Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (retd), former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to late military Head of State, General Sani Abacha is in hot soup as the Lagos State Government has secured an order of the Supreme Court to re-open the murder case of late Alhaja Kudirat Abiola against him.

The apex court granted the request for the appellant to challenge the Court of Appeal decision of July 12, 2013 that discharged and acquitted Al-Mustapha from the murder case.

A seven-man panel of justices of the Supreme Court headed by acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, ordered Lagos to file its notice of appeal within 30 days.

Al-Mustapha’s lawyer, Mr. Joseph Dauda (SAN) did not oppose the application. The coast is now clear for Lagos to challenge the ‘no guilty’ verdict in favour of the former military officer by the Court of Appeal, almost four years ago.

The Lagos State Government wants the apex court to uphold and restore the death sentence by hanging placed on the former Abacha CSO by a Lagos High Court on January 30, 2012.