Afenifere wants fresh probe into Ige's murder
By Idowu Ajanaku
FACTIONS in Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group may have temporarily put their differences aside as leaders of both groups yesterday with one voice called on the Federal Government to set up a high-powered panel to investigate the killing of Chief Bola Ige, the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice.
The panel, the groups said, has become imperative against the background of apology offered by the Oyo State Attorney-General, Mr. Lekan Latinwo, that the police did a shoddy job in the investigation into Ige's murder.
The family of the former deputy-leader of Afenifere had on Sunday in a statement signed by Sir. Dele Ige, asked Latinwo to stop playing politics with the emotions of its members.
Reminding the justice commissioner that some of those accused had been discharged and acquitted, the family wondered whether in law a person could be tried for an offence for which he had been acquitted. Latinwo had since apologised, insisting that he has no intention of playing politics with the death of the former Attorney-General of the Federation.
But Afenifere in a statement signed by Senator Ayo Fasanmi, the newly-elected deputy leader and Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the administrative secretary, said with the admission by Latinwo that the police did a shoddy job, the government should, as a matter of urgency, set up a panel to investigate Ige's murder.
Also, the acting leader of the association, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, said it is now up to the Federal Government to find those who killed Ige.
"Ige was my student at the Ibadan Grammar School. It is unfortunate he died the way he died. But Obasanjo's government will be doing itself a lot of good to find those who killed Chief Bola Ige with the admission by the Oyo State Justice Commissioner that the Police did a bad job," he said.
Part of the statement read: "We see the comments credited to Oyo State Justice Commissioner, Mr. Latinwo, that the police did a shoddy job as an indication that there is a need for the Federal Government to set up a high-powered panel to investigate the killing of the late Ige. This we believe is necessary in order to get to the root of the murder."
The statement insisted that it is important that President Obasanjo set up the panel to investigate the murder to demonstrate to the whole world that his administration did not know of the plot to eliminate Ige.
The Yoruba group insisted that Ige was killed by the agents of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in order to overrun the South-West in the 2003 elections.
"They know that with Chief Ige alive, it would be very difficult for the PDP to rig in Yorubaland", the statement said.
While the statement warned President Obasanjo not to sweep the murder case under the carpet, the association urged him to investigate the killings of other Nigerians with a view to bringing the killers to book.
Fasoranti, who spoke on phone with The Guardian, said it was unfortunate that the death of Ige has been politicised by the government.
According to him, it is a shame on the nation that a serving Attorney-General was killed and the police undertook shoddy investigation.
His words: "If the police can do a shoddy job on his death, I wonder if the police will investigate anything if an ordinary Nigerian is killed".
Fasoranti said: "We shall continue to wait patiently, trusting God that one day, the truth will come out. But I'm appealing to the Federal Government not to allow Ige to die in vain. At least those who killed him while serving his fatherland should be brought to book".
Ige was shot dead by gunmen in his Bodija, Ibadan, Oyo State home on December 23, 2001.`
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