Unresolved murders in Nigeria reverberate as security agents fail to solve the riddle while the country risks slipping into a nest of killers
By Olafioye Olakunle
But why? What have the killers gained for this dastard act of cowardice?
At just 44 years old, Olaitan Oyerinde was popular within government bureaucracy in Edo state and around the country as the intellectual machine of Adams Oshiomhole, Governor of Edo state. Famous for his distinctive brilliance at the University of Lagos where he studied Mass Communication, friends and associates of Oyerinde who was also a strong voice in Nigeria's Civil Society and at the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC where he was Assistant General Secretary before Governor Oshiomhole appointed him his principal private secretary attest to his unique qualities.
Oyerinde brought his massive intellect to Edo state and the Oshiomhole administration recorded tremendous successes within a short time. But the government was denied the benefit of further enjoying Oyerinde's sterling contributions when he was assassinated on May 4, 2012. Expectedly, Governor Oshiomhole was livid. He handed down a Friday, May 18 ultimatum to the police to fish out the killers of Oyerinde who was gunned down in the wee hours of Friday, May 4. The Source learnt that Oyerinde was killed by a four man-gang who invaded his No. 65, 2nd Ugbor Road residence, GRA Benin City.
His murder, coming barely six days after the death of three journalists in the convoy of the state governor, where the governor himself narrowly escaped death, stood as a big blow to the governor. Addressing the people of Edo state shortly after inspecting the remains of the late Oyerinde at the Central Hospital in Benin City, a visibly angry Oshiomhole handed down a 14-day ultimatum to security agents to fish out the killers of the former topshot of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. “I am giving the police 14 days from today to produce the killers of Olaitan and to ascertain the killings of Olatunji Jacobs, Fidelis Ohani and George Okosun,” he said.
The governor did not stop at that. He went further with a threat many will consider strange. “If they (police) do not do that, as the Chief Security Officer of the state, I reserve all my options… this country will either fail or stand, nobody can intimidate us.” The governor declared. The ultimatum however, lapsed last Friday with no clue on those behind the killing. Not even the N10million reward promised by the state government for anybody with valuable information that can lead to the arrest of Oyerinde’s killers nor the directive given to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar by President Goodluck Jonathan, to arrest his killers could provide any clue on those responsible for the assassination.
If anything has surfaced since when Oshiomhole issued the 14-day ultimatum, it is definitely the waning of expectation and the growing pessimism over the possibility of arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act. Such feeling is quite understandable. Incidents of unresolved assassinations, especially since the nation returned to democratic rule in 1999, have been alarming. And while this trend continues unabated, the obvious helplessness of the nation’s security apparatus has inevitably eroded public confidence in the system.
The chronicle of high profile assassinations in Nigeria, especially in the current dispensation date back 2001 included former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Bola Ige, who was brutally assassinated on December 23, 2001 at his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state. The usual ruckus then followed. Blames and insults were traded among politicians while the federal government threatened fire and brimstone. Handsome financial reward was promised for anyone who had information about the killers of the country’s Justice Minister. But till date, no major breakthrough has been recorded. Thus making people feel that in a country where the Justice Minister and Attorney-General was assassinated and his murderers not found, it would be difficult to resolve the many killings in the country .
Subsequent killings would only follow the same pattern. Barely two weeks after the assassination of the former Minister of Justice, Ade Awonusi, the confidential secretary to the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais, was stabbed to death near the National Mosque, Abuja by assassins who remain unknown till date.
While Nigerians expected that the killers of Ige and Awonusi’s would be caught, Barnaba Igwe, former chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), one of the groups opposed to the PDP government of then Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju of Anambra state, and his wife, Amaka were matcheted and shot to death. Amaka who was also a lawyer was killed with her husband on September 1, 2002. The former governor was later arrested and prosecution over the Igwes’ murder but nothing came out of the prosecution. Mbadinuju has since been released and none of those whose direction he pointed was arrested.
Five months later, precisely on February 7, 2003, the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) Senatorial aspirant for Orlu Senatorial district in Imo state, Ogbonnaya Uche, was gunned down at his residence and in the same month, Theodore Agwatu, principal secretary to the Imo state governor was murdered by suspected hired assassins in Imo state. Their killers remain free men even till date.
