|
Circus of Unresolved
Killings
Compiled by Ijeoma Chukwugbo of GUARDIAN
August 17, 2006
The killing of two
gubernatorial aspirants in three weeks has raised the anxiety over the rising
wave of political killings in the country. While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)
was burying Engr. Funso Williams, a consultant on Social Protection and HIV/AIDS
to the World Bank Country Office in Abuja, Dr Ayo Daramola, was murdered in his
bed, in Ekiti State. There had been other high profile assassinations. Many of
them are yet to be resolved by the Police.
|
Political Zone |
No.
of
Deaths |
Details |
|
South-West
|
8 |
* August
14, 2006 , Dr. Ayo Daramola, a PDP gubernatorial aspirant in
Ekiti State, and a consultant on Social Protection and HIV/AIDS to the
World Bank
Country Office in Abuja was murdered in his bedroom at his hometown,
Ijan-Ekiti. A nutritionist who recently joined the race, his death is
linked to the
intra-party crisis, which has thrown up political enemies after the
death of the third term agenda in the state. He was stabbed, shot and
hacked to death.
His
wife dismissed speculations that armed robbers killed Daramola.
 | Engineer
Funso Williams, PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos State and
chairman, Board of Directors of Nigeria Maritime Authority (NMA) was
murdered on July 27, 2006. Police are still investigating this
assassination. Forensic experts were invited from London to assist
them. The police arrested PDP gubernatorial aspirants in the state
and some members of the NMA board. They were held for about three
weeks. |
| On July 16,
2005 unknown gunmen killed Alhaji Lateef (alias Lati Osogbo)
a close associate of the strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi
Adebibu, in Ibadan. |
| Alhaji
Sulaimon Olajokun, a Lagos-based businessman and one of the
'financiers' of the group, Oranmiyan was murdered on his way to
Lagos from Ile-Ife Osun State, in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) on
May 15, 2005. He was a chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
|
| On December
23, 2001, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the
Federation, Chief Bola Ige, was killed inside his bedroom at Ibadan,
Oyo State. The police declared one Olugbenga Adebayo, ( a.k.a. Fryo)
wanted in connection with the murder. The trial of suspects took
many twists and turns; several judges resigned from the case, and
Ige's wife died after one of the futile hearings to trace the
killers. The Oyo government withdrew the case from the court in
2004. |
| Mrs. Emily
Omope (a.k.a . Thatcher), an AD member, died on March 3, 2003 at
the UCH Ibadan after an acid attack in December last year by unknown
persons. |
| Unknown
assailants in Lagos killed Dele Arojo a PDP gubernatorial
aspirant on November 25, 2002. |
| On December
19, 2001, Mr. Odunayo Olagbaju, a member of the Osun State House of
Assembly, was killed in front of the Moore police station, Ile-Ife,
Osun State. |
|
|
South-East |
9 |
| On April 19,
2003, a stalwart of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP),
Onyewuchi Iwuchukwu, was murdered in Ikeduru Local Council, Imo
State. |
| On April 20,
2003, an ANPP member of the House of Assembly, Toni Dimegwu,
was killed in Imo State. |
| Mr. Ikenna
Ibor, an ANPP councillorship candidate in Anambra State, was
assassinated on March 27, 2003. |
| Mr Barnabas
Igwe and his wife Amaka Abigail Igwe were killed in Onitsha,
Anambra State on September 1, 2002. The investigation into the
murder of the couple led to the arraignment of former Governor of
the state, Chinwoke Mbadinuju. |
| In February
2003, Theodore Agwatu, principal secretary to the Imo State
Governor, was murdered by suspected hired assassins in Owerri
|
| Mr.
Ogbonnaya Uche, a chieftain of the ANPP and a former
Commissioner of Commerce in Imo State was gunned down at his
residence. Ogbonna, fondly called OGB, was nursing a senatorial
ambition in the Orlu Senatorial zone before he was killed. OGB had
defected from the PDP to the ANPP to run for Senate. He was murdered
on February 7, 2003. |
| Chimere
Ikoku, former Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria (UNN), was
killed in his residence in Enugu on October 20 last year.
|
| Chief
Victor Nwankwo, younger brother of Dr. Arthur Nwankwo, founder,
Eastern Mandate Union (EMU), was assassinated on August 29, 2001 in
Enugu State. |
| Sunday Ugwu,
elder brother of Nwabueze Ugwu, a legislator representing Nkanu East
Local Council in the Enugu State House of Assembly killed in a case
of mistaken identity on September 9, 1999. |
|
|
South-South |
5 |
| Gunmen killed
PDP National Vice-Chairman (South) Chief Aminosoari Dikibo,
on February 6, 2004 in Delta State on his way to a South-South PDP
meeting in Asaba. Four suspected armed robbers were arrested near
the scene but it failed to disprove that hired assassins killed
Dikibo. |
| On March 5,
2003, Dr Harry Marshal of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP)
was murdered in his bedroom in Abuja. He was the National
Vice-Chairman of the ANPP (South-South). He left the PDP for
the ANPP following a rift with other top notchers of the ruling
party. |
| On June 3,
2005, the principal administrative officer of Uvwie L.G.A. in Delta
State, Mr. Patrick Origbe, was assassinated by unknown
gunmen. |
| Mr Felix
Eboigbe, councillor in Oredo Local Council in Edo State was
murdered in August 2005. |
| On Christmas
day in 2005, the Chairman of Warri South Local Council was
murdered. |
|
|
North-West |
1 |
| Alhaji
Isyaku Muhammad, United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP), National
Vice-Chairman, North West was assassinated on September 24, 2002
|
|
|
North-East |
1 |
| February 23,
2003, Speaker, Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Inuwa Kubo,
escaped assassination attempt. |
|
|
North-Central |
7 |
| A
gubernatorial aspirant of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD),
Mr. Jesse Aruku, was abducted and killed near his house in
Bassa Local Council in Plateau State on June 30, 2006. |
| On August 15,
2002, the state chairman of PDP in Kwara State, Ahmed Pategi
was killed. |
| PDP's
Assistant National Director, Research and Planning, Mr. Anthony
Ozioko, was murdered at his residence in Saburi-Gwagwa, Abuja by
yet-to-be-identified persons on July 27, 2005. |
| On March 3,
2004, the convoy of the Benue State Governor, George Akume,
was attacked by suspected assassins on his way to Kaduna. A member
of the PDP's board of trustees, Andrew Agom and Joseph Ngama,
a police sergeant, were killed. |
| On March 4,
2004, Mr. Luke Shingaba, a chairmanship candidate, was killed
at his house in Bassa Local Council in Kogi State. |
| On February 5,
2005, Sunday Atte, the leader of the legislative council in
Yagba East Local Council of Kogi State, was murdered by unknown
gunmen. |
| A security man
in the residence of Chief Paul Unongo, ANPP gubernatorial
candidate in Benue State, was murdered by unknown gunmen on February
18, 2003. |
|
|
TOTAL |
31 |
|
Re-formatted By NM
August 2006
|
