NOBEL laureate, Wole Soyinka, has asked President Buhari to make public the result of the investigation into the cause of late former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Bola Ige.
Professor Soyinka made this known today in a message to the “20th year of Bola Ige Memorial Symposium, 2 Decades Of Injustice: What Are The Implications On Nigerian Democracy” symposium organised by the ‘Bola Ige For Justice Centre’, held at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
Soyinka explained that while all lives should be valued equally, some impose a special responsibility on those in governance. One of such persons is Bola Ige who was at the time of his assassination, the nation’s Minister of Justice, and United Nations’ civil servant designate.
He further argued that the nation must not relent in investigating his brutal murder and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Stated Soyinka, “President Muhammadu Buhari, what has become of your robust pledge to open an inquiry into the spate of political murders that the nation has undergone in recent years? Does it all amount to yet another instance of political bravado?
“While we all accept that all lives should be valued equally, some impose a special responsibility on those in governance. Bola Ige, as the nation’s minister of justice, and United Nations’ civil servant designate, was unarguably one such. A nation’s honour is in question and remains so until the hour of closure.
“Thus, she must never relent in demanding an explanation for his brutal murder, expose the perpetrators, identify the conspirators and reinstate the broken lines of justice.
“At the very least, we need a formal declaration regarding those who displayed an abnormal interest in the fates of those accused, to a level of proven, documented interference both in the investigative process and within the judiciary. I am not alone in having written and lectured on these sordid aspects that fueled the subversion of justice. There are surviving witnesses.
“Unsolved crimes only lead to a culture of impunity. This puts the entire nation at risk, no matter the privilege of high-level protection. This is a lesson that Nigerian leadership has yet to learn.
“President Buhari, share the rewards of your investigations – if any!!!”
Ige was assassinated by gunmen at his Bodija, Ibadan home on December, 23, 2001.