Then came the turn of Harry Marshal, former National Deputy Chairman (South south) of the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP). Marshal, a former chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the ANPP following his differences with some PDP chieftains. He was assassinated on March 5, 2003 at his residence in Abuja. Like those before him, his murder remains a mystery till date.
Marshal’s assassination was followed by a torrent of other killings which perhaps made the year 2003 the most gruesome in the diary of unresolved killings in Nigeria. Those killed within the year include Rasaq Ibrahim, a supporter of the former governor of Kwara state, Mohammed Lawal. He was killed on March 20, 2003. Anthony Nwudo, an ANNP House of Assembly aspirant in Ebonyi state was murdered in Abakaliki the following day, March 21. The killing of another ANPP councillorship candidate in Anambra state followed on March 27 while two other ANPP stalwarts in Imo state, Onyewuchi Iwuchukwu and Toni Dimegwu were killed on April 19 and 20 respectively. Yet the list remains inexhaustive.
Aminasoari Dikibo led the way for victims of unknown murders in 2004. Dikibo, then PDP National vice chairman (South) was shot dead on February 6, 2004 on his way to the PDP South south meeting in Asaba, the Delta state capital. Dikibo’s killing was followed by a deadly attack on the convoy of the former Benue state Governor, George Akume on his way to Kaduna on March 3, 2004, leaving a member of PDP trustee, Andrew Agom dead alongside Akume’s police orderly, Joseph Ngama, a Sergeant.
Two high-profile politically motivated killings were recorded in less than three weeks in 2006. Funsho Williams, a PDP governorship aspirant in Lagos state was murdered in his Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi in his Lagos home on July 27, 2007. But while the country was still in shock over Williams murder, another PDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti state, Ayodele Daramola was cut down in his prime by yet-to-be identified killers on August 14, 2006.
The long list of Nigerians who have fallen to the rising wave of unresolved assassinations grew further on January 25, 2010 with the killing of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in the 2007 elections in Ogun state, Otunba Dipo Dina. Dina was shot dead by yet-to-be identified gunmen near Sango Ota while returning from Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, to his home in Lagos.
Curiously, a common denominator with the murders is that the killers have either remained unknown or court cases of the alleged perpetrators bogged down with bureaucracy. A recent case in sight is the penultimate Friday, May 11 freedom granted suspected killers of Bayo Ohu by a Lagos High Court. Ohu, an assistant news editor with The Guardian newspaper was killed at his residence in Egbeda, a Lagos Suburb. Ruling on the case, which lasted over two and half years, the presiding Judge, Justice Latifat Okunu held that the prosecutor failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. She insisted that no evidence whatsoever was placed before the court to show that the defendants were at the scene of the alleged crime.
This seems to be the farthest any high profile killing has ever gone in recent years. A similar scenario played out in the case of Pa Alfred Rewane, a chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO who was murdered at his Ikeja, GRA residence in 1995. The legal battle which followed his death lasted for 15 years during which four of the seven suspects arrested in connection with the murder died in custody. The remaining three were however discharged and acquitted.
But a disturbing scenario which points to high-wire conspiracy in most of the unresolved murders played out last week. when a key suspect in the Rewane's murder, Alex Adejumo who allegedly pulled the trigger which killed the late NADECO chieftain sneaked into the country and the police was alerted. The Source reliably learnt that the suspect was subsequently arrested only to be released after some shallow investigations. When The Source sought to know the reason behind the suspect’s hurried release, a senior police officer at Area ‘F’ was quoted as saying that the late Rewane’s case was an old case, which is not worth pursuing. But sources claimed that the police was heavily influenced by some powerful forces to secure the release of the alleged killer.
If this news is in any way disturbing, the case involving Ogbe Onokpite, former governorship candidate of Citizens Popular Party (CPP) in Delta state is more shocking. Onokpite was killed by a detachment of the police on November 26, 2011 at the Beeland Hotels in Warri, Delta state after he was arrested without any form of resistance. But what was hitherto thought, by eye-witnesses, to be a peaceful arrest turned violent when the former governorship candidate was shot in his two legs before he was whisked away in a vehicle bearing the inscription of the Nigeria Police Area Command, Warri, to a police station in the oil city where he was shot and allegedly left unattended to until he bled to death.
Like many before him, Onokpite’s death has been laced with controversy as his killers have been fighting hard to ensure his case file ends up in the trash can of unresolved murders. But after unsuccessful attempts by Onokpite’s killer to bury the case, an identification parade of those fingered in the gruesome killing of the late politician was ordered by the Acting Inspector General of Police, where eight of the 11 killer cops were identified by the late Onokpite’s driver, Gbenga Onasiji who witnessed how the late politician was shot at the Hotel before he was driven away.
