Solving murder cases in Nigeria, whether high or low profile
has, overtime, proved to be a daunting task. Indeed, most times, the venture has been unsuccessful.
The extant case of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the slain Principal
Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, may just be
one of such cases as it is apparently proving knotty to solve. Besides,
some persons have argued those who have been charged with the
responsibility of unravelling Oyerinde’s killers are perhaps, by their
actions and inaction, made the entire enterprise a convoluted one
except, of course, this seeming tradition of unsolved murder cases is
reversed in deference to Governor Oshiomhole, Oyerinde’s principal.
The man OyerindeA
retrospective look at the life and times of Olaitan Oyerinde from a
citation on him posted on 09 May 2012 on the official website of the Edo
State government showed that he was born on 7 December, 1968, to Alhaji
Azeez Oyerinde, a journalist, and Mrs Comfort Oyerinde, a
stenographer.Oyerinde was married to Funke Oyerinde by whom he had four
children.“
Oyerinde started his trade union career in 1990 when he was appointed
Assistant General Secretary by the Iron and Steel Senior Staff
Association of Nigeria, an affiliate of the Senior Staff Consultative
Association of Nigeria, which metamorphosed into the Trade Union
Congress of Nigeria.“While
in the union, he was actively involved in the pro-democracy movement,
which was waging a relentless battle against the military and the
interim government. At this point, he was the Lagos State chairman of
the Campaign for Democracy (CD) under the national leadership of the
late Dr Beko Ransome-Kuti. He was also executive director, Centre for
Worker’s Rights (CWR) and a member of the Nigerian Tenants Association
(NTA).“Olaitan
left the Iron and Steel Senior Staff Association of Nigeria as a deputy
general secretary after ten years to join the services of the Nigeria
Labour Congress (NLC) when Comrade Adams Oshiomhole assumed its
leadership. Under an organisational revival programme embarked upon by
the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole, younger and ideologically
clear-headed activists were brought into the NLC to help build a more
radical labour movement.“In
the NLC, Comrade Olaitan had been head of the departments of Industrial
Relations and International Relations as well as the Special Assistant
to the NLC President.“He
established a reputation for thoroughness, uncommon brilliance, deep
commitment to the values of the trade union movement and capacity for
creative thinking and initiative. This explains his rapid rise in the
NLC.‘Like
other comrades in the Labour movement, he was involved in the
electioneering campaign of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and co-authored the
manifesto entitled My Vision, My Mission.‘In
November 2008, following his victory, Comrade Oshiomhole sought and
obtained the NLC’s consent to release Comrade Olaitan to work with his
administration. Olaitan resumed as the Special Adviser, Special Duties
but was appropriately re-designated as the Principal Secretary to the
Governor/Head of the Governor’s Secretariat.”Oyerinde’s murderOyerinde
was murdered on 4 May, 2012 at his residence in Benin City, the Edo
State capital. The news of his assassination became an instant media hit
and drew public attention obviously because of the status and
personality of Oshiomhole, his employer at the time, and also because
the murder occurred at a period of stormy and intense electioneering
campaigns ahead of the 14 July governorship election which held in the
state with the now re-elected Governor Oshiomhole seeking a second term
of four years. But to many people, what increased interest in the murder
of Oyerinde and made it to attract high reviews in some quarters was
that it occurred few days after the accident of Saturday, 28 April 2012,
involving the convoy of Governor Oshiomhole which left three
journalists attached to the Governnor’s Press Unit dead and scores of
others injured along Afuze-Auchi road. It was a development the governor
said was a clear assassination attempt on his life. It was something
akin to “some deaths, too many” within a very short interval. It
was against this backdrop that Oshiomhole gave the police a 14-day
ultimatum to fish out Oyerinde’s killers and bring them to book and even
offered N10 million to anyone with information that would lead to the
arrest of his murderers.Politics of Oyerinde’s murderIndeed,
Oyerinde’s murder dangerously pushed Edo State to a precipitous edge.
