read the preamble of the judgment, and at this period, no one knew which way the pendulum would swing. There was, however, occasional comic reliefs when the audience in the court, including lawyers and the convicts, had cause to burst into laughter during the reading of Lateef Shofolahan’s evidence before the court.

The convicts’ supporters outside were also not idle and they never lost hope or got tired. Their chants of “Allah Akbar” made intermittently, filtered into the court room and doused the tension.

When the main issue came into perspective, however, and the judge moved to the court’s stance, the temperature rose in the court room and the convict’s countenances changed. Even al-Mustapha’s military mien could not withstand the heat forcing him to bring out his white handkerchief to mop up sweat on his forehead.

The smiles that were hitherto on their faces disappeared throughout the period the judgment was delivered, though al-Mustapha occasionally smiled and shook his head to show his disapproval of some comments made by the judge.

The moment the judge passed the verdict around 4.40 p.m., the security personnel on ground started restricting movement within the court premises. Many of al-Mustapha’s supporters burst into tears, others were cursing, some reverted to their native language while a stoic few continued to display the placards with the inscription, ‘Free al-Mustapha,’ with apparently long faces.

Immediately after, the convicts were escorted to the prison van, but not without al-Mustapha sparing time to speak to the BBC Hausa Service before the van took off. He stated that the judgment was hypocritical and was not based on the evidence before the court. He insisted that some unnamed powerful people were behind his travails.

As the convicts were being driven out of the court, many of al-Mustapha’s supporters were seen running towards the gate while many on hearing the news started running out of the court in panic for fear of possible riot from the defendants’ supporters who had gathered en masse in solidarity.

The security, however, remained calm and alert until the convicts were driven out of court with heavy security details. The only aspect missing was the fact that unlike before, al-Mustapha did not have the chance to pray with his supporters as they usually do after each court sitting. The pendulum had indeed shifted.