8th May, 2012
The brutal murder last Friday of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, Principal Private Secretary to the Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, in Benin city by yet-to-be identified gunmen has once again brought to the fore the murderous instinct in our politicians.
If for nothing else, the dastardly killing of Comrade Oyerinde in his bedroom in the early hours of that Black Friday has once again demonstrated the intolerance with which we play politics in this part of the world. Reports say Comrade Oyerinde was shot three times by the assassins in front of his wife.
A week before Comrade Oyerinde’s murder, Oshiomhole had himself escaped death by the whiskers on the road in Benin city when a lorry driver rammed the vehicle into his convoy, leading to the death of three journalists. Fortunately for the governor who was driving himself that day, no harm came his way. Following the accident, the governor raised an alarm that some people, especially the opposition, were after his life.
Though the police in the state described the incident as an accident, the governor, an Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN leader, was less than satisfied with the explanation, claiming that he was the target.
He blamed the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, for planning to kill him. The PDP in the state denied this and asked the governor to look inward for those seeking his life.
To us, last Friday’s killing of Comrade Oyerinde has, to a great extent, justified the alarm raised by the governor that some forces were after his life. The killing of Comrade Oyerinde shows that all is not well in the state.
We join other Nigerians to condemn the killing of Oyerinde and seek a thorough investigation of the murder by the police. It is our opinion that political differences among politicians should not be allowed to degenerate to a level where lives will be taken. Politics should not be a matter of life and death and politicians must learn to be fair in their dealings with one another.
It is gratifying to note that the police have swung into action to unravel those behind the killing by deploying a deputy Inspector-General of Police to Benin to assist the local police in investigating the matter. Already, a N10 million reward has been provided for clues that will lead to the arrrest of the killers.
We implore the police not to leave anything to chance in unravelling those behind the murder. This particular murder must not be swept under the carpet like others before it. We demand that the police carry out a thorough investigation into the murder of Comrade Oyerinde.
The investigation must not end up like that of Chief Bola Ige, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Engineer Funsho Williams who were brutally murdered by yet to be identified assassins. Those who Killed Comrade Oyerinde must be found and brought to book. We also implore members of the public to come forth with information to assist the police in this onerous task.
As the Edo State governorship election draws near, the police need to convince the electorate that they are capable of providing security and one of the ways of doing this is to find the killers of Comrade Oyerinde before the election slated for July.