Before then, different developments including the fatal convoy accident
heightened the verbal attacks associated with the bitter electioneering
campaign of the time. But the already volatile polity was ruptured even
the more with the assassination and the allegations and
counter-allegations that followed, putting the state on the brink of
implosion.The
Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation described the killing of Olaitan as
“one murder, too many.” The Director General of the Oshiomhole Campaign
Organisation, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, said “This gives us reasonable
cause for concern against the backdrop of the fact that it is happening
on the heels of an orchestrated fatal auto crash involving the Comrade
Governor only about a week ago. We call the attention of the public to
the fact that these two incidents have happened just 24 hours to the
formal flag off of the governor’s re-election campaign.”Ize-Iyamu
said they were informed that their political adversaries plan to
orchestrate road accidents and kidnapping of prominent Action Congress
of Nigeria (ACN) leaders in the state. He added that their political
opponents also planned to plant bombs in strategic locations especially
campaign grounds just to occasion mayhem. “When you juxtapose these
events, we are not in doubt at all that this is all about politics of
do-or-die and an atavistic attempt to capture power by crude and foul
means.”Furthermore,
Ize-Iyamu said, “The purpose of all these is very clear. The first
attempt on the governor’s life in an orchestrated auto crash was to go
for the jugular and that attempt having woefully failed; the latest
attack on the sanctity of human life is aimed at instilling fear on our
party leadership and followership with a view to destabilising our
campaign efforts.”Ize-Iyamu
recalled that “Johnson Oghuma, an ACN lawmaker representing Etsako
Central which coincidentally is the same local government where the
chairman of the opposition party comes from, was recently attacked by
gunmen whilst on his way to receive decampees from the opposition
party.” He further said, “You will also recall that the Commissioner for
Information, Mr Louis Odion, had alerted the world about the threat
that he received from no less a person than the national leader from the
opposition party that he was going to be dealt with. Only last week,
and the early hours of the morning gunmen stormed his house demanding to
know his whereabouts. We thank God; he wasn’t at home that night.”Governor
Oshiomhole, who also spoke on the heels of Oyerinde’s murder, renewed
his allegation and accusation, saying “Last week, they succeed in
killing three Journalists. Last night, they killed Olaitan. Let me be
clear they cannot kill my fighting spirit. We submitted a petition to
the Commissioner of Police in which we informed him of the meetings held
at the residence of the godfather where they took a critical evaluation
of the forthcoming election and they agreed it is impossible for them
to win. They also resolved at the meeting presided over by the godfather
to intimidate my person and if possible to eliminate. At that meeting,
they said they will kill under the guise of armed robbery, many of my
personal staff and key leaders to pretend as if they are victim of
kidnapping. I also informed the police they resolved that weeks before
the election, they will detonate bombs in parts of the state in order
the scare people away from going to vote.”The
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not let the allegation fly without a
response. On Saturday, 05 May 2012, the party through the state
chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, described the renewed accusation of Governor
Oshiomhole and his campaign organisation as reckless, wicked and
criminal. The party also said the allegation was ridiculous, vexatious,
unfounded and a figment of the imagination of the governor.According
to Orbih, there was a dubious attempt to incite the people against the
PDP and its leaders because the governor was aware of the defeat that
awaited him at the poll. He said all they were doing was to create
unwarranted attacks on the leaders of the PDP. Orbih noted that
Oshiomhole said he gave the police a 14-day ultimatum to produce the
killers of Olaitan and establish the killers of the three journalists
that died in his convoy accident, but observed that, unfortunately, the
governor had not waited for the 14 days to lapse before accusing Chief
Tony Anenih and the leadership of the PDP in the state, just as he
pointed out that Governor Oshiomhole was already influencing police
investigation.Breakthrough in investigationsThe
first hint of a supposed breakthrough in investigations into the murder
came on Wednesday, 11 July 2012, the Inspector General of Police (IGP),
Mr Mohammed Abubakar, announced that the police had arrested the people
who killed Oyerinde. The IGP, who addressed journalists shortly after
meeting with officers and men of the Force at the Zone 5 Command
headquarters in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said, “I want to
announce that we have arrested four persons who had killed the PA to the
governor. And that is a credit to the police.”The
IGP, who did not give further details regarding the arrest, took
exception to the deadline of 14 days, within which to find the killers
of Oyerinde and bring them to book, that was given to the police by
Governor Oshiomhole. According to Abubakar, “You can’t just give the
police 24 hours to do a miracle. We have to investigate and look at all
