Quest for justice over murder of Bola Ige continues 10 years afterWeek-long memorial activities across three cities marking the 10th anniversary of the murder of the nation's chief law officer, Chief James Ajibola Ige in his bedroom in Ibadan, Oyo State on December 23, 2001 will be rounded off today. Already, there is a renewed passion by two state governments to take up the case afresh to ensure that justice is not denied the late Justice Minister and Attorney-General of the Federation.IN retrospect, the murder of the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Chief James Ajibola Ige, had all the trappings of Hollywood movies: Several plots coalescing into the murder on the night of December 23, 2001. But the human being, without the gift of clairvoyance, could not piece together the various pointers to a dnouement.First was the fact that Bola Ige, a chieftain of the rival political party to the ruling party at the centre, accepted to serve in the government that Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka was to later capture aptly, as 'a nest of killers.'But the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not the only government accused of free wheeling killings of its perceived enemies and friends. There are many examples in the short history of Nigeria of state-sponsored killings of its nationals; right from the First Republic through the military regimes and Ige, a brilliant, gifted lawyer should have read the signs correctly. But he is mortal.Then, there was the open, brazen assault of the chief by a rascal who removed his cap at a public function. Removing the cap of a chief, an elder statesman and a Yoruba man in the public in the manner he did it, was to say the least, an abomination. It is absurd. But the brilliant Cicero who in his essays and writings always warned his kinsmen to think (Yoruba ro nu), just could not piece these warning signs together to wade off the danger ahead.And so, on the night he was shot dead in his bedroom, two of his police details, together, abandoned their post in Ige's home, to eat. It was perfect timing, it now seems, for the killers to walk in at this nick of time, unchallenged, caught the chief unawares, matched him into his bedroom and shot him at close range. They even reportedly waited to ensure that he was dead before they walked out from the compound. Nothing, except a brief case, was removed from the home. But the investigating and later, the prosecuting officers of the government misdirected themselves to a wrong alley that robbery was the main motive of the suspects arrested in connection with the murder.Perhaps, Bola Ige's murder has evoke more resentment in the nation than that of Mr. Dele Giwa, the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch Magazine killed via a parcel bomb at his breakfast table on October 19, 1986. Like the Giwa murder and many other assassinations afterwards which have not been conclusively resolved, the Ige's murder continues to evoke a state of helplessness of the citizens. And anger.Ige's only daughter and eldest child, Funso, on Wednesday in Ibadan told The Guardian that her father's death was untimely, and the Federal Government's shoddy handling of the murder suspects' trial was vexatious (see box).Every of the speakers at the Lagos and Ibadan activities in the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the murder of Ige, have not spared the shoddy handling of the investigation and trial of the suspects, leading to the feeling that government deliberately bungled the trial of the suspects. In fact, the governors of Oyo (Abiola Ajimobi) and Osun (Rauf Aregbesola) have promised to re-open the case as it was not statue-bound. Ekiti State governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, said in Lagos on Tuesday that the killers of Ige were to bear the shame of their action forever, and their consciences would always prick them at commemorative events every December 23 of the murder of the fine gentlemen.Lagos-based human rights activist and eloquent lawyer, Femi Falana in his lecture in Lagos titled: 'The International Criminal Court and its role in fighting against impunity,' had called on the Osun State government to re-open the case on the prosecution of the killers of Ige.He condemned the police investigation of the murder as well as the government in power when Ige was murdered.He commended Fayemi for instructing his Attorney-General to re-open cases of crimes committed in the last 10 years. 'I want the case file of Chief Bola Ige to be re-opened and Osun State be allowed to investigate and prosecute the matter.'His words: 'The chief suspect in the crime was made a senator while investigation was going on and the then president of Nigeria came on television to say that every accused person is presumed innocent until he is convicted.'Remember Fryo who had confessed that he was offered N50 million to commit the crime later recanted what he had said. We are demanding for the trial of Chief Ige's killers. If they are not willing to do it, the ICC is there.'Similarly, Niyi Akintola (SAN) called for the setting up of a truth commission with the mandate to investigate and make public the mysteries surrounding the death of Ige.'We should have a Truth Commission to unravel the death of Uncle Bola Ige so that some of us can tell the public what we faced during and after the trial. At least, there is circumstantial evidence,' Akintola said.Other notable speakers at the anniversary include vice president of the International Criminal Court of Justice in the Hague, Justice Akua Kuenyehia; former Osun State governor Bisi Akande; Mrs. Maryam Uwais and family members of the late Attorney-General, which include the sons -Muyiwa and Tokunbo - and the daughter, Mrs. Funso Adegbola.Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, in his lifetime was a Commissioner in the old Western Region (1967-1970) and the Governor of Oyo State (1979 -1983).In addition, he was, under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, first, Minister of Power and Steel (1999-2000) and later, the Minister of Justice (2000-2001). He was assassinated on December 23, 2001 shortly after the opted to resign to re-organise his political party, the AD.Although various people were arrested and tried for involvement in the murder, including Senator Iyiola Omisore, all were acquitted.According to a United States diplomatic cable as revealed by WikiLeaks, Howard Jeter, former United States ambassador to Nigeria, in a January 18, 2002 dispatch to Washington, less than one month after the murder, said the visiting American investigators found their Nigerian counterparts as 'under-trained and ill-equipped' and came to the conclusion that the inquiry would not yield results.Apparently shocked at the level of confusion that trailed the investigation process, Justice Atinuke, late Ige's wife, died on April 9, 2002 of broken heart.Omisore accused of complicity to the murder, was granted bail by Justice Olagoke Ige, presiding judge of Ibadan High Court on May 30, 2003 with strong bail conditions. The judge said Omisore's bail was due to his ill health.In June 2003, the family of late Ige opted out of the trial of his suspected killers, accusing the Obasanjo government and political leaders of treating the case with levity since the murder in 2001.The family said they had withdrawn from the ongoing trial of then newly sworn-in Senator, Omisore and 11 other suspects facing trial over the murder.'We are resolved that we shall take no more interest in the ongoing court processes. We leave all concerned, both high and low to their consciences and hope it is not too late for them to choose the path of honour and righteousness. In this season of political perversity, which seems unending, seasons come and go as do political office holders,' the statement read in part.The Inspector General of Police then, Mr. Sunday Ehindero in 2007 paraded four suspects whom he alleged murdered Ige. Parading the suspects whose names were given as Alhaji Moshood Enifeni (alleged drug baron and suspected mastermind of the murder), Oluna Tony Olasekan, Suraju Fatuka and Saidi Akande, Ehindero alleged that the suspects murdered Ige on the instruction of Alhaji Enifeni.The family of the accused persons turned the table against former President Obasanjo and Ehindero, of concocting 'the evil plot' to divert the attention of Nigerians from the real facts of the assassination of Ige.'My father could have lived for another 25 years'Funso Adegbola, Ige's eldest daughter in this interview in Ibadan on Wednesday, spoke on her father's death 10 years after, the role of the government in the investigation process and way forward for the nation among other issues. Excerpts:ON the night of Sunday, December 23, 2001 your father was murdered by unknown gunmen, how has it been'Well, the last 10 years have not been easy, but thank God that we have Jesus Christ. He has been our comforter and friend and we also thank God, our parents' true friends who supported us, we also thank God for our family, we have a very supportive family, it has not been easy but God has helped us these past 10 years.Looking at the investigation, arrests, prosecution and subsequent discharge of the accused persons, do you still believe in the judicial system'I do believe. First and foremost, I'm a lawyer. Both my parents werelawyers. My mother was a judge, so I have faith in the judiciary but more importantly my faith really is in God. I was very distressed by the outcome of the whole trial and all the suspects being acquitted. But then I believe in divine justice and even though we didn't get justice, I believe we will get divine justice.Do I believe in Nigeria' I believe in Nigeria and I believe in what Nigeria can be. Though it may not be at its best now but, I believe it is a country that is made for greatness; we are blessed in terms of human capital and mineral resources. God has been good to this nation and we have some exceptionally good people the same way we have some exceptionally bad people. I am a Nigerian, and I believe nothing happens by accident. He made me a Nigerian and made my parents Nigerians. The best of Nigeria is yet to come.Your father was the serving Attorney General when he was killed. Besides, the President at the time was a Yoruba man so expectations of quick justice were high. Are you happy with what the government at the time did'No, Iam not happy with the way the government at the time handled the whole exercise.What do you think the government ought to have done that it did not do'There is so much that could have been done at the time; a lot could have been done in terms of investigation, how they kept the suspects and even their trial. I think the whole thing was a journey towards nowhere. They knew and just put us on an emotional roller coaster.Assuming the present administration decides to re-open the case, what would be your reaction'There is no status on the limitation on criminal matters, and so they could reopen the case. In a normal country, it will not be a closed case, there will be forensic tests but nothing like that has been done so. I can't see them doing anything now that they didn't do 10 years ago. So, I am not hopeful.But in a normal country, there are cases where somebody is caught 12 years after the murder happens. When you look at the people who have been killed through that process - is it Mrs. Kudirat Abiola, is it my dad, Pa Alfred Rewane and others, nothing gets done and that is why people will continue