Kudirat Abiola: 'Why My Mum Was Assassinated', Daughter Speaks
- The June 1996 assassination of Alhaja Kudirat Abiola, the senior wife of prisoner of conscience, late Moshood Abiola, may have been a political killing, according to her daughter
- Kudirat Abiola's daughter said her mother helped sustain a two-month oil workers' strike which annoyed the General Sani Abacha regime
- Tuesday, June 4, 2024, marks the 28th anniversary of Kudirat Abiola's assassination, a woman touted as a champion of democracy in Nigeria
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public journalism.
Ikeja, Lagos state - A daughter of Kudirat Abiola, a pro-democracy activist and wife of the late political leader, Moshood Abiola, has spoken about her mother's assassination.
Legit.ng recalls that Kudirat was shot dead in Lagos on June 4, 1996.
Source: Facebook
After the military’s annulment of the June 12 1993 presidential elections, which many people believe her husband won, Kudirat got involved with the pro-democracy movement.
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Despite her spouse’s incarceration in 1994 for protesting the annulment, Kudirat continued to lead the pro-democracy movement, an action that allegedly infuriated the General Sani Abacha-led regime.
Although two suspects were arrested and found guilty of her murder, they were released.
In a video sighted by Legit.ng on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, Abiola's daughter said:
"My mum was an average person. She went to the market women, she went to the journalists, she went to the trade union, and they organised together what was an incredibly powerful movement.
"Nigeria, my country depends on petroleum for 80 to 90 percent of government revenue. The oil workers of my country went on strike because of the military; they held the country for three months without selling petrol, nearly destroying the government. So when the government was able to arrest the leaders of the oil workers and they found out that my mum had financed the strike and helped to plan the strike, they decided that if putting the husband in jail wasn't a strong message, they should send a stronger one.
"Two days to my graduation from the university, they ambushed my mother's car and gunned her down."
Watch the video below:
Atiku marks 28 years of Kudirat Abiola's assassination
Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 and 2023 elections, noted the sacrifices of the late Kudirat Abiola.
Atiku wrote in a statement he personally signed:
"Today, as always, I remember Alhaja (Mrs) Kudirat Abiola, the wife of Bashorun MKO Abiola, on the 28th anniversary of her assassination. Following the incarceration of MKO, his wife stepped into the fray to symbolise the struggle for democracy and the restoration of the June 12 mandate. Her activism and leadership marked her as a heroine of all time.
"The democracy we enjoy today was only made possible by the sacrifices of people like her, who paid the ultimate price. May her soul continue to rest in eternal peace."
Kudirat Abiola killed on Al-Mustapha’s order – Children
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the children of the late Kudirat alleged that their mother was killed on the orders of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd).
Khafila Abiola made this known in a statement released on behalf of Kudirat’s children.
Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