the facts of the matter before we can come to a conclusion.”Twists and turns: a tale of one murder, two sets of suspects, two different motivesThe Police angleTwo
different sets of suspects have been arrested by the two security
agencies publicly known to be investigating the murder, namely the
police and the State Security Service (SSS). The police in Edo State are
holding some suspects, including an environment and economic justice
campaigner, David Ugolor, while the SSS also arrested and are holding in
Abuja six other suspects in connection with Oyerinde’s murder.The David Ugolor connectionDavid
Ugolor is the Executive Director of African Network for Environment and
Economic Justice (ANEEJ) and is said to be a close friend and associate
of the late Oyerinde. Few weeks ago, armed detectives from Federal
Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) stormed Ugolor’s office in Benin City
and arrested him in connection with the killing of Oyerinde, with the
police claiming that one of the suspects in their custody had mentioned
one “David” as a sponsor of the murder. Before the police took Ugolor
way, the SARS team had also conducted a search at his private residence
in Benin City in an operation that reportedly lasted over three hours.According
to the police, police one of the suspects in their custody had during
interrogation alleged that Ugolor gave him N200,000 as part payment for
an agreed N20million price to hire late Oyerinde’s killers. However, it
is said that during cross examination the suspect could not remember the
exact location the transaction took place, neither did he know the way
to Ugolor’s office, house address nor his cell phone number apart from
the mental image of him always appearing on television to criticise
government.Ugolor
had, at a press briefing shortly after the killing of Oyerinde, said,
“Oyerinde was with me that night. He called me after closing from work
and we went to Etete Street to have a drink. After about 11:00pm we
left. He dropped me at my house and he drove home.“At
about 2:00am, the wife knocked on my window and told me thed had shot
Oyerinde. I went and we took him to the hospital. He died in our hands
after about 30 minutes. Oyerinde was not killed by his friends as
speculated. It is only cowards that will resort to violence. We live in a
free world. Oyerinde never believed in security. He never thought
anybody would hurt him”.The SSS angleBesides,
while the police are, among other things, looking at the plausibility
of the murder being a case of assassination, the SSS has categorically
declared that it was an armed robbery incident that went awry. In other
words, the SSS said that armed robbers killed Oyerinde, a position which
appears to run counter to that of the police regarding the suspects
that are in police detention.The
SSS recently paraded six persons which it described as principal
suspects in connection with the killing of Oyerinde. Deputy Director,
Public Relations of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar said during the parade that
“In addition to the suspects earlier arrested by the police in
connection with the murder ,the following six principal suspects have
been apprehended: Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi,Raymond Onajite Origbo;
Chikezie Edeh; Saidu Yakubu(aka Imam); Sani Abdullahi Abubakar and
Hassan Bashiru”.According
to Ogar, “Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde was murdered in cold blood by the
trio of Mohammed Ibrahim,Raymond Onajite Origbo and Chikezie Edeh.The
three other suspects -Saidu Yakubu (aka Imam), Sani Abdullahi Abubakar
and Hassan Bashiru - are habitual buyers of stolen items”.Ogar
revealed that it was Olaitan’s guard that inadvertently exposed him to
the killers through his careless utterances. “Investigation has thus far
revealed that careless statements made by Ali Ihade, the security guard
of Oyerinde at various times about his master’s position in government
attracted the attention of the prime suspect, Mohammed Ibrahim
Abdullahi, who consequently hatched a robbery operation. On the day of
the robbery, Abdullahi specifically instructed other gang members to tie
up Ihade before they entered Oyerinde’s residence so that Ihade will
not see his face.”She
added that “According to the robbery gang, Oyerinde was shot and killed
by the prime suspect, Mohammed Ibrahim Abdullahi, when he ran into his
bedroom and attempted to go underneath his bed. Abdullahi said he
believed Oyerinde was reaching out for a gun under the bed and therefore
shot him.” Ogar pointed out that among the items the robbers removed
from Oyerinde’s residence were four Blackberry phones, one Ipad, two
Galaxy pads, one laptop, a wedding ring, and an unspecified sum of money
belonging to Adeyinka Oletubo, brother -in -law to Oyerinde.“The
murder weapons comprising three guns used during the robbery have all
been recovered.The above suspects are all currently in the custody of
the Service and would be handed over to the police for criminal
prosecutions,” she further said.Clearing of doubtsAs
at Thursday, 23 August 2012, both the police and the SSS engaged in
what appears to be the clearing of doubts regarding the suspects they
were each holding in connection with Oyerinde’s murder. That Thursday,
the police said it had recorded a breakthrough in the case following
their discovery that four of the suspects they arrested were principal
actors in the killing.But the SSS said at another press briefing that
same day it was handing over six suspected killers of Oyerinde to the
