No hands in Ige's death, say suspects


ABUJA—Alhaji Moshood Enefeni, the prime suspect paraded in the killing of the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, yesterday publicly denied ever having a hand in it, saying he is being framed up by the government agent posing as witness in the murder case.

The other suspects paraded alongside the prime suspects by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Sunday Ehindero at the Force Headquarters, who include, Oluwatoyin Onafekon, Suraju Fatuka and Saidi Akande, all denied they knew anything about the gruesome murder of the nation’s former number one law officer.

Alhaji Moshood, who was apparently oblivious of the purpose of their mission to the IGP conference, the venue of the parade, stunned the audience when asked by the IGP, to give account of what he knew about Chief Ige’s murder said, “it is funny. It is like we are in the theatre of drama”.

But the Inspector General of Police revealed that the suspects planned with the driver of the late Head of state Mrs. Mariam Abacha in the cell to eliminate Chief Ige, after all enteritis to him to soft pedal on the trial of the prime suspects who is a drug baron failed.

According to Mr. Ehindero: “Let me start first by apologising for not being able to have this press conference on Thursday. Just as the air operators will say, it was due to operational reasons”.

“But I am happy that we are in better step now to review some of these cases. The reasons why yesterday I couldn’t get the press briefing was mainly because I want the evidence, part of the evidence to be there. And I believe it is here. In the other one too, I wanted the evidence. Because for police, it is not that goods were stolen, the evident is that who stole the goods”.

“If you go to court and say good was stolen, the court is not interest, it is interested who stole. And that was why we have to polish it, get some of the evidence and it is for you to judge. I want to say that it is only by divine providence that we have been able to have breakthrough in some of these cases. You remember last time when I briefed you; we started with the case of Hajia Rimi. Of course we found all those who committed the murder of the wife and they are now being tried”.

“Today I will address you on the case of the murder of Bola Ige. Now in relation to Bola Ige’s case, so many theories have been made. I want to say that there no case that is closed that is never opened. Every case is opened. And people who have useful information should come forward.

“Anybody who is also putting political theory, let him come forward with is political theory and give us evidence. The only thing we don’t accept here is metaphysic. You know metaphysic, babalawo, you know the law of evident doesn’t accept that. But if you have any other evidence, give us. But in as much as we have evidence that is admissible, we will present them”.

“Of course you are all aware about the murder of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, (SAN) on the 23rd of December 2001. Yes we said 2001, yes; some people have been taken to court, why are we still opening it? Of course when we have fresh evidence, we look at the case. And our own evidence is that we penetrated the prison and was able to find out what happened at that time in the prison yard.

“And we also gave one of those people who were in the prison when they hatched the whole idea of eliminating the Attorney General, because it did not accede to the request to mellow down into the case. First of all an attempt was made, they burgled the office in an attempt to find the case file. But they did not find the case file. They made enteritis to him; they sent people to him to beg him.

“You will hear from them. How Bola Ige went to court because of this case. Because of the quantity of the hard drugs that was recovered then. Now they planed with the driver of Mariam Abacha in the cell that the best thing to do was to eliminate him. And how after the elimination, there was jubilation there in the prison. So we will hear from the horse’s mouth”. The dialogue:

IGP: Alhaji Moshood!

Alhaji Moshood Enefeni: Yes Sir

IGP: Are you in the prison in 2001?

Alhaji Moshood: Yes, I was in prison

IGP: for what offence?

Alhaji Moshood: For drug offence

IGP: What quantity of drug?

Alhaji Moshood: 60 kilogram of cocaine

IGP: Were you there as awaiting trial or you were there as a convict?

Alhaji Moshood: I was there as awaiting trial and also as a convict.

IGP: How many years sentence were you given?

Alhaji Moshood: Three years
IGP: When you were there in the prison and during the prosecution, did the Attorney General appear in court in your case?

Alhaji Moshood: Yes, the Attorney General appeared once. Before he was murdered, there were three adjournments that the late Attorney General did not appear. He did not appear about two or three times before he was murdered.

IGP: Did you know the driver of Mariam Abacha?

Alhaji Moshood: Yes, we were all in the prison there. We knew each other; we interacted with each other, because we are in the same beat.

IGP: OK. Where is one of our witnesses is, is he around?

At this stage, a man, fully-turbanned to the point of no identification appeared

Alhaji Moshood: (Laughs) This is funny. It is funny. It is funny to me.

IGP: Alhaji wants to talk. Alhaji what do you say, you said it is funny. I am in control, Alhaji make your comment. You said it is funny?