A rather curious dimension was later introduced into the scenario. Counsel to the family of the late politician, Odiana Eriata told The Source that he was shell-shocked when he realised that the eight people identified by the prime witness during the identification parade in Abuja, were granted bail few days later.
“Really, there is a problem because in a criminal allegation of this nature, once bail is granted to the suspects, there is every tendency that the suspects will interfere with the investigation of the case” Eriata pointed out.
He posits that a situation where murder suspects are granted bail without proper investigation is one of the major reasons why Nigeria has not been able to unravel those behind some major killings in the country. “The case of Bola Ige has not been resolved till date, likewise that of Harry Marshal and several others. If all these cases of murders are not clinically investigated and the killers prosecuted, jailed or if possible hanged, I bet you, it will continue,” he said.
Faced with growing flaks over its seeming inability to resolve the killings, a senior police officer informed The Source that while not making excused for security lapses, the police id faced with key challenges that are affecting its capacity to crack murder cases.
According to him, once a crime is committed, Nigerians usually destroy evidence that would assist the police obtain clues or evidence on the suspects. He cited the example where sympathisers to a victim of crime besiege the crime scene and in the process, destroy evidence.
The officer who has served in the intelligence department of the police for many years noted that the force lacks the necessary tools and equipment to carry out effective policing and investigation. “As I speak to you, many Nigerians are dishonest. They give the police wrong information and since the country has no reliable data base, it becomes difficult to track down these criminals” he said.
Another police office disclosed that the lack of Forensic experts in the forcer is also hampering investigation of cases as it is almost impossible to embark on forensic analysis. These, other sources observe are added to the obsolete facilities in the police including poor funding and dearth of infrastructure.
Some observers however believe that the present state of lack of efficient security network has aided this culture of impunity in no small measure. They opine that the earlier the security lapses are addressed, with political leaders showing strong will to tackle criminality in all shades and forms, the better for the country, which is gradually slipping into the Hobbesian state of nature, where life is short, nasty and brutish.
By Olafioye Olakunle
At just 44 years old, Olaitan Oyerinde was popular within government bureaucracy in Edo state and around the country as the intellectual machine of Adams Oshiomhole, Governor of Edo state. Famous for his distinctive brilliance at the University of Lagos where he studied Mass Communication, friends and associates of Oyerinde who was also a strong voice in Nigeria's Civil Society and at the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC where he was Assistant General Secretary before Governor Oshiomhole appointed him his principal private secretary attest to his unique qualities.
Oyerinde brought his massive intellect to Edo state and the Oshiomhole administration recorded tremendous successes within a short time. But the government was denied the benefit of further enjoying Oyerinde's sterling contributions when he was assassinated on May 4, 2012. Expectedly, Governor Oshiomhole was livid. He handed down a Friday, May 18 ultimatum to the police to fish out the killers of Oyerinde who was gunned down in the wee hours of Friday, May 4. The Source learnt that Oyerinde was killed by a four man-gang who invaded his No. 65, 2nd Ugbor Road residence, GRA Benin City.
His murder, coming barely six days after the death of three journalists in the convoy of the state governor, where the governor himself narrowly escaped death, stood as a big blow to the governor. Addressing the people of Edo state shortly after inspecting the remains of the late Oyerinde at the Central Hospital in Benin City, a visibly angry Oshiomhole handed down a 14-day ultimatum to security agents to fish out the killers of the former topshot of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC. “I am giving the police 14 days from today to produce the killers of Olaitan and to ascertain the killings of Olatunji Jacobs, Fidelis Ohani and George Okosun,” he said.
The governor did not stop at that. He went further with a threat many will consider strange. “If they (police) do not do that, as the Chief Security Officer of the state, I reserve all my options… this country will either fail or stand, nobody can intimidate us.” The governor declared. The ultimatum however, lapsed last Friday with no clue on those behind the killing. Not even the N10million reward promised by the state government for anybody with valuable information that can lead to the arrest of Oyerinde’s killers nor the directive given to the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar by President Goodluck Jonathan, to arrest his killers could provide any clue on those responsible for the assassination.
