Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday came under fire from Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, whom he alleged was released from prison to help train snipers to assassinate President Goodluck Jonathan’s political opponents.

Speaking on the Hausa Service of the Voice of America (VOA), Al-Mustapha accused Obasanjo of lying against him. Though Obasanjo did not mention Al-Mustapha’s name in his controversial December 2 open letter to Jonathan, Al-Mustapha said he knew that the retired army general was referring to him. Al-Mustapha was in jail for 14 years in connection with the June 4, 1996 murder of Kudirat Abiola, wife of the deceased winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, Chief MKO Abiola, but was freed by a Lagos appeal court last July 12.

Al-Mustapha strongly denied Obasanjo’s allegation, saying: “I read Obasanjo’s letter and subsequent comments by Nigerians, I would have responded immediately, but I was away in India receiving treatment. Perhaps it is Obasanjo and his cronies that are planning what he was insinuating.”

The former CSO challenged Obasanjo to a public debate over the content of his letter to Jonathan, vowing to expose him during the proposed debate. “From 1974 to the present, a lot of things are buried with all sorts of lies, but all would be revealed one day. I urge everyone to pray for Obasanjo to accept my challenge for a public debate so that the truth will come out,” he said.

•Photo shows Major Al-Mustapha.