The mystery surrounding the disappearance and possible death of Nigerian journalist, Bagauda Kaltho, in 1996 is yet to be resolved despite new revelations made recently by Kaduna-based activist, Shehu Mahdi.
Mahdi had told Arise News Channel that the US government, through its agent at the US Embassy in Abuja, identified as Russell Hanks, may have recruited the missing journalist to allegedly carry out a bomb attack at Durbar Hotel in Kaduna to unsettle the government of the late General Sani Abacha.
General Abacha’s regime was at the time under pressure from the West following the annulment of the June 12, 1993 general election and incarceration of the winner of the presidential poll, MKO Abiola.
Mahdi had in the interview with Arise claimed that Mr. Hanks offered him a bribe of N1 million to plant a bomb at Durbar Hotel in Kaduna but that he rejected the offer. He, however, insinuated that since Mr. Kaltho was also seen with Hanks at the same time, it was possible he took the offer to carry out the explosion, which rocked the hotel.
But the US Embassy in Abuja, which had been indicted in the saga, has refused to respond to all the inquiries by LEADERSHIP Newspapers to clarify its position on the matter, especially as the said Hanks, who was a political officer at the embassy at the time, had declined comments on the controversy, saying he would not speak until the US Embassy has spoken about it.
” I am afraid I can’t help you much. I can’t say anything about it now until the US embassy in Nigeria has spoken on the issue. When they do that and you are not satisfied, or you need further clarification on some issues, then call me back and I will provide you with the details,” he was quoted to have said.
LEADERSHIP had contacted the US Embassy through its official email, ‘[email protected]’, to respond to the issue, all to no avail.
This was followed by an official letter written by the editor, Mr. Peter Ekele, dated September 19, 2022, to the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard, on the issue, which was again not responded to.
A second letter of reminder was written to the Ambassador by the LEADERSHIP editor on September 27, 2022, which was yet again unanswered.
The attitude of the US Embassy and especially that of the Ambassador has become really disturbing, suggesting that the US may have a hand in the alleged disappearance of Mr. Kaltho.
LEADERSHIP had reported the concern of the Nigerian public about the controversy even as Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for the immediate probe of the mystery behind the death of Mr. Kaltho.
The CSOs insisted that people who took part in such a heinous act must face justice to serve as a deterrent to others.
The CSOs, who spoke with LEADERSHIP on the matter, are Transparency International (TI), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG).
Speaking through their leader, Awwal Musa Rafsanjani, the CSOs said the investigation would not be about whether the Buhari-led government was aware of the incident or not, but that such atrocities must be investigated no matter how long it takes.
Rafsanjani said, “It’s not about the government; it is about the country. There is nothing wrong with the government investigating the killing of Journalist Bagauda Kaltho.
“Even though it happened during the military, the government must investigate it because these are issues of human rights violations, and we will continue to insist that such investigation is carried out.
“It is the duty of the government to investigate. It doesn’t matter when it happened. The crime must be investigated no matter how long it takes.
“The government should Investigate this mystery and ensure that perpetrators are brought to book. It will help; it will serve as a deterrent to others. It will help in avoiding that kind of human rights abuses.”
Bagauda’s Wife, NUJ, Others Insist US Government, FG Must Speak Out
The wife of missing journalist Bagauda Kaltho, Mrs Martha James Bagauda Kaltho has called on the federal government to compel the American officer Russell Hanks to explain what he knows about her missing husband who disappeared during the late Gen Sani Abacha regime.
Mrs Bagauda, in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP, called on the government to hold Shehu Mahdi and ex-US envoy to Nigeria, Mr Hanks Russel, to explain their roles in the circumstances surrounding her husband’s disappearance.
She said while the federal government of Nigeria has not explained to the family the whereabouts of its bread winner, the family hopes that the government would demand explanations from the American government.
She said, “We are still waiting for them; we have not gotten any response from the American officer or the embassy. We are still waiting; they will know no peace if they don’t respond to tell what happened to my husband or if they have a hand in his disappearance because no unjust man will ever rest.