If anything has surfaced since when Oshiomhole issued the 14-day ultimatum, it is definitely the waning of expectation and the growing pessimism over the possibility of arresting the perpetrators of the dastardly act. Such feeling is quite understandable. Incidents of unresolved assassinations, especially since the nation returned to democratic rule in 1999, have been alarming. And while this trend continues unabated, the obvious helplessness of the nation’s security apparatus has inevitably eroded public confidence in the system.
The chronicle of high profile assassinations in Nigeria, especially in the current dispensation date back 2001 included former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Bola Ige, who was brutally assassinated on December 23, 2001 at his residence in Ibadan, Oyo state. The usual ruckus then followed. Blames and insults were traded among politicians while the federal government threatened fire and brimstone. Handsome financial reward was promised for anyone who had information about the killers of the country’s Justice Minister. But till date, no major breakthrough has been recorded. Thus making people feel that in a country where the Justice Minister and Attorney-General was assassinated and his murderers not found, it would be difficult to resolve the many killings in the country .
Subsequent killings would only follow the same pattern. Barely two weeks after the assassination of the former Minister of Justice, Ade Awonusi, the confidential secretary to the then Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mohammed Uwais, was stabbed to death near the National Mosque, Abuja by assassins who remain unknown till date.
While Nigerians expected that the killers of Ige and Awonusi’s would be caught, Barnaba Igwe, former chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), one of the groups opposed to the PDP government of then Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju of Anambra state, and his wife, Amaka were matcheted and shot to death. Amaka who was also a lawyer was killed with her husband on September 1, 2002. The former governor was later arrested and prosecution over the Igwes’ murder but nothing came out of the prosecution. Mbadinuju has since been released and none of those whose direction he pointed was arrested.
Five months later, precisely on February 7, 2003, the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) Senatorial aspirant for Orlu Senatorial district in Imo state, Ogbonnaya Uche, was gunned down at his residence and in the same month, Theodore Agwatu, principal secretary to the Imo state governor was murdered by suspected hired assassins in Imo state. Their killers remain free men even till date.
Then came the turn of Harry Marshal, former National Deputy Chairman (South south) of the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP). Marshal, a former chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defected to the ANPP following his differences with some PDP chieftains. He was assassinated on March 5, 2003 at his residence in Abuja. Like those before him, his murder remains a mystery till date.
Marshal’s assassination was followed by a torrent of other killings which perhaps made the year 2003 the most gruesome in the diary of unresolved killings in Nigeria. Those killed within the year include Rasaq Ibrahim, a supporter of the former governor of Kwara state, Mohammed Lawal. He was killed on March 20, 2003. Anthony Nwudo, an ANNP House of Assembly aspirant in Ebonyi state was murdered in Abakaliki the following day, March 21. The killing of another ANPP councillorship candidate in Anambra state followed on March 27 while two other ANPP stalwarts in Imo state, Onyewuchi Iwuchukwu and Toni Dimegwu were killed on April 19 and 20 respectively. Yet the list remains inexhaustive.
Aminasoari Dikibo led the way for victims of unknown murders in 2004. Dikibo, then PDP National vice chairman (South) was shot dead on February 6, 2004 on his way to the PDP South south meeting in Asaba, the Delta state capital. Dikibo’s killing was followed by a deadly attack on the convoy of the former Benue state Governor, George Akume on his way to Kaduna on March 3, 2004, leaving a member of PDP trustee, Andrew Agom dead alongside Akume’s police orderly, Joseph Ngama, a Sergeant.
Two high-profile politically motivated killings were recorded in less than three weeks in 2006. Funsho Williams, a PDP governorship aspirant in Lagos state was murdered in his Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi in his Lagos home on July 27, 2007. But while the country was still in shock over Williams murder, another PDP governorship aspirant in Ekiti state, Ayodele Daramola was cut down in his prime by yet-to-be identified killers on August 14, 2006.
The long list of Nigerians who have fallen to the rising wave of unresolved assassinations grew further on January 25, 2010 with the killing of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate in the 2007 elections in Ogun state, Otunba Dipo Dina. Dina was shot dead by yet-to-be identified gunmen near Sango Ota while returning from Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, to his home in Lagos.