to kill with impunity because they know other people who have done it; nobody has ever been caught. They are walking the streets jubilating. People are getting more and more desperate knowing that there are no sanctions and it is a pity.Your father played an active role in the nation's journey to democratic rule. Do you think he would be satisfied with the way we are presently as a nation'My father believed in Nigeria. He believed in the Nigerian project.He would be distressed with a lot of things happening right now like a lot of people are distressed right now: Poor economy, poverty, hunger and what have you and since my father's death, there has been so much violence, monetization of politics, and lesspolitics of ideas. With the fear of what is to come next with the issue of fuel subsidy, I don't think that my father would be very happy with what is going on right now. My father was a politician so I believe if he were to be alive, he would tow the line that his political party, which is the ACN, is towing right now.What are the unfulfilled dreams of the late Chief Ige'By the time my father died, he had written a letter that he was going to quit office to enable him reorganise his political party but he never got the chance to do that. He was supposed to go to the International Law Commission in January 2002 and that never happened. And then he had personal dreams, he wanted to see his grand children graduate from the university. He wanted to see my niece, who is my late brother's daughter get married and those things never happened. He wanted to see more and more of his grandchildren and at the time that he passed on, he didn't have as many grandchildren as he now has and when he died, the post-mortem showed that my father had no heart disease. He could have lived for another 25 years.Talking about assassination and murder, how do you think the government of this nation can best tackle this problem'Security in this country is very lapse and there is more ammunition than the government is able to track; our borders are so porous. There is so much ammunition in circulation and the economy is so bad. There is no security, I mean, that's not to justify anything but the economy is bad and we are under-policed. There are not enough people in the Police and all the big people have their own personal guards who are supposed to be guarding the rest of society. We are short of the needed equipment so there is so little that the Police can do because they cannot work with their bare hands.When my father's murder was being investigated, I wept for Nigeria. We were told to stand behind and start pointing people out; in the room where he was killed my husband was saying to people not to touch anything and when the Police came, they started picking up things with their barehands. So, from the word go, the whole exercise was warped, we the children and my mum were very hopeful of getting justice, but now looking back, it was an exercise in futility.They knew they were not going to do anything, yet they rose up and dashed our hopes. What we find very painful was that if it was someone else that had been murdered my father would have gone out of his way to ensure that justice was done.Like I said, nobody is ever been caught for killing anybody. There is no penalty that's why people are getting more and more daring. If you can take out a sitting Attorney General of the nation and nothing happens then who are we'It is very sad.Life is very cheap and short in Nigeria and it makes me sad that there is very little value placed on human life. That is one of the things that really depress me about this country.When I look back on the past 10 years, especially that night, the first few weeks after, in a normal country that is when you will get the bulk of your evidence. But in this instance, right from there, everything was muddled up.Then putting the star witness with the suspects, there were a lot of accusations, threats' so, the star witness changed his testimony and my mother died the next morning.That was also part of their script because my mother was a Justice of the Court of Appeal and she saw that her husband's murder was not going to get any justice'How do you think we can separate violence from politics in Nigeria'I think politics is so monetized and that's why people will kill. The kind of money that legislators earn is obscene. Even a member of the House of Representatives earns more than the U.S. president. And that is why people who have never handled the kind of money are looking up to get something like that so they will kill people to get there. Politics is service to the people. It should be glamorous in terms of value they are adding not what they are getting. They should be paid persitting and if you don't sit, you don't get paid. It shouldn't be a full time job. We shouldn't be paying for houses for them. The more we cut off the thrills, the more we will get people who truly want to serve'What do you miss in your father'I miss everything about my father. I am the only daughter of my father and he was my hero. Our parents loved us so much. From when I was little, I knew I was loved and I think this is the greatest gift any parent can give her child. And that gave me and my brothers, a healthy self-esteem. I didn't need anybody to validate me. Every day, he would call me and at the end, he would say, 'Funso, I love you and don't you ever forget that.'Even when I got married, my husband knows that the first and last calls would be my father's. I miss that totally unconditional love and he was not ashamed to express it anywhere. And that kept us going'My mother was my role model. My mother was at the peak of her career and still had time for us.
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