“If Bagauda is dead, his blood will continue to torment their lives until they say what happened to him to the whole world.
“Why are they keeping quiet? We are still waiting; considering when this information was given to us till now, it is enough time for them to respond.
“They should respond and the federal government should remind them that we are waiting for them.
“The federal government has not said anything on its own. We are waiting for the federal government and the American official/embassy.
“The Bagauda family is still waiting to hear what they have to say concerning what happened to him. If they know better than what Mahdi said, they should respond. We want to hear from the American officer since he is still alive; he has been accused, he should come out and say what he knows. We are waiting for them and unless this issue is addressed, nobody can tell whatever happened to Bagauda.”
On its part, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) has called on the government of the United States to speak out on the case of a missing journalist, Bagauda Kaltho, during the regime of the late General Sani Abacha.
The Union also called on the federal government to unravel the mysterious disappearance of Kaltho as well as other journalists who were murdered in the country.
Speaking exclusively with LEADERSHIP yesterday in Abuja, the national secretary of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr Shuaibu Leman, said the Union is worried about the whole situation.
“Amid the allegations made by activist Shehu Mahdi we, of course, expect the US Embassy to react, but we also wonder why he (Mahdi) waited this long to make the revelation if he truly has facts.
“If he was afraid of the military administration then, he would have come out immediately after the nation transited to civilian administration, not now,” he said.
Sadly, he said Mahdi Shehu decided to make his allegations in a dramatic fashion on an international television channel.
He said, “The Union doesn’t buy into his argument. We believe the US Intelligence Agency is more professional. They wouldn’t have been so amateur and crude and we demand a different version from not only the US but the Federal Government of Nigeria on what actually happened.”
Saying he knew the kind of person Kaltho was, the NUJ scribe said Kaltho could not have been bought over to plant the bomb or perpetrate any such heinous crime.
“Even without the reaction of the US, we know the story is not true. Mahdi’s claims are too childish and too amateurish and too unprofessional. It is too unprofessional for us to believe that,” he said.
Speaking on the matter, the Kaduna State Council of the NUJ, through the council secretary, Gambo Santos Sanga, said, “The questionable disappearance of our esteemed veteran colleague sometime in 1996 is still fresh in our minds considering the circumstances that surrounded the ugly incident.
“As a council saddled with the responsibility of protecting the welfare and the general wellbeing of professional journalists in Kaduna state, we still mourn and celebrate the ‘late’ Bagauda Kaltho even in ‘death’ as a hero of investigative journalism.
“The Kaduna State council of the NUJ had long advocated the sustenance of the annual memorial lectures series as well as educational scholarships for children of the ‘deceased’ journalist.
“Considering the indelible mark the missing journalist left for many to emulate, the Kaduna council of NUJ still wishes to appeal to the federal government and the Kaduna State government to immortalise him by naming a street or government building in Kaduna where he was declared missing after him.
“Finally, in view of the circumstances that surrounded his disappearance and the level of suffering the family was subjected to, the Kaduna state council of NUJ wishes to expressly advocate an Insurance Cover (Policy) for all practising journalists in the country with a view to enhancing productivity and the promotion of good governance across the country”.
Also, Africa Media Development Foundation (AMDF), has expressed worry over the silence of the Nigerian government over the mysterious disappearance of Journalist Kaltho.
According to AMDF, Nigeria should have propelled the US government to speak on the circumstances that led to the disappearance of its citizen but that it had unexpectedly remained silent.
Speaking with LEADERSHIP, the deputy director of AMDF, Mrs Sekyen Dadik, said that, normally, Kaltho being a citizen of Nigeria, the Nigerian government should have taken up the matter.
“The Nigerian government, of which Bagauda Kaltho is its citizen, has remained silent on any investigation on what really happened to him, ” Sekyen said.
“So, I think they do not have a moral right to propel the US government to respond.”
A colleague of Kaltho, Joseph Adegbo, who is the managing editor of Africa Prime News, expressed worry that the struggle to unravel the mystery behind his disappearance has been left in the hands of the media alone.
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