A murder too many
Friday, January 22, 2009
The recent murder of Mr. Jonathan Adebisi Ogundere, a key lawyer in the defence team of Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, in the ongoing suit against his election at the Osun State Elections Petition Tribunal, has once again brought to the fore the spectre of unconscionable assassination in the country.
Ogundere, a septuagenarian, was reportedly kidnapped in his country home in Odo Otin Local Government Area of Osun State, and killed. His murder, which has expectedly elicited widespread condemnation, is another addition to the list of suspected political assassinations in the country. Strident calls have been made for a thorough investigation of the murder with the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) urging the police to expose those responsible for the dastardly act.
We strongly condemn this gruesome act. It is primitive and barbaric. It is unthinkable and appalling that anyone would kill a lawyer in a celebrated case such as the Osun governorship petition. It is one murder too many, and we call for a thorough investigation by the police to unravel the people behind the incident. It is important to find the culprits and bring them to book.
The culture of assassination in the country is, undoubtedly, encouraged by the inability of the law enforcement agencies to arrest and punish persons behind such heinous acts in the past. We recall the murder of the nation’s then Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige; the former Lagos State governorship aspirant, Mr. Funsho Williams, Chief Alfred Rewane, and so many others.
The failure to find and arrest murderers of these people and many other victims, encourages other like-minded persons to adopt assassination as a tool for resolving disagreements, or to eliminate rivals. The law enforcement agencies, therefore, have an obligation to conduct a thorough investigation to determine and bring the perpetrators of this criminal act, and the ones before it, to book, to serve as a deterrent to others.
Extra-judicial killing, under any circumstances, is bestial. It is not a solution to any problem. Assassination is a serious criminal offence and it should be treated as such. The murder of Ogundere is not only a violation of his right to life, it is an abrogation of his right to practise his profession. If this murder investigation is not properly handled, fear of assassination could become a threat to the atmosphere of freedom in which the law profession is practised. This would be an unacceptable restriction to legal practice in the country. This murder amounts to disrespect to the rule of law, and to the sanctity of human life. Our people should strive to accept the adjudication of the courts, and not take the law into their own hands. The judiciary should be allowed to interpret the law, and the people abide by court rulings, instead of resorting to murder.
Again, the Ogundere killing can be said to be an outcome of the unwholesome delay in the resolution of the Osun gubernatorial election petition. If the case had been disposed of in good time, and not allowed to linger unnecessarily as it has done for two and a half years, the man may not have been killed. Justice delayed often gives room for further injustice and crime. Justice should not only be done, it should be speedily done.
This is one incident which the police should use to demonstrate that it is no longer business as usual for assassins in Nigeria. The circumstances behind this killing should be unveiled, and the culprits made to account for their crime. This is the only way that the nation can send a strong message that mindless killings of this nature will not be handled with levity, and that perpetrators of such acts will be smoked out and made to pay for their crimes.
We commiserate with Jonathan Ogundere’s family and urge the law enforcent agencies to do everything within their power to obtain justice for him and those he has left behind.
