From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
A former Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General of Osun State, Niyi Owolade, and Kunle Adegoke SAN on Thursday called for reopening of the late Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Bola Ige’s file.
The duo also backed the claim of Bisi Akande in his book “My Participation” that the successive government from the time of President Olusegun Obasanjo have not done enough to unravel the death of Ige.
The lawyers spoke on Rave fm Osogbo during the remembrance of 20 years of Ige’s death, maintained that the case must not be closed like that.
Owolabi said, “it is true that the government has not done enough. This country needs to do the needful and get the killers of Bola Ige. We must do more than we are doing. A unit of the police, most especially those that have had the opportunity of training abroad, could be brought in and investigate this matter.”
Describing late Ige as a genius and orator, Owolade said, “for us to have lost a great man like that so wantonly the way he was murdered and nothing yet done, it is so sad.”
Also, Adegoke SAN, who supported Akande’s claim in his book, said “once a state is not interested in unravelling your assailant, you are as good as nobody.”
He said, “it is fundamental that the murder file of Chief Bola Ige should not be closed. The government seems to have closed it. The issue must be reopened with a serious-minded devotion to make sure that this unfortunate incident is brought to a justice end.
“The death of Uncle Bola Ige is an example of where we are today. For a chief law officer to be killed 20 years ago, I think people of discerning minds would have been able to foresee that Nigeria is going to be in this kind of security tussle that we find ourselves in today. It is therefore not surprising that Nigeria is going through this security challenge.
“If the chief law officer of the country could be assassinated brazenly by some people like that and till today, with impunity, nobody has been convicted, we have not been able to trace it to a particular individual or a group of individuals, the implication is that nobody is safe.”
On whether the case can still be reopened, Adegoke said, “in fact, time doesn’t run against crime, once the state is ready, it can still be resolved.”
