BEFORE WE FORGET IGE: SERGEANT ROGERS IS STILL TALKING
The man who worked and served the devil, to dispatch innocent souls to heaven without any heavenly authority, Jabilla, but well known as Sergeant Rogers has been doing a lot talking recently, and the whole world should listen.
The President of Nigeria - Usman Yaradua, and the Chief of Police, Mike Okiro may want to use Jabilla in unraveling the hidden killings during the watch of Olusegun Obasanjo. Many should agree with asking Sergeant Rogers to help in unmasking the killers of Bola Ige and Dikibo, two men whose assassination was announced by Obasanjo as the work of robbers. The similarity is from the fact that the number one man who should know better, in allowing the Police to do their job. took over and told a bewildered nation that they were killed by armed robbers.
Events later proved him not just wrong, but making an ‘unpresidential’ gaffe. Ige was silenced in his bedroom, just as the ex-PDP Vice Chairman Dikibo who was, in the entourage of the then Benue governor.
The gentleman of Lagos politics - Funsho Williams was also killed in his bedroom, while the Ekiti man - Daramola got silenced in his house too.. All these killings smelt, and still smell of brigandage politics.
The ex-President Obasanjo for reasons best known to him, chose to bring up some closing argument to say that Ige was killed by drug men after his first yarn about armed robbers did not convince a bemused nation. The Nigerian judiciary had done in, his second yarn and set free all the men referred to.
Who killed these men? Why were they killed? Is the Nigerian nation going to ever know their killers? Will Yaradua allow the Police unfettered investigations to bring the killers to book?
Ige was murdered in his house some six years ago, December 23, 2001 while serving Nigeria as the Attorney General of Justice. He had some Federal Policemen with him but they went to eat when the assassins came calling. Life was snuffed out of the man popularly referred to as the wordsmith, and the only one regarded as the Cicero.
Ige was a leader of the Afenifere, a powerful mover and shaker of the political swings in Yoruba land in particular, and the nation of Nigeria as a whole. The fact as revealed by those who know and are ready to say it loud was that Bola Ige had written a letter to Olusegun Obasanjo, the soldier turned civilian President in whose government Ige served. The letter, we were told by those who can repeat the contents again, and again, were that he had had enough, and needed time to go back to his base, to reorganize his people and party for 2003 elections.
Ige’s senior daughter told a bewildered world about the letter and its contents. In some other 'world' on this planet, the contents are enough ground to sniff around for the killers. Muyiwa, son to the murdered Ige saw one or two of those who snuffed out the life of his father. He saw one of them again in court, a cousin to a former deputy governor of Osun State.
Wole Soyinka too, and another Ige friend who served briefly in the House of Representatives. These credible people confessed to knowing about the letter and contents.
Ige’s wife, it should be recalled could not believe the muddling up of the case by the Federal and Oyo State authorities, and died of the shock. Here was a retired Judge of the Appeal Court who served and believed in justice. She found late in life that justice is never safe in the jungle, or even outside it, when placed in palms of rogues!
The case was eventually thrashed and the alleged masterminds freed, and one of them won a seat to the highest law making body of Nigeria while in detention. He even won in the home town of Bola Ige - Esa Oke to show how unpopular Ige was?
A popular Yoruba adage says there is no talking about the bleeding hands without mentioning the knife that did it. The retired soldier and former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo needs to help the Police to resolve this matter which can not be wished away.
The former president promised that the killers would be found. He actually shed tears at Ibadan when he went to commiserate with the family of the deceased. The lawyer who handled the matter later cried out that the Obasanjo presidency was frustrating the case. Obasanjo later forgot his promise to find the killers and rested the case after the Ladoja’s government dismissed the charges against the alleged culprits.
Every cry for the matter to be reopened elicited no response from Obasanjo or his Minister of justice. As far as he was concerned, the case was closed. The cry for some honor for a man who was killed under his regime and as the number one law man also fell on deaf ears.
The man and his moving train - PDP won the 2003 elections in a big way. The Yoruba politics was turned around by hook or crook into the hands of people who felt that ‘babaism’ was the way. Some rascals took over the political terrains of Yoruba politics and they ‘killed, raped, maimed and also stole’ as they liked until they either turned some foot against babaism and had to pay.
