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Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of federation, Chief Bola Ige was murdered in his house in Ibadan, Oyo State capital by some unknown gunmen on December 23, 2001. However, like other high profile murder cases, Nigerian security agents are yet to find Ige’s killers, eight years after the gruesome murder. Ademola Adeyemo wrote for thisday.

Eight Years after the murder of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief James Ajibola Ige, there appears to be no end in sight for the battle to unravel the identity of the killers.
On December 23, 2001, Nigerians and indeed the international community were shocked, when the media hit the streets with news that the nation’s number one law officer, had been shot dead in the previous night in his Bodija Ibadan home in Oyo State by some unknown gunmen.

The late Ige who died at the age of 71, was commissioner for Agriculture in the defunct Western Region of Nigeria. During the Second Republic, he was elected as governor of Oyo State from October 1979 to October 1983.
Simply known as Uncle Bola, the former minister was murdered in his bedroom around 9.00pm by some unknown gunmen who perpetrating the dastardly act.

Ige’s murder was however, made easier as his security details who were assigned to protect him as a public officer were no where to be found. They had gone out to eat and exposed their principal to sword of murderers.
Following the news of his death, the international community and the nation were outraged, how can the number one law officer of a country be left unprotected and killed like a dog? The answer could not be found and the nation was thrown into deep mourning. The killing was the first assassination of a major political figure in Nigeria since the country returned to civilian rule in May of 1999.

In 1999, the late Ige joined the government of his friend, former president Olusegun Obasanjo and was made the minister of power and steel before he was re-deplored to the Justice Ministry as Attorney General and Minister of Justice.
However, when Ige was a member of the Federal Executive Council, there was mistrust between him and some Peoples Democratic Party ministers due to political differences.

The late Ige was undoubtedly the leader of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), the party that controlled six states in South West states including Lagos. The disagreement stemmed out of the determination by the leadership of PDP to win the south west states in the 2003 general election. But with Ige as the leader of AD, PDP believed that it stood no chance. The political rivalry was going on until 2001, when the late minister hinted the nation of his intention to quit the cabinet in order to enable him go back home and provide the necessary leadership for AD and prevent PDP from capturing the zone.
He was about to take up a new position as African's Representative on the United Nations International Law Commission, Ige never actualized his plan as he murdered few days to his resignation day.

After the murder, there were accusations and counter accusations over who were responsible for the killing. At a time, accusing fingers were pointed at the direction of Ige’s political rivals in the PDP; there was insinuation that the former minister may have been murdered in order to stop him from going back to the west to stop PDP’s advancement to the zone.
Also, before that, Ige had a disagreement with leaders of his political group, Afenifere over the choice of Chief Olu Falae, over him by the group during the 1999 presidential election. It was said that Ige was behind the establishment of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) a rival group to Afenifere as a result of the disagreement.

However, former Inspector General of Police Mr Tafa Balogun ordered a high powered investigation into the murder. According to the commissioner of Police who conducted the investigation, Gabriel Adejoh, Ige’s death was a political assassination.
According to the statement lodged with the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, Adejoh who was then CP in charge of Special Anti-Robbery Squad at [SARS] Force CID Annex Adeniji Adele Lagos concluded that the death of the Minister was a direct result of the prolonged political crisis in Osun State between former Governor Bisi Akande and his then estranged Deputy, Chief Iyiola Omisore.

Later, those who were arrested and charged to court as suspects in the murder, include Omisore, his brother, Alani, Olugbenga Adebayo alias Fryo. Adebayo was alleged to have removed Ige's cap at Ooni's palace during a ceremony.
Others are Adekunle Alao, now the commissioner of Agriculture in Osun. State, Lambe Oyasope,
Biyi Odunlade, Awotide-Akantioke, Dr. Adewale Oladipo.

Also arrested were members of the security details of Ige, they are Daramola Ezekiel, Sgt Oye Oniyanda, Nelson Kumoye, Kareem Lawal, Adebayo Adegoke and Oluwole Ogunjimi. The security details were arrested because, according to the police, their conduct especially the two security operatives on the day of the murder left much to be desired and was suggestive of conspiracy of some sort. One, they failed to disclose to Ige’s daughter, Mrs. Adegbola that her father had been attacked and probably dead, when she arrived at her father’s house.

However, by the time a curtain was drawn on the trial of the suspects, the trial was adjudged as the most dramatic murder trial in the history of Nigeria. Four judges had to handle the case which dragged for two years
In February, 2002r, Justice Atilade Ojo had barely started hearing the case when counsel to Omisore Mr. Kunle Kalejaiye, made application for the transfer of the case to another judge on grounds that Ojo was already hearing a related case involving four of Omisore’s political associates.

Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Isaiah Olakanmi obliged and transferred the case to Ibadan High Court 14, presided over by Justice Olawale Ige.
Justice Ige later admitted Omisore to bail, after he had refused to quash the two charges of conspiracy and murder preferred against Omisore as pleaded by his counsel.
The decision jolted the prosecution who later filed a notice of appeal. Chief Debo Akande (SAN) also filed an application before Justice Ige, seeking a transfer of the case from his court and reassignment to another judge. The prosecution counsel also alleged bias on the part of the trial judge.

