MKO Abiola wife, Chief Adebisi Abiola reacts to arrest of stepsons

 The wife of late MKO Abiola, Chief Adebisi Abiola, has denied involvement in the arrest of her stepsons, contrary to insinuations that she was responsible for their arrest.

She said that “it is highly inconceivable, preposterous, ridiculous, absurd and malicious” to claim that she was instrumental to the arrest of Kassim and Aliu Abiola simply because they are “her stepsons”.

Kassim and Aliu, the two sons of late Abiola, winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election, were arrested and detained after a robbery incident at their father’s residence on September 2.

They claimed they were unlawfully arrested and detained at the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Ikeja, sequel to a complaint that was lodged by their step-mum, Adebisi Abiola, after the robbery incident.

On Friday, the duo approached a Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja, to file a suit for the enforcement of their fundamental rights.

Adebisi Abiola, through her lawyer, Mr. Debo Adeleke, in a statement, said some hoodlums suspected to be armed robbers on September 2, at about 6a.m.,  broke into her bedroom and carted away valuables running into millions of Naira.

Adeleke said: “The victim, Chief Mrs Adebisi Abiola and her daughter were subsequently locked up in her room with a threat by the armed robbers that she and her daughter will be eliminated if they raised an alarm.

“While the policemen were interviewing the family members, Kassim Abiola conducted himself in a very rude ungentlemanly, provocative, embarrassing and suspicious manner. All efforts by other members of the family to make him act in a responsible manner failed.

“It is further on record that Mr. Kassim did not only throw tantrums at the police, but equally threatened to deal ruthlessly with one of the senior officers who he (Kassim) claimed to know personally to the extent of describing the said senior police officer’s car and the location where he will deal with him.”

According to him, “these unguarded vituperations and violent conduct by Kassim infuriated the police and he was subsequently invited for further interrogation for demanding the reason for the presence of the policemen in his father’s house.”

Adeleke said it is equally noteworthy that Kassim’s younger brother, Aliu Abiola, joined him in his tirade of abuse against the policemen who were only trying to interview them and all other persons at the residence, with a view to investigating the crime.

The lawyer said: “The Police subsequently arrested Kassim and Aliu Abiola and seven others for further questioning regarding the investigation of the robbery incident which the police suspected to have been carried out through the active connivance of a member of the family or staff, considering the ease with which the armed robbery incident was carried out.”

He further stated that as soon as Chief Adebisi Abiola, who was visibly disoriented, became aware of the arrest of her stepsons and one Popoola, who had been a staff of the family well over 20 years, she started making frantic efforts for them to be admitted into administrative bail by the Police.

However, the Police insisted to be allowed to investigate the crime and not interfere in their investigation.

Adeleke, who said he had discussed with the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, who understandably consented to release them, efforts to release and admit the three men into administrative bail were concluded on Friday, September 11.

He said, however, to the family’s chagrin, while one of the lawyers in his chambers in the company of Engr. Rahmon Abiola, a younger brother to late MKO Abiola, who is also the family’s secretary, were perfecting the bail of the trio, a lawyer from the firm of Chief Mike Ozekhome(SAN), in the company of a woman, stormed the Police Command and informed the police of a suit filed in court for the fundamental rights of Kassim and Aliu Abiola.

“This unfortunate turn of event angered Chiefs Mrs. Adebisi Abiola and other members of the family, as they were thoroughly embarrassed,” Adeleke added.