police since, according to the service, it was an armed robbery case.Deputy
Force spokesman, CSP Frank Mba, who spoke while briefing journalists in
Abuja, said that four of the seven suspects the police arrested in
connection with the murder were the principal actors who killed
Oyerinde.He gave their names as Danjuma Musa, Muritala Usman, Auta Umaru
Ali and Moses Asama Okoro, popularly called Moses Auchi, saying that
Garuba Usman Maisamari procured the suspects and participated in
pre-operational surveillance by trailing the deceased (with others) to
his home.This came as the SSS punctured claims in certain quarters that
some of the suspects it paraded before journalists on 01 August 2012, in
connection with the killing of Oyerinde, had earlier been paraded by
the it in March this year over the alleged kidnap of two expatriates.While
parading the three suspected kidnappers of the two expatriate staff of
Stabilin Visinoni Construction Company, who had earlier been paraded in
March this year with the six suspects paraded early this month in
connection with the murder of Oyerinde before journalists penultimate
Thursday in Abuja, the SSS Deputy Director, Public Relations, Ogar, said
those behind the wild allegation were intent on politicising the murder
of Oyerinde and ridiculing the service.Ogar
spoke as the SSS handed over the six suspects arrested in connection
with the killing of Oyerinde to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad
(FSARS) of the Nigeria Police in Abuja, amid tight security, for further
action. The suspects the SSS handed over to the police were Mohammed
Ibrahim Abdullahi, Raymond Onajite Origbo, Chikezie Edeh, Saidu
Yakubu-Imam, Sani Abdullahi Abubakar and Hassan Bashiru.The
SSS spokesperson had earlier told journalists that the service would
hand over the suspects to the police for prosecution since it had been
established that it was a case of robbery, going by the confessional
statements of the suspects and the fact that the police had also
arrested some suspects in connection with the murder, saying that it was
the police that had an anti-robbery department, which would carry out
the prosecution.Perhaps
to clear all misgivings regarding the alleged recycling of suspects by
the service, Ogar said, ‘’For the avoidance of doubt, both groups have
no link whatsoever, as they were apprehended for different offences at
different locations and at different times.”According
to Ogar, “The suspects arrested in connection with the kidnap of the
expatriates were between the ages of 19 and 20 years, while those
apprehended over Comrade Oyerinde’s killing are between the ages of 26
and 46 years.”Oshiomhole’s position on the matter(Governor
Adams Oshiomhole’s reaction as electronically sent from the Edo State
Government House Press Unit is hereby produced unedited)“Governor
Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has called on President Goodluck Jonathan
to set up a high-powered Panel of Inquiry to look into the
contradictions between two federal security agencies, the Nigerian
Police Force and the State Security Services (SSS), over the killing of
Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, his Principal Private Secretary. Comrade
Oyerinde was killed by gunmen in his residence in Benin City, on May 4,
this year.In
a statement, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Peter Okhiria,
said: “the attention of Governor Adams Oshiomhole has been drawn to the
contradictory claims by two federal security agencies, namely, the State
Security Services and the Police Force over the killing of Comrade
Olaitan Oyerinde, his Principal private Secretary.“While
the SSS paraded some people who alleged to have confessed to the
killing of Comrade Oyerinde on account of armed robbery, the Nigeria
Police also said they have in their custody exactly the same number of
persons who allegedly confessed to the killing of Comrade Oyerinde.“In
fact, the Police have gone ahead to arrest one Rev David Ugolor who is
alleged to have been implicated as the sponsor of the murder. In order
to clear the position of the Edo State Government, we wish to note the
following:“Following
the murder of Comrade Oyerinde, the governor gave the security agencies
a 14-day ultimatum to find the killers, which he suspected was
politically-motivated. Within a few days of his murder, Mr. Governor was
informed by the SSS in confidence that they had made some progress,
having located Comrade Oyerinde’s telephone and those who bought it and
eventually using their own skills, they were able to arrest, one after
the other, those who have since confessed that they killed Comrade
Oyerinde.“Subsequently,
at about the end of June, the SSS again, apparently to assure the
Governor of the progress made, paraded the suspects before the Governor
and he had the opportunity to ask some questions, for about 45 minutes,
about the murder and they told him who fired the shot, where they stood,
who bought the phone and for how much and they also showed him the
weapons used and the amount of money they found which was less than
fifty thousand naira.“From
the interface with the suspects paraded by the SSS, the governor was
convinced that they were indeed responsible for the murder of Comrade
Oyerinde to which they had confessed. The suspects also repeated to the
Governor the confessions they had made to the SSS that they were the
same gang that made an attempt to attack the State Commissioner for
Information, Hon Louis Odion at his residence and their account