On Friday, July 4, 2003, Justice Ige returned the case file to the Chief Judge for reassignment.
It was reassigned to Justice Moshood Abass of High Court 20. At a resumed hearing on July 30, 2003, Justice Abass withdrew from the case.
According to Abass "When I first took oath of office of the Oyo State High Court, I pledged to uphold the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the letter. The provisions of the constitution do not allow me to form an opinion before I have benefit of presentation of the case or address of the counsel.

"The situation I have found myself as a result of the above stated fact is such that I cannot with all conscience and every sense of responsibility as a judge continue with adjudication in this matter without launching a serious assault on the 120-word oath of office I took as a judicial officer.
"To continue with this case will also be a breach of the solemn pledge I made when I became a judge (i.e) to administer justice without fear or favour and without ill-will or affection. In view of the fore going, I hereby remit this case file to the honourable Chief Justice for re-assignment to another judge".

=Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Olakanmi on August 5, 2003, named Justice Akin Sanda, who was then on vacation as the new judge to take over the case. Sanda of court 12, High Court, Ibadan, thus became the fourth judge to handle the trial.
However, at the end of the case, Omisore and others were found not guilty of all the counts and they were set free for want of evidence. The suspects were tried for two years
For the prosecution in the case, framing a charge could be as simple as ABC but sustaining the charges as required by law with evidences that are beyond all reasonable doubt to prove a murder case is undoubtedly a different ball game altogether.

But the trial actually drew the ire of some prominent Nigerians notably Professor Wole Soyinka who had described as tainted, the ruling PDP, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government in their handling of the murder of Ige
Soyinka alleged that the late Minister of Justice and Attorney-General, Chief Bola Ige had in his last letter to former President Obasanjo before his death stated that he would ensure that Obasanjo won a second term in office but that PDP would not win any seat in the South-West geo-political zone during the 2003 general election

The Nobel Laurette had stated; "He (Ige) wrote in the letter that he would work for the re-election of Obasanjo for the second term. But that he would ensure with everything he had, that the PDP does not win one single seat in the South-West."
He also alleged that Ige expressed concern over the antics of the PDP hinting that there was a plan by the PDP to overrun the South-West politically. "But he said he would not allow them to get way with their plan, that he was ready for them."
He disclosed that the late Minister intimated him of his intention to resign in the first quarter of 2002 in order to reposition the AD for the April polls.

Soyinka also criticised the government for the “haphazard manner in which the investigation to unveil the killers of the late Minister of Justice was carried out”, alleging that “there was a deliberate ploy by the authorities to ensure that justice was not done”. The implication of Soyinka's statement is that Ige's death could easily be located in the victory which the PDP would later win in the South-West at the April general elections.
He declared "The ruling party is tainted, INEC is tainted, the government is tainted, and many individuals, even of a disposition to objective exoneration or 'benefit of doubt' are placed in the bitter position of being tainted by mere association with any of these entities"

At the funeral ceremony of the slain Justice Minister, Soyinka also alleged that the assassination of Chief Ige was a high wire conspiracy, planned and executed by powerful people in authority. During the funeral service at the Liberty stadium in Ibadan, the Nobel Laureate said in clear terms ''those who killed Ige are right here among us.'' On another occasion, he said that ''those who are at the centre of the conspiracy to kill were so confident because they knew that nothing could be traced to them.''
However, not quite one year after Ige’s death, his widow, Atinuke died on April 10, 2002 at the age of 72. The dastardly assassination of her husband must have left her entirely dispirited before she succumbed to death.
According to Tunji Oladunni a spokesman of the late Chief Bola Ige family, the late Justice Atinuke Ige became visibly shaken early in the morning after reading newspaper reports on Andrew Olotu, the star witness in the trial of the 11 accused persons charged with conspiracy and murder of her husband.

Atinuke Ige, apparently shocked by the denial of the star witness on the identification of the gunmen, complained that she had developed body pains and was given first aid treatment.
“She was sick for just about two hours. She complained of body pains and was given first aid and some drugs.
“She was gasping for breath, then we rushed her to UCH and she died on the way to UCH around 8.30 a.m” said Oladunni.
Also, shortly before he left office, Mr. Ehindero, then IGP, paraded four other suspects including a drug baron whom he claimed planned and paid for the killing Ige who was supervising a case involving the importation and seizure of 13 containers loaded with hard drugs, refuse to kill the case.
The four suspects are Alhaji Moshood O. Enafeni, Oluwatoyin Onafekan, Suraju Faruka, and Saidi Akande while one Akeem is at large.

The drug baron, Alhaji Enafeni was said to have celebrated wildly afterwards, when news got to him inside Ikoyi Prisons that that the assassination attempt on his life on the 23rd of December 2001 was successful.
Denying complicity for the killing however, Alhaji Enafeni said their parade was like a drama. “It is funny. It is like we are in a theatre making drama, because I in particular have no hand in the killing of Chief Bola Ige.

Although, no killer has been found, but Ige's case is not peculiar as no high wire murder case in Nigeria has ever been investigated and culprits brought to justice. From 1985 to date, successive governments in Nigeria with its police and other security agencies have failed to bring to book killers of murder victims
However, since 2001 when he was murdered, Ige has ceased to be anybody's problem. He has already gone beyond the biblical valley of the shadow of death. He is now happily united with God beyond the Biblical River Jordan.