THE OYO LEGISLATOR, ABUJA PREACHER AND THEIR UNTIMELY EXITS
The
last time I checked, the overall members of the Oyo State House of Assembly
were deeply bereaved as a result of the sudden and untimely demise of one of
their own in the person of Mr. Gideon Aremu. The deceased was reportedly shot
dead by unknown gunmen who stormed his Ibadan residence few weeks ago,
precisely on Friday 1st July 2016.
The Late Aremu who until his sad departure
was the Chairman of the Oyo State House Committee on Information and Security,
was gruesomely murdered while driving into his house situated at Alakia area of
Ibadan district. More devastatingly, the Labour Party (LP) legislator
representing Orelope State Constituency and the only opposition member of the
chamber was slain in his wife’s presence, while she was opening the gates for
him on his arrival. As the said gates were let open, two men riding motorcycles
shot at him severally.
Funnily enough, according to the source,
the assassins waited several minutes afterwards toward ensuring he was really
dead before taking their leave, as if the bullets weren’t enough. It was
equally reported that they left with his cell phone. The spokesman for the
state’s Police Command, Mr. Adekunle Ajisebutu who confirmed the assassination
disclosed that the Oyo State Police Commissioner, Mr. Leye Oyebade had directed
an outright commencement of thorough investigation into the extrajudicial
killing.
It might interest, or perhaps shock you to
acknowledge that the deceased lawmaker was going to be conferred with a Doctor
of Philosophy (PhD) by the prestigious University of Ilorin the following week.
It was learnt he had already collected his convocation gown as well as invited
his teeming colleagues and friends to the awaited graduation. This implies that
he wasn’t just a legislator but a true Nigerian who knew his onions.
One may boldly be of the notion that Oyo
State is synonymous with suchlike aforementioned crime. It would be recalled
that penultimate year, on 1st April to be precise, the then
Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of the Agugu police division in the
person of Mr. Ike Nworgu was brutally killed by a certain angry mob. It was gathered
that the deceased who until his death was a Chief Superintendent of Police
(CSP), was performing his legitimate duty at about 4pm on that fateful day till
he responded to a distress call that a house located at Adekile area of Ibadan
was about to be set ablaze by an irate mob over an unsubstantiated allegation
that the place was being used as a ritualists’ den.
The DPO, on arrival at the scene, made a
passionate appeal to the mob and prevailed on them to jettison their intent to
commit arson. Therein, a holistic search of the house in question was conducted
by the police officer with the help of some civilians present at the gathering
but the allegation could not be confirmed. However, some disgruntled
unscrupulous elements attacked the DPO in the process and inflicted fatal machete
cuts on him, and further shot him dead. The callous hoodlums equally made away
with his service pistol and eventually set the controversial house among two
others on fire having looted valuable property from the affected buildings.
It
appears extrajudicial murder has become a legitimate act in Nigeria. Barely few
days after the assassination of the Oyo legislator, a certain group of
religious fanatics slew an Abuja-based female preacher, Evang. Eunice Olawale
in cold blood, at Kubwa - a suburb of Abuja metropolis. The 41-year-old Mrs.
Olawale who happened to be wife of a pastor of the famous Redeemed Christian
Church of God (RCCG) was dastardly butchered at about 5:30am on Saturday July 9,
2016 as she was, as usual, delivering her early morning street sermon otherwise
known as ‘Morning cry’ in her neighbourhood, with her megaphone and Holy Bible.
Her throat was reportedly slit, and therein her head was meant to rest on the
Bible she used for the preaching.
Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command disclosed
that it has arrested some suspects in connection with the murder of the
passionate preacher who was longing to clock 42 on July 23. The spokesperson of
the command, ASP Anjuguri Manzah said the Commissioner of Police (CP) – Mr.
Alkali Usman had directed the homicide department to take over the
investigation with the sole aim of producing useful and genuine information in
earnest.
What baffles my imagination remains that,
each time such crime is committed, the Nigerian police would invariably make
some successful arrests thereafter, but what comes up afterwards often seems
not unlike an apparition. We are, of course, not unaware that what follows an
arrest anywhere across the globe is arraignment coupled with rigorous
prosecution as requested by law. But in this part of the world, particularly
Nigeria, most criminal cases are usually ended with just a mere arrest, rather
than verdict as clearly stipulated in the constitution.
Shall we continue to allow criminal-minded
Nigerians parade themselves with extreme impunity? It’s unequivocally
conspicuous that it seems Nigeria condones crimes; such phenomenon isn’t
unconnected to the high level of laxity in which the concerned law enforcement
agencies handle them (the offences). It’s very, very painful to realize that
extrajudicial treatments have abruptly become a daily occurrence; still,
someone is yet to be convicted of such ugly and nauseous attitude.
It’s obviously worrying and appalling that
in the midst of the overwhelming discussions concerning the brutal murder of
the aged Madam Bridget Agbahime in Kano State, other related injustices are
springing up like water. This, no doubt, is a colossal challenge to the new
police Inspector General, Mr. Ibrahim Idris. He must prove to Nigerians at
large that his appointment by President Muhammadu Buhari wasn’t a mistaken
gesture, thus I put it up to him that all eyes are on him towards ensuring that
the bloody culprits are duly brought to book.
I’m glad these are happening when the
government is treating corruption as a priority. At least, with the reopening
of the cases involving the murder of the former Attorney General of the Federation
(AGF) - Chief Bola Ige as well as the former Deputy Chairman of the Peoples’
Democratic Party (PDP) - Chief Aminasoari Dikibo as mandated by Mr. President,
well-meaning Nigerians can at this point exercise a sigh of relieve.
Notwithstanding, the police must note that, Nigerians aren’t only interested in
arrest or inquest, but verdict as well. Think about it!
Comr Fred Doc Nwaozor
(TheMediaAmbassador)
-Public Affairs analyst & Civil Rights
activist-
Chief Executive
Director, Centre for Counselling, Research
& Career
Development - Owerri
_____________________________________
frednwaozor@gmail.com
+2348028608056
Twitter:
@mediambassador
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