Curiously, a common denominator with the murders is that the killers have either remained unknown or court cases of the alleged perpetrators bogged down with bureaucracy. A recent case in sight is the penultimate Friday, May 11 freedom granted suspected killers of Bayo Ohu by a Lagos High Court. Ohu, an assistant news editor with The Guardian newspaper was killed at his residence in Egbeda, a Lagos Suburb. Ruling on the case, which lasted over two and half years, the presiding Judge, Justice Latifat Okunu held that the prosecutor failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. She insisted that no evidence whatsoever was placed before the court to show that the defendants were at the scene of the alleged crime.
This seems to be the farthest any high profile killing has ever gone in recent years. A similar scenario played out in the case of Pa Alfred Rewane, a chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO who was murdered at his Ikeja, GRA residence in 1995. The legal battle which followed his death lasted for 15 years during which four of the seven suspects arrested in connection with the murder died in custody. The remaining three were however discharged and acquitted.
But a disturbing scenario which points to high-wire conspiracy in most of the unresolved murders played out last week. when a key suspect in the Rewane's murder, Alex Adejumo who allegedly pulled the trigger which killed the late NADECO chieftain sneaked into the country and the police was alerted. The Source reliably learnt that the suspect was subsequently arrested only to be released after some shallow investigations. When The Source sought to know the reason behind the suspect’s hurried release, a senior police officer at Area ‘F’ was quoted as saying that the late Rewane’s case was an old case, which is not worth pursuing. But sources claimed that the police was heavily influenced by some powerful forces to secure the release of the alleged killer.
If this news is in any way disturbing, the case involving Ogbe Onokpite, former governorship candidate of Citizens Popular Party (CPP) in Delta state is more shocking. Onokpite was killed by a detachment of the police on November 26, 2011 at the Beeland Hotels in Warri, Delta state after he was arrested without any form of resistance. But what was hitherto thought, by eye-witnesses, to be a peaceful arrest turned violent when the former governorship candidate was shot in his two legs before he was whisked away in a vehicle bearing the inscription of the Nigeria Police Area Command, Warri, to a police station in the oil city where he was shot and allegedly left unattended to until he bled to death.
Like many before him, Onokpite’s death has been laced with controversy as his killers have been fighting hard to ensure his case file ends up in the trash can of unresolved murders. But after unsuccessful attempts by Onokpite’s killer to bury the case, an identification parade of those fingered in the gruesome killing of the late politician was ordered by the Acting Inspector General of Police, where eight of the 11 killer cops were identified by the late Onokpite’s driver, Gbenga Onasiji who witnessed how the late politician was shot at the Hotel before he was driven away.
A rather curious dimension was later introduced into the scenario. Counsel to the family of the late politician, Odiana Eriata told The Source that he was shell-shocked when he realised that the eight people identified by the prime witness during the identification parade in Abuja, were granted bail few days later.
“Really, there is a problem because in a criminal allegation of this nature, once bail is granted to the suspects, there is every tendency that the suspects will interfere with the investigation of the case” Eriata pointed out.
He posits that a situation where murder suspects are granted bail without proper investigation is one of the major reasons why Nigeria has not been able to unravel those behind some major killings in the country. “The case of Bola Ige has not been resolved till date, likewise that of Harry Marshal and several others. If all these cases of murders are not clinically investigated and the killers prosecuted, jailed or if possible hanged, I bet you, it will continue,” he said.
Faced with growing flaks over its seeming inability to resolve the killings, a senior police officer informed The Source that while not making excused for security lapses, the police id faced with key challenges that are affecting its capacity to crack murder cases.
According to him, once a crime is committed, Nigerians usually destroy evidence that would assist the police obtain clues or evidence on the suspects. He cited the example where sympathisers to a victim of crime besiege the crime scene and in the process, destroy evidence.
The officer who has served in the intelligence department of the police for many years noted that the force lacks the necessary tools and equipment to carry out effective policing and investigation. “As I speak to you, many Nigerians are dishonest. They give the police wrong information and since the country has no reliable data base, it becomes difficult to track down these criminals” he said.
Another police office disclosed that the lack of Forensic experts in the forcer is also hampering investigation of cases as it is almost impossible to embark on forensic analysis. These, other sources observe are added to the obsolete facilities in the police including poor funding and dearth of infrastructure.
Some observers however believe that the present state of lack of efficient security network has aided this culture of impunity in no small measure. They opine that the earlier the security lapses are addressed, with political leaders showing strong will to tackle criminality in all shades and forms, the better for the country, which is gradually slipping into the Hobbesian state of nature, where life is short, nasty and brutish.
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