By Gideon Njoku

Akande also said former Oyo Governor, Ladoja, would know more about Ige’s murder

24 years after the gruesome murder of Chief Bola Ige, SAN, in his Bodija, Ibadan, residence, there is still no end to the controversy, accusations and counter accusations that have dogged the tragic incident which shook the Nation to its foundation.

At the time of his murder, Ige, whose late wife, Tinu, was an Appeal Court Judge, was the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister for Justice under the Government of President Olusegun Obasanjo. Before he was redeployed to that office, Ige was the Minister for Power.

But in the night of 23rd December, 2001, all that ended tragically when Ige, Nigeria’s Chief Law Officer, was murdered in his home in Ibadan.

Since then, inspite of what was thought to be credible breakthroughs, nobody has been convicted. Every possible suspect arrested and prosecuted has been released. There was no guilty verdict. Not a few people had since resigned themselves to the seeming fact that the case has come to a dead end, but suddenly, the controversy  strongly reared up its head again. It’s again on the front burner, thanks to former Governor of Ige’s Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande.

Chief Akande was Ige’s great friend and political ally. Both were in the same political party too.

Akande, still shocked and sad over Ige’s murder, has just given an inkling into why he thinks Ige was murdered.

In an interview with a renowned broadcaster, Edmund Obilo, in Ibadan, Chief Akande described Ige’s murder as a “State murder.” He said Ige was killed by the Government, probably the Government he served under.

Proof, according to him: Ige was killed after he said he had made up his mind to quit Obasanjo’s cabinet, but was warned by a friend not to do so because if he did, he will be killed.

Akande revealed that Ige had called him one evening and told him, (Akande) that he was going to resign from Obasanjo’s Cabinet. He said he asked Ige to please wait. Akande said he then reached out to one of Ige’s closest friends, Oluwole Rotimi. According to Akande, Rotimi asked him to advise Ige not to resign because it could cost him (Ige) his life.

Akande: “One evening, he (Ige) called me and said he was going to resign from this government tomorrow. It was sudden, and I said, ‘Please sir, I will come back to you.’ I called Oluwole Rotimi, that this is what your friend told me; that he was going to resign from Obasanjo’s government tomorrow.

“He (Rotimi) asked me to advise him not to resign because if he does, he is likely going to die—he said that to me on the phone. I called Uncle (Ige) and begged him not to resign.

“He said he had talked to Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu, and both of them said he should resign. But I said, ‘Don’t. You can go to Obasanjo, tell him what you are angry about, and if he doesn’t want you anymore, here is your letter.’’

He also disclosed that it was a collective decision of the Action for Democracy, AD, and Afenifere that Ige accepted to serve in Obasanjo’s Government.

Akande’s revelation runs  contrary to the belief that Ige went solo, and accepted to serve in Obasanjo’s Government to spite Afenifere and AD who gave the party’s Presidential ticket to Chief Olu Falae instead of Ige.

Akande revealed that when Obasanjo approached Ige to be part of his Cabinet, that Ige consulted with both Afenifere and AD, and that both asked him to go ahead and accept it since Obasanjo wanted to form a kind of Unity Government. He, however, revealed that Chief Ayo Adebanjo was against Ige’s acceptance to serve as Obasanjo’s Minister.

Asked if Ige trusted Obasanjo, Akande answered in the negative and revealed that even after Ige was murdered, Obasanjo, allegedly, showed no serious interest  in investigating the murder.

Akande: “Since he was resigning from his government, I think he stopped trusting him.”

But when Obilor asked, specifically, who he thought killed Ige, Akande said: “I don’t know. He was killed in Oyo State while I was ruling in Osun State. The government killed him (Bola Ige). It was a state murder.

At the time Ige was killed, Akande  was the Governor of Osun State, Ige’s home State, while Ige was killed in Ibadan, Oyo State where Lam Adesina was the Governor.

On Ige’s murder, Akande said Adesina went to Court but disclosed that Adesina’s successor in office, Rasheed Ladoja, withdrew the case.

For that, Akande said Ladoja should be asked why and/or what happened, and emphasized that Ladoja would know more about Ige’s murder.

Akande: “There are many things that die with people. I know Lam Adesina went to Court over the matter, and I also know his successor, Ladoja, withdrew the case. Ask Ladoja, he would know more about Bola Ige’s death.

“Lam Adesina, who was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State then, went to court, and Ladoja withdrew the case from court. He might know more and be able to tell you.

“It was the government that killed him, and the government can kill anybody.

“Obasanjo wasn’t keen about Ige’s death; he was more interested in the stability of himself.”

Akande expressed  regret that Adesina told him many things he might not be able to reveal.

Akande: “… 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”

Since after the interview, there has been no response from either Obasanjo or Ladoja.

Chief Akande was the Interim National Chairman of the APC on its formation.