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Comrade
Olaitan Oyerinde
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The
controversy and verbal altercations between the Edo State Governor, Adams
Oshiomhole and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke over the
failure of the state to apprehend killers of Olaitan Oyerinde leaves a sour
taste in the mouth.
On the one hand, it showcases concern in some quarters that
murderers and assassins appear to be beyond the arms of the law. Related to
this, on the other hand is the crass incompetence of law enforcement agencies
to perform their duties of protecting lives and property; and to bring
criminals to book.
The
thorny issue between the public officers was the manner the Federal Government
is handling investigation into the murder of Oyerinde, who was Private
Secretary to the governor. The feistiness of the altercation almost degenerated
into fisticuffs at the meeting of the National Council of State, Nigeria’s
highest advisory body.
Oyerinde was murdered several months ago in his home,
and there has been no serious clue on his killers. But he was only one of
dozens, including public officers and prominent politicians, who have been so
killed without their killers being found or punished.
Ultimately,
the controversy underscores the cavalier attitude of government to the sanctity
of life and its sacred responsibility to protect it; a telltale of its
lackadaisical attitude to security of lives and administration of criminal
justice in the country.
While
the governor was bothered about the nonchalant attitude of the law enforcement
agents in the way investigation is being conducted, the federal attorney
general felt that whatever lapses there are should be blamed on the Edo State
attorney general.
The
open battle at the Villa was all about making the government see the need to
value the lives of its citizens as it obtains elsewhere and to exhibit
necessary passion when a life is lost. It is unacceptable that innocent lives
are regularly taken by assassins without any hope that the perpetrators of the
dastardly act would ever get apprehended.
Strange enough, government is never
ashamed of its regular failure to deliver on its promise to apprehend the
killers. And so, those behind high profile assassinations involving the then
attorney general of the federation, Chief Bola Ige, a gubernatorial candidate,
Funso Williams, party stalwarts Marshall Harry and Aminosoari Dikibo, to
mention a few, were never apprehended let alone prosecuted.
It is bad enough
that such murders were allowed to happen with ease; it is worse that no
culprits are ever caught thereafter. With this established pattern, killers
have nothing to fear since it is almost certain that they will never be caught.
Apparently,
this scenario informed Oshiomhole’s concern over the murder of his aide. He
believes, like many other Nigerians that Oyerinde’s murder was one
assassination too many and that it was possible to burst the crime with a
little commitment or sincerity on the part of the law enforcement officers.
His
fulmination at the presidential villa was therefore triggered by despondency
and frustration arising from the shoddy investigation of the crime. To that
extent, his indignation cannot be faulted. Indeed, more Nigerians should
express resentment at killings around the country.
Undoubtedly,
the conduct of the police in the matter is disappointing, justifying the lack
of public trust in the organisation. Equally worrisome is that it is not in a
hurry to turn away from its old insensitive and lacklustre ways of doing things
in spite of remonstrance about its conduct and strategy. Why would the Deputy
Inspector General (DIG) refer a matter that ordinarily should be prosecuted by
the state to the federal attorney general? Was his action due to ignorance, or
deliberate to stall prosecution of the culprits?
As if to advertise the
deficiency and unreliability of the security apparatus, two sister agencies
that claimed to have investigated the murder came up with different set of
suspects. The suspects paraded by the State Security Service (SSS) were
different from those paraded by the police, leaving Nigerians utterly
bewildered. That should be embarrassing enough to the government.
That the same
police seemingly did not know who should handle a murder case between the
Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Attorney General of a state
justifies the charge of incompetence and insincerity by Oshiomhole, which led
to the diatribe between him and the AGF.
Embarrassing
also is that the SSS had to be openly involved in crime investigation, against
the known principle that it operates behind the scene.
Equally
despicable is the conduct of the AGF who chose to play the ostrich in a matter
as crucial as investigating and prosecuting a murder case involving a Nigerian.
If a matter that falls under the purview of the state AG is referred to him for
whatever reason, shouldn’t he as the chief law officer of the federation advise
the agency concerned appropriately?
Is it not his duty as the chief law officer
of the federation to ensure that government’s business is conducted in
accordance with the dictates of the constitution, which distributes power
vertically and horizontally?
Did it not occur to him that time was of the
essence since delay, as it is said, defeats equity? If at all he noticed any
lapse on the part of Edo State government, which may jeopardize the conduct of
the investigation, did he have to wait till the Council of State meeting before
bringing this to the attention of the state government? Yes, the AGF needs to
fight, but not against Oshiomhole; he should pick the fight against the killers
of Oyerinde and those who make it difficult to apprehend the killers.
Government
should step up action in the investigation of the murder and every other
similar case. The country cannot continue to treat matters of the lives of
Nigerians with disdain and levity. What would be the fate of ordinary Nigerians
if investigation into such high profile murders as that of Oyerinde is handled
so loosely?
Source: The Guardian
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