President, Centre for Change (CfC), Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, has expressed shock and sadness over the gruesome murder of Olajide Sowore, younger brother of publisher of SaharaReporter, Mr. Omoyele Sowore, describing it as one murder too many.
This was just as the rights activist, who is also president, Women Arise (WA), further expressed worries that Nigeria, “before our very eyes,” was becoming a failed state; “yet, all we hear from government are condolence messages and platitudes that do not hold water.”
Okei-Odumakin said this in a statement made available to the Sunday Tribune in reaction to the incident, pointing out that she could hardly believe this dastardly act until she spoke with Comrade Omoyele Sowore, who confirmed the gruesome murder.
“To put it mildly, the murder of Olajide Sowore, younger brother of activist, Omoyele Sowore, is one murder too many.
“I hardly could believe this dastardly act until I spoke with Comrade Omoyele Sowore himself and he confirmed the gruesome killing of his brother,” she said.
The rights activist wondered when would these senseless killings stop and the Federal Government and the security agencies wake up from their slumber and become alive to their prime responsibility of protecting life and property.
Okei- Odumakin, while also wondering when would the criminals in the dastardly act be brought to book, demanded that the the perpetrators be apprehended speedily, a thorough investigation be conducted into the killing, and the guilty be brought to justice.
“Before our very eyes, the country is becoming a failed state; yet, all we hear from government are condolence messages and platitudes that do not hold water.
“We demand a thorough investigation into this killing. We demand that the perpetrators be apprehended speedily and be brought to justice,” she said.
According to her, it is because government had been tardy in its response to previous killings all over the country that it has been accused of duplicity and, even, complicity, demanding further that the Federal Government must act
swiftly to arrest the killers of Olajide Sowore and bring them to book, in order to shrug off such suspicion and accusation.
This was just as she argued that the government needed not be told that its running battle with the Omoyele, senior brother to Olajide, over the issue of good governance was one reason this murder cannot be swept under the carpet, else tongues would wag and opinion solidify around the culpability of the powers-that-be that this killing was orchestrated as pay-back time for the SaharaReporter publisher.
“It is because government had been tardy in its response to previous killings all over the country that it has been accused of duplicity and, even, complicity.
“To shrug off such suspicion and accusation, it must act swiftly to arrest the killers of Olajide Sowore and bring them to book.
“Government need not be told that its running battle with the older Sowore, Omoyele, over the issue of good governance is one reason this murder cannot be swept under the carpet.
“Otherwise, tongues will wag and opinion will solidify around the culpability of the powers-that-be that this killing was orchestrated as pay-back time for Omoyele Sowore,” Okei-Odumakin argued.
“Government must avoid allowing this murder to be seen as a pain purposely inflicted on Omoyele Sowore to cower as well as punish him for his tango with the Muhammadu Buhari administration over issues of good governance and respect for fundamental human rights,” she added.
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