corroborated that of Hon Odion who narrated to the Governor that ‘it was
the vigilance group in his area that scared the attackers away’.“The
governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, is convinced and impressed that the
SSS did their job professionally. The only matter that remains unclear
is the motive; whether it was a clear case of armed robbery or
assassination on the ground that there were two men in the house and the
invaders asked Comrade Oyerinde’s wife: ‘who is your husband’. If it
was a clear case of armed robbery, it would not have mattered who the
husband was.“Two
weeks after the SSS briefing, the attention of Mr Governor was brought
to reports in the newspapers that the Police also arrested some people
who also allegedly confessed to the killing of Comrade Oyerinde. Each
time the Governor asked the Commissioner of Police of Edo State on the
progress made on the matter, he insisted that the case was being handled
by the Force Headquarters and was not in a position or permitted to
brief the Governor.“Following
the arrest of Rev David Ugolor and the interest it has generated, the
governor cut short his vacation, and upon his return to the state
invited the Commissioner of Police to brief him on the latest
development. The Governor told the Police Commissioner of his worries
about not being briefed not only as the complainant whose associate was
murdered but also as the Governor who has the responsibility for the
protection of lives and property in the state. Again, the Commissioner
of Police maintained that only the Force Headquarters could brief the
governor even when the officer in charge of the case is on ground here
in Benin City.“Having
expressed his disappointment on the seeming secrecy and lethargy of the
Police and having regard to the persistent reports and calls he
received on the matter and on the contradictory role of the two security
agencies, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) heading the
investigations finally briefed the Governor on their investigation on
Friday, August 10, 2012.“After
listening to the briefing, the governor came to the conclusion that
there were several inconsistencies in the IPO’s narrative, in particular
the alleged involvement of Rev David Ugolor who is easily the most
prominent civil society activist in Edo State and a well-known friend of
Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde.“According
to the DCP (IPO), some of the suspects had confessed one after the
other to have participated in the killing of Comrade Olaitan in the
course of an armed robbery operation. When they (Police) picked the 4th
or 5th suspect, he mentioned that the person who coordinated the
operation had told them that they would be paid N20m to assassinate
Comrade Oyerinde and the coordinator was already in the police cell.“The
DCP told the governor that the police brought the alleged coordinator
out of the cell and put the question to him, to wit: the issue of
sponsorship of the killing of Comrade Oyerinde and he admitted that it
was one ‘David’ that contracted him to carry out the operation and that
the said ‘David’ had paid N200,000 out of N20 million agreed between
them.“That
the following morning after the killing of Comrade Oyerinde, Rev Ugolor
allegedly phoned him (the coordinator) to confirm that the job had been
done and that Comrade Oyerinde had been taken to the mortuary. That at
the identification parade, the suspect pointed to Rev David Ugolor as
the alleged sponsor. The DCP said they have the call logs of Rev Ugolor
and when Mr Governor asked if the claim of regular phone contact between
the suspect and Rev Ugolor had been established, the DCP said he had
received the call log of Rev Ugolor and was yet to verify that of the
other suspect who ‘implicated’ him.“The
governor is surprised that about two weeks after David Ugolor’s arrest,
there is no concrete link between him and his accuser. One would have
thought that such link would have been established before any arrest is
made.“The
governor asked the DCP if the N20 million had been paid to the suspects
to whom he said No. The governor also asked if it was possible that a
hired killer who had carried out a killing for an agreed sum could
subsequently allow over two months gap without being paid.“Again,
the governor further asked the DCP if the suspect knows the residence
of Rev Ugolor to which he said No. He further inquired to know how the
suspect knew Rev Ugolor to which the DCP said it was through their
transactions in foreign exchange“The
question is if the relationship between Rev David Ugolor and the
suspect was based on transactions in foreign exchange on two occasions
only, how did David Ugolor conclude that in addition to foreign exchange
transactions, the suspect was also a hired killer?“Like
every other Nigerian, the Governor is extremely worried about the
claims of two federal security agencies, which, no matter what anyone
says, at the end of the day, one of the arms must clearly be playing out
a script designed to shield the actual killers and/or their sponsors
and it fits into the unenviable record of unresolved
politically-motivated murder cases in the country, which Mr President,
Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has denounced publicly when he ordered the
security agencies, in unmistakable terms, to fish out the killers of
Comrade Oyerinde.“For
the avoidance of doubt, there are too many contradictions in the
narrative of the Police and their reluctance even to brief the Governor
on the progress as the Chief Complainant and also as the Governor of Edo
State.
