Murder of the Godfather
By Godfrey Azubike
Monday, May 23, 2005
A chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, and financier of a 2007 governorship aspirant in Osun State is murdered
Political rivalry in OSun State last week assumed a worrisome dimension with murder of Suleiman Alabi Hassein Olajokun, a chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy, AD. Olajokun was assassinated by unknown gunmen at about 9 a.m. on Sunday May 15, at Gbongan, Osun State.
At about the same time and about the same spot, Jide Omoworare, majority leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly was said to have been kidnapped and taken to Oyo town in Oyo State where he was dumped and his vehicle taken away by the kidnappers.
The late Olajokun is said to be one of the key supporters and financier of a group called "Oranmiyan" known to be sponsoring Rauf Aregbesola, the Lagos State commissioner for works towards the Osun State governorship race in 2007. He was said to be returning to Lagos in a sports utility van jeep when the assailants attacked and killed him.
Olajokun was said to have been to Ifon-Osun, Irepodun council area on Saturday where he donated about N30,000 during a Muslim programme where Aregbesola was invited as the chief launcher. The deceased later entertained more than 100 members of the Oranmiyan group at his country house, Ilobu after the launching. He also attended series of AD meetings at Ikirun from where he returned to Ilobu about 8 p.m.
Aregbesola, condemned the killing of the AD chieftain and accused the Osun State government of being behind the dastardly act. He alleged that the comments of Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola in recent time project him as first suspect in the heinous murder. Aregbesola said some of the governor's aides allegedly had a meeting a few days ago where the plan to eliminate all his of known opponents in the state were hatched.
The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, CDHR, said in its reaction that the attack on the two political figures was an attempt to relaunch political intolerance and political violence in Osun State, just a few years after the cold murder of Bola Ige, former attorney-general of the federation and an indigene of the state. A CDHR statement signed by Shina Loremikan, director of organisation said the "recent actions and inaction like the murder of Olajokun and the abduction of Omoworare indicate that Osun State lacks political discipline and the spirit of tolerance."
The CDHR expressed concern over the spate of political intolerance in the state and called for the setting up of a high-powered independent probe panel on the recent murder and threat to peace of the state. It also called on the PDP government in Osun State to adopt the policy of accommodation rather than political intolerance. The human rights body enjoined the police to ensure that prompt and adequate steps were taken to ensure justice and prevent a re-occurrence of further political crimes in the state.
But Bamidele Salami, media assistant to Osun State governor regretted that such heinous crime as murder was allegedly being politicised by the AD. He said politicising such crime calls for concern. According to him, Governor Oyinlola has proved himself to be a man of peace and that no amount of provocation can make him change that stance. "Everybody can testify to it that in the last two years, we have enjoyed peace. The state cannot be taken back to what it was between 1999 and 2003," he said.
Audu Abubakar, the state commissioner of police, however, said that the murder of the AD chieftain was being investigated with a view to bringing the assailants to justice. He maintained that the state police command would never fold its arm while the lives of the residents were endangered.
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