The Federal Government, it was learnt, has decided to reopen the unsolved murder cases of late prominent political leaders, Chief Bola Ige (SAN) and Chief Aminasoari Dikibo.
Reports have it that President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, to dust up the case-files of these leaders, who were . cut down ostensibly for political reasons.
Chief Bola Ige was shot dead in his bedroom in Bodija, Ibadan, home at about 9pm on December 23, 2001, after he arrived Ibadan from Lagos at about 8.30pm. His security details were said to have sought permission from the former Attorney General to go and eat before the incident occurred. The gunmen, who were said to have been waiting in the vicinity, then stormed the house and tied up family members. One of the gunmen reportedly pointed a gun at a family member and asked him to lead them upstairs to Chief Bola Ige’s room. They allegedly moved the wife and his son to an adjourning room, locked them up before shooting their target in the chest. Vanguard gathered from sources that towards unearthing the perpetrators of these unresolved murders, the Acting Inspector General of Police has instituted a high powered investigation team, headed by an Assistant Inspector General of Police, to crack the case. Following the death of the late Bola Ige, several unsubstantiated allegations were made against several politicians and interest groups, with some even saying the ‘Cicero’, as he was fondly called, was killed to halt the rise in his political profile, while others said it had to do with his impending probe of the corruption in the power sector of the nation’s economy.
On the part of Chief Aminasoari Dikibo, the late PDP Deputy National Chairman was said to be returning to his base from Abuja after a meeting when he was waylaid by suspected assassins on entering Delta State. He was killed near Asaba on October 22, 2004. Dikibo’s assassination at the time was alleged to have been caused by certain disagreements with the powers that be in his political party, prior to the general elections. A source told Vanguard that the fact that the killers and their sponsors were still prowling the streets without arrest and prosecution for crimes against humanity, was a dangerous trend which, if not addressed, might lead to killing of more political leaders either now or in the future.
Many Nigerians saw it as a height of incompetence of the Police not to resulve such murder cases, while some blamed on the conspiracy of the political powers that be at that time who never really wanted the culprits fished out.
The unwillingness of successive regimes to fish out the killers and bring them to justice made many Nigerians lose faith in the justice system. Some of those who also lost their lives to assassins around this period included: All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) chieftain in Rivers State, Chief Marshall Harry (March 5, 2003 ); ANPP’s hot-shot candidate for the Orlu Senatorial Zone in Imo State, Mr Uche Ogbonnaya, alias OGB (April 10, 2003); the governorship candidate of the PDP in Lagos State in 1999 and 2003, Engineer Funsho Williams, who was murdered in his Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi home on July 27, 2006 when he was warming up to run again, among others.
The Rainbow learnt on Tuesday that all the suspects that were arrested in 2002 who were later freed would be re-arrested for fresh arraignment and prosecution in respect of the case.
It was further learnt that a Special Investigation Panel set up by the IG will look at all the evidence in the case including forensic analysis which will be used to prosecute the suspects afresh.
The police could not be reached for comment as calls to the police spokesman, Donald Awunah, indicated that his number was unavailable.
It was learnt that the initiative to re-open Bola Ige’s murder case was from the acting Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.
According to reports, the new IG wanted to demonstrate that the police could resolve all previously abandoned politically-motivated murder cases in the country.
A Presidency source was quoted in a report on Tuesday as saying the reopening of the cases was an initiative of the present police management.
The source added that naturally the President would not oppose such a decision that was aimed at ensuring justice.
