Former President Oluse­gun Obasanjo, on Sun­day said that his gov­ernment never plotted to kill former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ishaya Bamaiyi (rtd) as claimed by Bamaiyi in his book.
Obasanjo said this while playing host to members of the Correspondents Chapel, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ogun State Chapter, at his hilltop residence in Abeo­kuta.
The former president ex­plained that his administra­tion only asked Bamaiyi to respond to accusations that he was responsible for some killings, saying that the deci­sion was legitimate.
“That I wanted to kill him? What of the people he killed? My government did not plot to kill him.
“My government asked him to answer to those that were alleged to have been killed by him and that is le­gitimate.
“That if there is an alle­gation that you have done something, that you have committed a crime, then you are arrested, you should an­swer and that is all.
“Who the hell is he that I would want to kill him? Kill him for what? To achieve what? No!
“There were allegations; the police and the law en­forcement agencies decided to look into the allegations.
“They invited him and they asked him to answer as a result of what was found, so they charged him to court.
“So, it’s now up to him, the investigators as I said, the prosecutors and the judiciary. That’s all,” Obasanjo said.
The News Agency of Ni­geria (NAN) reports that Bamaiyi had recently alleged that his incarceration for more than eight years was punishment for opposing the choice of Obasanjo as succes­sor to former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar.
The allegation was con­tained in his book, ‘Vindi­cation of A General’ which was unveiled last weekend in Abuja.
Bamaiyi also claimed in the book that the incarcera­tion was to keep him away for fear that he would overthrow the Obasanjo government.
He wrote that as soon as Obasanjo took over, Gen. Abubakar and some of his people told Obasanjo that if he [Bamaiyi] was left free, he would overthrow the govern­ment.
Speaking on corruption, Obasanjo said investigation must be proper, thorough and undertaken with all seri­ousness. - The Authority