Trust most Nigerians, they quickly resigned to fate and faith. The same fate and faith always used as consolation when people worsen their lives with selfish motives. Bola Ige, Harry Marshall, Dikibo, Funsho Williams, and many others fell one by one to the assassins’ bullets. Life went on, and the swansong became ‘nobody but him’. The same song that was sang for Abacha before he left. Some people chose to become so scared of men, and decided to ignore the Almighty God in heaven! Even men of god refused to say it, and let the world know the truth.
Some newspapers particularly the Guardian made passing comments about Ige, remembering his greatness and all he stood for. Most others, particularly the Tribune, which sold lots of its products with Ige’s articles, speeches, and his undiluted support for Awolowo did not make any editorial comment about the illustrious man. In fact, some derisive articles from one or two people who used to belong to the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria featured in the Tribune!
Great admirers of the Tribune and Ige were left in a quandary. Ige’s loyalty to Awolowo name was never in doubt. He chose never to criticize an Awolowo publicly throughout his life, and he kept to this.
Would the great Awo have ignored commenting, and rousing the public to the evil of the brutal killing of his trusted lieutenant Ige, were he alive at the time of the murder? Or the killing of promising Nigerians by some masked men.
The passive political trends from the Awolowo family especially in the last 8 years could perhaps be attributed to the fact that the first child, never a political commentator in the first place, has turned a pastor, while the only son too has become a deacon. Still at that, should an adult be so scared of darkeness that he or she would urinate in the bedroom?
What about the ambassador and the grandson? Were they unable to express some open sympathy and solidarity with a loyal disciple of their father or grandfather because they were serving in the regime of Obasanjo? Whereas, it is not a naked fact that Obasanjo had the greatest contempt for Awo, and any successful Yoruba man! His books are very good pointers.
This writer remembers that Ige refused to criticize Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu when she ran for the gubernatorial seat of Lagos, when even Lateef Jakande and some others did. He noted that he could never criticize an Awolowo in public. Same for the publisher of Tribune titles, Oluwole Awolowo.
V ery importantly, Sergeant Rogers recently made a disclosure that he also served as Obasanjo’s man throughout his time in power. He added a clincher that he was handsomely rewarded after 2007 for a job well done. One would wonder in what capacity, considering the antecedent of Jabilla as the executor in chief for Abacha and Mustapha. It is also a big riddle that Obasanjo could allow Sergeant Rogers, even though has become a ‘born again Christian’ like Obasanjo, to serve as his immediate security issues. His main job has been well known as that of 'clearing the road' for a smooth sailing.
Obasanjo must have seen some incredible and uncommon quality in the renowned sergeant to make use of him. The Nigeria Police needs to use Rogers/Jabilla in their efforts to crack many unresolved murder cases left over by Ehindero time.
Great thanks to the man of the moment, Yaradua who has ordered that all unresolved cases of Obasanjo’s era be reopened for proper investigations. However, the Yoruba again say that ‘the conspicuous bird standing atop of rock should stand with watchful eyes’. Usman Yaradua is doing well by separating the sheep from the dog, but should learn from history. He should trust his instincts, not many could be trusted in the muddy sea of Nigerian politics.
Nigerians are still very much interested in who killed Bola Ige? Why was Harry Marshall killed? Who sponsored the killing of gentleman Funsho Williams? Why were they killed? Who knew what?
Thanks to sergeant Rogers who let the world know that Bamaiyi and Mustapha were the real killers of Kudi Abiola. That these were also the real shooters of Alex Ibru. Nigerians want to know who killed Bola Ige in his bed room in December 2001. Who killed the PDP vice chairman Dikibo, Harry Marshal, Funsho Williams and many others between 2000 and 2007?
“It will take a second for truth to catch up with falsehood, ……. and light will always in a matter of time snuff out darkness” - Awo
""Those who choose to kill in order to survive, will have death as a sentinel at the outpost of their lives".
John Ayodele,
Atlanta , USA
bishopbode@hotmail.com