“With the level
of technological advancements in the world, and given the Police
admission that a lot of the exchange of conversation between the alleged
suspects was on the telephone, the Governor is of the view that the
Police ought to have established through the call logs the evidence
between the suspects before the detention of Rev David Ugolor.“The
Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, therefore respectfully requests Mr.
President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, to set up a high-powered panel of
inquiry or set up a crack team to resolve this national embarrassment.”Ex-DIG Parry Osayande tackles police, SSSThe
police, SSS seeming contradictions or perhaps inability to share
intelligence and properly coordinate their efforts may have drawn the
ire of the Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Deputy
Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Parry Osayande (retd) who said a
situation in which the SSS now arrests and prosecutes suspected
criminals is a great threat to the nation’s security.Osayande
who spoke on Monday while reacting to the conflicting reports between
the Nigerian Police Force and the State Security Services (SSS) over the
killers of Governor Oshiomhole’s Principal Private Secretary, Comrade
Olaitan Oyerinde, said the duty of the SSS was to source information and
intelligence after which they pass them to the appropriate quarters for
execution. He said it was his belief that the police force which was
passing through a process of reforms was capable of handling any
criminal issue.“The
SSS should not be heard, they should neither be seen nor heard. They
are supposed to operate clandestinely. Gather information, intelligence,
distill and authenticate and pass them to the appropriate authority for
use. This new trend where every body come and arrest and also prosecute
is very bad. Needless schism among security agencies is wrong.“If
you get the information pass it to the appropriate authority. Every
body wants to be seen. That was what caused the 9/11 tragedy in America.
It is not that they did not have the information but some security
agencies were hoarding the information and did not pass it to others.
That is rubbish. Once you get the information, pass it to the
appropriate quarters if it is the Army give it to them, if it is the
police give it to them also,” Osayande further said.
Oyerinde and Nigeria’s unresolved high-profiled murder casesWith
the controversies generated by the murder of Olaitan Oyerinde, an aide
of Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, last May, Assistant Editor,
Dapo Falade, goes down memory lane, taking a look at some of the
unresolved (or yet-to-be-resolved) murder cases across the polity.
‘In the course of over three decades, the question, “Who killed Dele
Giwa?”, had become the catchphrase of sorts owing, largely to the
efforts of my late friend and colleague, Chief Gani Fawehinmi SAN, to
continually remind Nigerians of the inability of the Police to find the
killers of the eminent journalist.”
The above submission by
eminent legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola, in the 27 August, 2012
edition of his column, Afe Babalola on Monday, (Nigerian Tribune), aptly
captures the frustration of Nigerians, both the highly and the
lowly-placed, with the dangerously recurring decimal in the nation’s
socio-political history namely, increasingly unresolved murder cases,
most especially since the advent of the present political dispensation.
While
no country in any part of the world can be said to be absolutely free
of murder-related deaths, the Nigerian situation became a particularly
worrisome phenomenon given the fact that its modern history is replete
with scores of unresolved murders. But for the ruling of Justice
Mojisola Dada of an Igbosere, Lagos High Court which pronounced guilty
Major Hamzat al-Mustapha, the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late
despotic military ruler, General Sani Abacha and Alhaji Lateef Sofolahan
of being the masterminds of the murder, in June 1996, of Alhaja Kudirat
Abiola, wife of the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential
election, the late Chief MKO Abiola, virtually most other similar
heinous crimes have remained largely inconclusive and unresolved in the
annals of Nigeria, with the identity of the masterminds shrouded in
mystery.