Alhaji Moshood: Yes, it is funny. It is like we in theatre making drama sir, because I have no hand in the killing of Chief Bola Ige.

IGP: No, no, we are not talking now. Wait, we have not reached that stage. Now this person, he is a witness. And we want you to talk. Look at this man, do you know him?

The Witness: Yes I know him.

IGP: How do you know him?

The Witness: We met in the prison. He (Alhaji) met me there.

IGP: He met you at the prison, who are the other people who were in prison with him?

The Witness: Tonika (Oluwatoyin Onafekan).

IGP: Tell us generally what was happening in the prison when Alhaji Moshood was there.

The Witness: In the prison, it was just like a free world. When you come newly, you will tell what brought you. So Alhaji Moshood imported almost 13 containers which contain cocaine. And almost nine or 10 containers have already moved before they caught him with three containers. The cocaine was concealed in the tin of geisha. So they first arrested the white man who was the pilot. So two of them were brought to the prison. Later, because all of us are staying in the same building inside the cell, sometimes, they held meeting with Tonika, who is the overall marshal.

IGP: Tonika, they said you are the overall marshal, were you there (prison) before them?

Tonika: What he is saying is a lie. He is just lying.

IGP: Wait, wait, he didn’t say anything. He said you are the marshal.

Tonika: How can I be a marshal? I am not a convict person. Convict person is the overall marshal. I was the provost of myself in the prison.

IGP: But how long were you in the cell before him?

Tonika: I don’t know him.

IGP: No, no, how long were you in the prison?

Tonika: I was there for seven years and four months in detention without trial or conviction.

IGP: How many years were you there before Alhaji Moshood came?

Tonika: Almost six years.

IGP: Sit down, you will talk, we will give you time to talk

IGP’s press statement

It is my pleasure to update you and the general public on the progress so far achieved in respect of protracted investigation into the murder of former Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige. It is my belief that this briefing shall lay to rest the ghost of the appellation of “unresolved murder” and “unresolved assassination”.

MURDER OF CHIEF BOLA IGE SUSPECTS
1. Alhaji Moshood O. Enafeni
2. Oluwatoyin Onafekan
3. Suraju Faruka
4. Saidi Akande
5. Akeem at Large

*Chief Bola Ige SAN, former Attorney-General of the Federation, was gruesomely murdered on 23rd December 2001 at his Bodija residence in Ibadan .


*Chief Ige had just returned from Lagos and his security guards had left to feed, leaving the house porous.


*Two armed men were said to have entered the room held everybody hostage; ransacked the room and carted away cash of 200,000 and some jewelleries.


*The assailants went upstairs and shot Chief Bola Ige on the left side of his chest.


*His murder attracted widespread condemnation and call for high profile investigation.


*Political motives, vengeance of drug barons and all sorts of insinuation were canvassed for the murder. The investigation was long, tortuous, and eventually stalled.

Fresh information


*However, six years later, sometimes in January, 2007, an informant walked into the police station and volunteered fresh line information.


*The informant deposed that between 2001 and 2002, while serving a prison term in Ikoyi prisons, he over heard his fellow cellmate, Alhaji Moshood Olatunji Enafeni, a convicted drug baron, solicited the help of one driver to Mariam Abach to kill Chief Bola Ige then Minister of Justice.


* Chief Ige was personally prosecuting the NDLEA celebrated case of importation of 13 containers of hard drug in 2001 involving Alhaji Enafeni.


*When all attempts to bribe Chief Ige failed, Alhaji Enafeni hatched a plan to hire assassins to eliminate Chief Ige on 23rd December 2001. That when the news of the death reached the prisons, Alhaji Enafeni celebrated wildly.


*Four suspects above were arrested and quizzed.


*Alhaji Moshood Enafeni, from Ikorodu in Lagos , had worked with Nigeria Ports Authority and left for France in 1979; worked with French Ports Authority.


*He was arrested in 2001 for importing 13 containers of hard drugs into Nigeria , the largest single haul by the NDLEA. He was charged to court and convicted.


*Chief Bola Ige personally vetted the case file and prosecuted the case himself. He refused all inducements and appeals from prominent South West traditional rulers.

Police findings

The accounts of the Chief financier of the assassination plot, Alhaji Moshood Enafeni, are being investigated in order to further establish the case. The vehicle used for the operation was burnt and the thrown into the bush around Lagos Ibadan Expressway.
The death of Chief Bola Ige could therefore be said to be, for now, be drug-related until contrary evidence is received.


http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/headline/f126052007.html

The absurdity of the whole press conference is unbelievable.
The principal actor (alhaji moshood) laughed at the process, while denying any complicity in the murder plot.

