THERE was outrage across the country on Saturday following the killing of Olajide Sowore, brother of the Publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, by alleged kidnappers near Okada, in Edo State, in the early hours of the day.
President, Centre for Change (CfC), Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, expressed shock and sadness, describing it as one murder too many. This was just as the rights activist, who is also president, Women Arise (WA), Joe Okei-Odumakin, further expressed worries that Nigeria, “before our very eyes,” is 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 Sunday Tribune in reaction to the incident, pointing out that she could hardly believe the dastardly act until she spoke with Omoyele Sowore, who confirmed it.
“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 the criminals in the dastardly act be brought to book, demanded that 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.
The Campaign for Democracy (CD) in its own reaction, said the killing was gruesome, merciless and a rude shock. Its national secretary, Pastor Ifeanyi Odili, said this in a release made available to Sunday Tribune, just as he dismissed the report that “his killers were actually Fulani cattle herders.”
According to the activist, CD viewed Olajide’s murder as “political, which could have been orchestrated by the tormentors of this country and our task master,” positing that Omoyele, the elder brother of the slain Olajide was considered an enemy of this government as he was still facing trial in an Abuja Federal High Court.
“The CD family got the news of the death of Sowore’s younger brother with rude shock. We consider his killing as gruesome and merciless. We do not believe that his killers were actually Fulani cattle herders. “His killing in our own view is political which could have been orchestrated by the tormentors of this country and our task masters,” noting that “Omoyele Sowore, the elder brother of the slain Olajide Sowore is considered enemy of this government who is still facing ongoing trial in an Abuja Federal High Court,” he said.
Odili, while querying the circumstance in which Olajide was killed and how many were killed on the spot, declared that it was obvious that government must carry out probe into the brutal killing, adding that Sowore’s younger brother’s killing was another testimony that “Nigeria is a den of evil and a failed country.”
“We ask, on which circumstance(s) was he killed? How many of them were killed on the spot? Obviously, the government must carry out probe into his brutal killing.
“His killing is another testimony that Nigeria is a den of evil and a failed country,” he said.
Similarly, the Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives on Saturday condemned the killing.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja by the Minority Leader of the House, Right Honourable Ndudi Elumelu, “it is indeed heartbreaking that our nation’s promising young ones are being daily felled and maimed by bandits, terrorists and kidnappers who are now freely marauding our country, while the government looks overwhelmed and helpless.
“The gruesome killing of Olajide, a Pharmacy student of Igbinedion University, Edo State, on his way from school, by suspected terrorists, is another sad commentary on the horrible security situation and utter hopelessness in our country under the current administration. “
”Our caucus deplores the ceaseless killings and kidnapping of students and school children in various parts of the country as well as the failure of government to take decisive steps to halt the trend.
“The minority caucus calls on the Inspector-General of Police to immediately track down the murderers as well as other terrorist and criminal gangs causing havoc in various parts of the country, and bring them to book.
“Indeed, our nation cannot afford to be losing our bright and promising young ones to marauders.
“While condoling families of the victims, our caucus charges President Muhammadu Buhari to take clear steps to tackle the insecurity in the country.”
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command on Saturday said that suspected kidnappers killed Mr Olajide Sowore.
A statement by police spokesman, Mr Bello Kontongs, in Benin on Saturday, said: “This is to confirm to you that suspected kidnappers at about 0645 hours along Lagos-Benin expressway by Isuwa kidnapped five unidentified persons and in the process shot to death one Sowore Felix Olajide, male, a Pharmacy student of Igbinedion University, Okada.” He said in addition to killing the younger Sowore, the suspected kidnappers also made away with five unidentified persons, just as he added that Sowore’s corpse had been deposited at the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital.
He said efforts are ongoing to rescue the kidnapped victims. The Igbinedion University’s spokesman, Mr Obajide Ilugbo, however, denied knowledge of the incident which led to the killing of the Pharmacy student and the abduction of five other passengers. “I am not aware. I am at home, resting. I don’t know anything about the abduction and killing. The police have not informed us,” he said.
The elder Sowore, had in a statement early Saturday, announced that his “immediate younger brother, Olajide Sowore, is today shot and killed near Okada in Edo State reportedly by herdsmen/kidnappers on his way from Igbinedion University in Edo State, where he is studying Pharmacy.
“They snuffed out the life of yet another real human being! Rest in power, “Dr Mamiye!” Sowore wrote, mourning his brother. Reacting to the development, the Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, assured that his government would collaborate with all security agencies to fish out the killers of Olajide Sowore and bring them to justice.
Governor Obaseki made the vow in the condolence message he sent to Sowore over the death of his younger brother.
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