The recent killing of Olaitan Oyerinde, the Principal
Private Secretary of Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in
his Benin residence, has again reopened the vexed issue of unresolved
murders in this country. The murder has also added to the growing lists
of the victims, including;
Dele GiwaDele
Giwa, the founding editor of the Newswatch Magazine, was dispatched to
the world beyond in the morning of Sunday, 19 October, 1986 via a parcel
bomb, a means which was then novel and sui generis. The murder of the
colourful, flamboyant and celebrated journalist can be said to be the
precursor of the boom in high profile murders which are yet to be
unraveled by the police.
Alfred RewaneAn
elder statesman and financier of the National Democratic Coalition
(NADECO), Pa Alfred Rewane, was murdered at his Ikeja, Lagos home in
1994 at the age of 79. An avowed critic of military dictatorship and
despotic tendencies, Rewane was a successful businessman whose murder
case remains unresolved since then, notwithstanding the trial of
suspects who pleaded not guilty to the heinous crime.
Alhaja Suliat AdedejiThe
woman, whose killing was believed to have been politically motivated,
was killed in her Ibadan-home in 1996 by yet-to-be identified assassins
who were said to have had poured hot leads into her private part.
Chief Layi BalogunA
successful and internationally recognised architect, Chief Layi Balogun
was felled by the assassins’ bullets also in his Ibadan home in 1996.
Alhaji Jibola Olanipekun SANAn Ibadan-based successful legal practitioner, Olanipekun was killed by yet-to-be identified gunmen in the Oyo State capital.
Chief Bola IgeFormer
Second Republic governor of the old Oyo State and later, Minister of
Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige,
popularly known as the Cicero of Esa-Oke, was also murdered under
mysterious and queer circumstances at his Bodija, Ibadan residence on 23
December, 2001. While his death threw up series of intrigues, not quite
a few Nigerians, including the Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka,
are of the conviction that the death of the leading politician of the
Yoruba extraction was politically motivated. With the demise of his
wife, Justice Atinuke Ige, in the course of the trial of some suspects,
his family had since given up on the case, resigning themselves to fate.
Dr Obi WaliThe
seed of unresolved murder case was sowed in the Niger Delta region with
the brutal murder, in the early 1990s, of Dr Obi Wali, a leading
politician from Ikwere, River State. As it was the case with many others
before him, the Police questioned his wife for the murder of Wali in
his Port Harcourt residence, but nobody was put to trial for the act.
Chief Marshall HarryThe
incidents of politically motivated killings continued in the
South-South with the murder of Chief Marshall Harry, a chieftain of the
then All Peoples Party (APP), on March 5, 2003. Like Ige and Rewane, he
was killed at his home and nobody has been prosecuted.
Aminasoari DikiboDikibo,
another high profiled politician and the then national vice chairman of
the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-South, was hacked to death on
February 6, 2004. The killers of the politician were never apprehended,
though the police paraded some armed robbers as the suspects.
Ogbonnaya UcheUche,
the senatorial candidate of the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) for
Orlu Zone, Imo State, met his death in the hands of unknown gunmen in
his Owerri home. His killers are yet to be brought to book.
Andrew AgomA
member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) and former boss of the
Nigerian Airways, Chief Andrew Agom, was killed on March 4, 2004 on the
entourage of the former governor of Benue State and now the Minority
Leader in the Senate, Senator George Akume.
Igwe Barnabas’ murderThe
killing of the chairman of the Onitsha branch of the Nigerian Bar
Association (NBA), Chief Igwe Barnabas, along with his wife, Abigail
Amaka, by suspected assassins on September 10, 2002, became a celebrated
case as high ranking government officials were allegedly linked with
the murder. But there has been no reprieve for the bereaved family.
Odunayo OlagbajuHonourable
Odunayo Olagbaju, then representing Ile-Ife Constituency in the Osun
State House of Assembly, was brutally killed on December 21, 2001. His
death triggered a crisis. Some people convicted of his murder have been
granted pardon by the current government in the state.