Why would Abacha's driver plot the murder of Ige and not that of Obasanjo?

This whole allegation smarks of a drama and charade to give Obasanjo a reprieve out of government.

And the mistery continues


God, we need your help here, URGENTLY TOO.

There is no need for any conspiracy theory, in three days time OBJ will cease to be President and by so doing will not have any immunity.

Any person who thinks OBJ killed Ige should approach the police or better still charge OBJ to court with your evidence. If they can not do that they should simply remain silent and stop passing a verdict against the President in the court of public opinion (newspaper).

Yes there is a thing like freedom of speech but not on such sensitive issue.

Story, story

All this na story for Nollywood movie.

OBJ and Ehindero should look at the mirror to see who killed the "CICERO OF ESA OKE".

Akolawole:

And the mistery continues

Hello Akolawole, where have u being all these days?
How is Adedibu doing in Ibadan?

God, we need your help here, URGENTLY TOO.

@McKren

Thanks for your marvelous posting - do u want obo?

Does OBJ look like a killer?

McKren:



Any person who thinks OBJ killed Ige should approach the police or better still charge OBJ to court with your evidence. If they can not do that they should simply remain silent and stop passing a verdict against the President in the court of public opinion (newspaper).

What a naive statement!!!!!!!
I don't envy you on your support of Obasanjo.

true talk - anyone with evidence that a person committed an offence should come out with it - simple as ABC, else let them keep their mouth shut foever - till eternity comes.

Remember Dele Giwa, Kudirat Abiola, Ibru, Abraham Adesanya - all these people shot or killed one time or the other - all we heard were theories which could not be corroborated till now. So if there is no proof - let all the wailers wail till the cows come home.

, i agree that the mystery continues quite sad, but wait a minute the police under ehindero have a nasty penchant for parading suspects in their cells[reserve list!!] whenever they reach a dead end in any high profile case, he is indeed a failed I.G. tafa was better if not for his itchy fingers ,smith could have been better but he was too slow, , any way the truth would soon reveal itself like rewane and kudirat s case,

McKren:

There is no need for any conspiracy theory, in three days time OBJ will cease to be President and by so doing will not have any immunity.

Any person who thinks OBJ killed Ige should approach the police or better still charge OBJ to court with your evidence. If they can not do that they should simply remain silent and stop passing a verdict against the President in the court of public opinion (newspaper).

Yes there is a thing like freedom of speech but not on such sensitive issue.

Whoever kills will also have death as a sentinel at the door of his life no matter how long he or she lives.


To all the followers of the Ige murder case, this ‘drug baron’ story from the out going President is a diversion because the son of Ige, Muyiwa saw the assassin with the gun on the day of killing and again during one of the Court hearings

Larufa:

Whoever kills will also have death as a sentinel at the door of his life no matter how long he or she lives.


To all the followers of the Ige murder case, this ‘drug baron’ story from the out going President is a diversion because the son of Ige, Muyiwa saw the assassin with the gun on the day of killing and again during one of the Court hearings

Meaning? Did they say the drug baron fired the shot?

Mckren

Naivety of thought that Nigeria's highest law officer was shot in his house with security details and the president now knows the killers just a week before he leaves office. Can anybody tell me who has better intelligence than the presidency to unmask Ige' s killers. Why would ordinary Nigerians be asked to prove that OBJ did know how Ige was killed? When did Nigerians become private investigators? So if NPF cannot solve a crime of that magnitude, it should be left for people who are yearning for a closure to come with evidence? Why does Nigeria pay police, ministry of justice, intelligence, and SSS for?

adconline

there is no point calling someone else naive, OBJ and Ehindero thinks certain drug baron killed Ige. Whoever thinks they are not right certainly knows more than them and should come forward with there evidence. It is that simple.

There is no point holding to some unfounded prejudice and saying the outcome of police investigations is wrong except it produces certain results. If you know better as your attempt to call me naive clearly suggest approach the courts. If you are able to prooove your case I will like to see OBJ sent to jail, but what I cant accept is to sit in your comfort zone and accuse the President without proof and expect everyone else to agree.

Why is it now that Obasanjo is leaving office that they came up with the killer ? What does Bola Ige have in common with a drug baron ?

Complete rubbish.