The Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has called on the Nigerian Government led by Muhammadu Buhari to reopen the murder case of the former Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, who was shot dead on December 23, 2001 in his private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital.
Penpushing reports that, the request was contained in a message to the late politician’s daughter, Funso Adegbola describing the 71 year murdered politician as a remarkable individual, noting and asking what had become of the president’s robust pledge to open an enquiry into the spate of political murders across Nigeria.
“Does it all amount to yet another instance of political bravado? While we all accept that all lives should be valued equally, some impose a special responsibility on those in governance. Bola Ige, as the nation’s Minister of Justice and United Nations’ civil servant designate, was unarguably one such
“A nation’s honour is in question and remains so until the hour of closure. Thus, she must never relent in demanding an explanation for his brutal murder, expose the perpetrators, identify the conspirators and reinstate the broken lines of justice”, he added
Penpushing also reports that, Soyinka pointed out that unsolved murders breed a culture of impunity and put the country at risk, explaining that he’s not alone in having written and lectured on these sordid aspects that fuelled the subversion of justice, adding that, there are surviving witnesses.
“At the very least, we need a formal declaration regarding those who displayed an abnormal interest in the fates of those accused, to a level of proven, documented interference both in the investigative process and within the judiciary. I am not alone in having written and lectured on these sordid aspects that fuelled the subversion of justice. There are surviving witnesses.”
Penpushing reports Soyinka was to deliver the message at the ’20th Year of Bola Ige Memorial Symposium, Two Decades of Injustice: What are the implications on Nigerian Democracy,’ organised by the Bola Ige for Justice Centre in Lagos on Tuesday, but was unable to attend, attributing his absence to an “11th-hour, sadly insurmountable impediment.
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