Funsho WilliamsDeath
crept into the Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, Lagos home of the PDP chieftain,
Engineer Funsho Williams in July 2006. He was a leading PDP governorship
aspirant who many believed was removed from the scene, ahead the 2007
general election. While his murder became a subject of brickbats,
accusations and counter-accusations across political divides, the police
are yet to identify his killers, more than six years after.
Dr Ayo DaramolaThe
dastardly murder of Daramola, a former World Bank consultant and PDP
governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, in Isan-Ekiti country home in 2006
drew a wide condemnation, but the police, as usual, are still
investigating the murder.
Godwin AgborokoThe
death of the chairman, Editorial Board, ThisDay Newspapers, Mr Godwin
Agboroko, remains another challenge to the police. His killers, till
date, have not been unmasked.
Abayomi OgindejiAnother
ThisDay Newspapers journalist, Mr Ogundeji, was murdered on 17 August,
2008. While the police are alleging armed robbery, many others in
several quarters are not convinced that the death of the journalist was
not politically motivated.
Bayo OhuAnother
pen pusher and Assistant News Editor of The Guardian Newspapers, Bayo
Ohu, was also killed, leaving law enforcement agencies with yet another
unresolved murder case.
Bagauda KaltoMr
Baganda Kalto of the News Magazine was abducted from his room in Durbar
Hotel, Kano and murdered during the Sani Abacha dictatorship and so far,
there are no clues yet as to who did it.
Charles NsiegbeA
political associate of Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Charles
Nsiegbe was murdered on the street of Port Harcourt on 21 November,
2009. The Nigeria Police are still in dilemma, seeking to unmask the
killers of the man.
Dipo DinaPopularly known
as DD-Direct, the late Chief Dipo Dina was the governorship candidate
of the then Action Congress (AC) in Ogun State in the 2007 elections. He
was hacked to death by another set of mysterious assassins on Monday,
25 January, 2010 around Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State. As usual,
his death has been ascribed to the handiwork of armed robbers but the
police have not been able to unmask the killers.
While several
other Nigerians were murdered unsung, a roll call of numerous other
unresolved recorded assassinations in the Fourth Republic includes Yemi
Oni, a member of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) in Ekiti State (March,
2003); Mr Ikenna Ibor, an ANPP member in Anambra State (March, 2003);
Tony Dimegwu also of the ANPP in Imo State (April 2003); Mr Issa Zaria,
ANPP, Kwara State (April 2003); Chief Onyewuchi Iwuchukwu, ANPP, Imo
State (19 April, 2003); Mr Luke Shingaba (March 2004); Chief Philip
Olorunnipa, INEC, Kogi State (April 2004); Mr Esho Egbelu, Cross Rivers
State (August 2004); Captain Jerry Agbeyegbe, aviation chief, Lagos
State (12 October, 2004); Mr Anthony Ozioko, PDP, Abuja (27 July, 2005);
Mr Patrick Origbe, PDP, Delta State (3 June, 2005); Mr Felix Eboigbe,
Edo State (August 2005) and Chef Jesse Aniku, ACD, Plateau State (July
2006).
As the murder of Oyerinde, Oshiomhole’s aide upped the
stake in the numerous acts of impunity pervading the country, and with
the police still investigating his death and those of others, the
questions are, who is the next victim? Will the nation’s law enforcement
agencies perpetually remain handicapped in the quest to provide a safe
environment for the country and its inhabitants?
How far can the
Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, go in carrying out the
order by President Jonathan that not only should the killers of Oyerinde
be arrested but that all cases of unresolved murders should also be
re-opened for thorough investigations?
Perhaps, an admonition
will be succinct here: Delivering a lecture entitled, “The International
Criminal Court and its role in fighting against impunity”, at an event
organised to mark the 10th year of the murder of the late Chief Bola
Ige, Justice Akua Kuenyehia emphasised the need to strengthen the rule
of law.
Charging the Nigerian leaders to promptly identify and
address the underlying causes of crisis, she opined that the causes of
the conflicts were complex and the pre-disposition of a group of persons
to conflict may depend more on the strength of their conviction for a
cause than the threat of prosecution.
“A multiplicity of actions
will be required to deal with such situations. Criminal prosecutions
cannot deal with the underlying causes of such conflict. It can only
ensure accountability for crimes committed. Failure to address the
underlying causes of conflict is obviously a recipe for further
conflict, irrespective of criminal prosecutions”, she said.
