The spirit of late Chief Bola Ige, former Attorney General and Minister of justice in Nigeria who was gruesomely murdered in cold blood seems to be seeking for justice and vengeance for his death with the stories surrounding it reverberating many years after his departure.
*In a development surrounding the unresolved assassination of Chief Bola Ige, former Oyo State, Governor, Oba Rashidi Ladoja, has publicly denied allegations made against him by Chief Bisi Akande, the former Governor of Osun State.
The remarks came during an interview held at Ladoja’s residence on Ondo Street in Ibadan. Chief Akande, over the weekend, reignited discussions on the tragic murder of Chief Ige, who was assassinated in December 23, 2001 under a very suspicious and controversial atmosphere.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Ige as Minister of Mines and Power, between 1999 and 2000 and was redeployed as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation between 2000 and 2001.
This assertion has drawn significant attention, particularly given the longstanding mystery surrounding Ige’s death, which has remained a contentious issue in Nigerian politics and law.
Chief Akande lamented that key figures who might have shed more light on the case, including a former Oyo State governor, Lam Adesina, had died.“
There are many things that die with people. I know Lam Adesina went to court over the matter, and I also know his successor, (Rashidi) Ladoja withdrew the case. Ask Ladoja, he would know more about Bola Ige’s death.“
I was the Chief Security Officer of Osun State at the time, not Oyo State. Lam Adesina was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State and he went to court and the governor that took over from him, Ladoja, withdrew the case from court. He might be able to tell you more. I believe he has more information on Bola Ige’s death,”
“Because there are many things you don’t want to tell the public. I don’t want to tell anybody. Now Bola Ige is dead and Lam Adesina too is dead, so who will be my witness? Nobody.“I know Lam Adesina went to court on the matter and Ladoja withdrew the case from court. Ask Ladoja, he would know more about Bola Ige’s death
““I wouldn’t say it’s a mistake. We supported him in joining the government, I mean the Afenifere and the Alliance for Democracy.“We met under the leadership of (Ayo) Fasanmi in AD. We met under the leadership of Abraham Adesanya in Afenifere and we asked Bola Ige to join the government. Abraham Adesanya asked that we discussed the matter in the AD and we met under Fasanmi, the chairman of AD in the South-West and by acclamation, we asked Bola Ige to join the government.“We supported him in joining the government. We met under the leadership of Ayo Fasanmi in AD and Abraham Adesanya in Afenifere, and we asked Bola Ige to join. It was a unanimous decision.”
“Obasanjo met Bola Ige and asked him to join his government. Ige asked Obasanjo to tell his party. Before Obasanjo would inform the party, Ige himself had told the party and we debated it and asked him to go and join.“If anything so happens, we are all responsible. It was a joint decision. We held a meeting at Ijebu-Igbo, and we were unanimous, asking him to go. We held another meeting at AD and by acclamation, we asked him to go and join.“So if asking Bola Ige to join Obasanjo was a mistake, it’s a mistake of the Yoruba AD and Afenifere.”
“Buhari sent me to prison, and I’m now in the APC with him. There are no permanent enemies in politics. We are in politics to win elections.”
Chief Akande started further, “One evening, he just called me and said, ‘I’m going to resign from this government.’
I said, ‘Please sir, I will come back to you’. I called his friend, Oluwole Rotimi. He asked me to advise him (Ige) not to resign because if he does, he’s likely going to die.“
I called Uncle (Ige) back and begged him not to resign. He said he had talked to Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu and both of them had asked him to resign. I asked him not to resign.
I then said, ‘You can go to Obasanjo, tell him what you are angry about and tell him that if he doesn’t want you again, this is your letter.’“
He actually did so. Obasanjo asked what he wanted him to do and they both agreed. When he was leaving, Obasanjo said ‘Don’t give that letter to the press, give it to me’ and he dropped the letter. Ige told me himself. It was later after that he was moved to the Ministry of Justice,”
Chief Akande disclosed that Ige’s assassination was state sponsored
“He was killed in anticipation of what he might become in the future. It was a state murder. The government killed him.”
“The government can kill anybody,” he said.
He said Oyo State, not Osun State, was the jurisdiction of the crime.
“I was the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, not Oyo. Lam Adesina was in charge in Oyo, and he took the case to court. But when Rashidi Ladoja became governor, he withdrew the case. He might know more than I do.”
“Obasanjo wasn’t keen on investigating who killed Bola Ige, but was interested in the stability of himself in power and possible continuance.”
.In response to Akande’s claims, Ladoja vehemently dismissed the allegations, attributing them to what he described as Akande’s senility and cognitive decline due to old age. Chief Bisi Akande is becoming senile, affected by old age and memory loss, thereby spreading complete falsehood -Ladoja stated, emphasizing that he has no involvement in Ige’s assassination nor any relevant information regarding the case.
Rashidi Ladoja, the former governor of Oyo State, has fired back at Bisi Akande’s claims that he withdrew the case related to Bola Ige’s assassination. The case was pursued up till the Supreme court.
Ladoja also corrected Akande’s timeline, pointing out that he became governor 18 months after Ige’s assassination, which occurred on December 23, 2001. He went on to say that Akande has a history of dishonesty, citing a previous instance where Baba Adebanjo accused Akande of lying in his book.
Ladoja expressed his deep sadness and concern over Ige’s death, revealing that he was close to the late attorney general and minister of justice. He warned Akande that he would consider all options, including legal action, unless Akande retracts his statement and issues a public apology
The assassination of Chief Bola Ige, a prominent political figure sent shockwaves through Nigeria and raised numerous questions about the state of security and political accountability in the country.
Despite various investigations over the years, the case has not been conclusively resolved, leaving a lingering sense of injustice among Ige’s supporters and the general public.
As the discourse around Ige’s assassination continues, the exchange between Ladoja and Akande highlights the ongoing tensions within Nigeria’s political landscape, where accusations and counter-accusations often overshadow substantive dialogue regarding accountability and justice.
Maybe this time, the public outburst from these two prominent elders will reignite the passion for justice on Chief Bola Ige’s murder
