VOL.2. NO.7. SOMOLU GLOBAL NEWS EDITORIAL OPINION.

This is the conviction of mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the one-time EFCC Chairman; of Chief Gani Fawehinmi when the latter passed on recently: “ I have lost a father, a friend and a mentor; but I am grateful to God for having a very inspiring relationship with Chief. He helped to shape my life; he made me to believe in the truth and I just have the courage to stand by these ideals. May his kind soul rest in peace. God will be kind to Gani because he was a kind and good man”.

     Ribadu reportedly poured his conviction on the condolence register when he “sneaked” into his country, his fatherland reportedly on Thursday 10th September, 2009. One week after, our Inspector-General of Police, ONOVO (whose tall profile was one of the basis for SOMOLU GLOBAL NEWS’ belief that we can take his word as his bond in one of our past Editorial Opinion) goofed ‘mass-publicly’ and poured his conviction reportedly as saying : “Honestly, I don’t believe that Ribadu came to Nigeria. How can somebody like that go to Gani’s house on a condolence visit and his photograph will not be published in any Newspaper…”

     The Print Media proved our I.G wrong, the following day. And voila! The photos taken by Ribadu were not only shown to I.G but to the world at large. The I.G did not believe someone sneaked into the country let alone knowing. Is our security system in Nigeria that incompetent?

     While the I.G was still suffering from this ‘knock-out’ from the Media; he thought  of remedying the ‘embarrassments’ and he set up a Committee to look into the issue of Ribadu’s visit reportedly on Wednesday, 30th September, 2009. The Committee was headed by Mr. Ganiyu Dawodu, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Intelligence. You may recall that Dawodu was a former Commissioner of Police for Osun State Command. The Committee was given seven (7) days to make its report available. In the interim before Dawodu-led-Committee was set up, many waters were passing under the bridge. The one too many for the NUJ, NPAN and Human Rights Activists was the assassination of Mr. Bayo OHU. Bayo, until killed in his place of abode at 9, Oyeniyi Stree Odukoya Estate, Akowonjo; was the assistant News Editor with The Guardian Newspaper. Bayo ‘s life was gruesomely taken in the early hours of September 20, 2009 and he was 45 years old. The ‘Evil-Haramu-Action’ responsible for taking his life lasted not more than 15 minutes according to Omolara OHU, the deceased ‘s daughter. His laptop and phone were taken along with his life.

     Bayo was laid to rest on Friday, September 25, 2009 and Pastor Olaitan Olubiyi, who officiated at his burial, asked us “to see his (Ohu’s) death as a blessing from God”. Oh yes! It was a blessing because along with Mr. Fashola Babatunde (Gov. of Lagos State); Mr. Adeyemi Ikuforiji (speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly); Mrs. Abike DABIRI (member, Federal House of Rep.); Mr. Adegbenro ADEBANJO (Chief Press Sec to Ogun State Gov.); Mr. Emeka Izeze (Managing Director and E in C, The Guardian Newspaper); and other colleagues, friends, family members and well wishers of Bayo present at the burial ceremony; the master-minders of his death would have also commiserated with his family members and possibly even attended his burial. The blessing is that (it is commonly believed that the dead shall be at his burial) Bayo would have seen them that day.

     With heavy heart, we at SOMOLU GLOBAL NEWS sympathize with Ochuko Ohu (Bayo ‘s wife); Ohu’s family members at large; Mr. Emeka Izeze (of the Guardian); all the staff members of the Guardian Newspaper; NUJ; and Print Media Houses for the death of Bayo OHU. A death which further magnifies the dearth of security in Nigeria.

     Another blessing of Bayo ‘s death is that we now are reminded again that in a country where a Minister For Justice and Attorney General of the Federation in the person of Chief Bola IGE was slaughtered even when he had orderlies and guards; a society where the deputy chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Human Rights (for that matter) Mr IGWE, physically assaulted a security detail - Mr. Chinalu NWULU because he was doing his job; a Nation where Electricity (Power) is only wished for but virtually never had; nothing can be guaranteed - even the lives of our Leaders.

     On the second chance, we at The SGN would want to take ONOVO’s word again as his bond. He was quoted on Wednesday, September 30, 2009 as saying : “ There will be no tolerance for corrupt practices, overzealousness, unjustified use of firearms and acts capable of further tarnishing the image of the Force”

         The Commissioner of Lagos State Police Command, Mr. Marvel Akyoyibo had reportedly directed all DPOs (Divisional Police Officers) and Area Commanders to timely find a solution to the problem of finding OHU’s killers. In that vein, Area G Command and Egbeda Police Division should surprise Nigerians for the first time and produce the killers of OHU. The killers should not go scot-free, they must also be made to face the Law.

     Also, it is pertinent to remind OGA I.G. ONOVO that we have not forgotten Omololu Falobi and Abayomi Ogundeji, from Punch Newspaper;  Godwin Agboroko of THISDAY; Bagauda Kaltho of THE NEWS; Dele Giwa, then in 1986, of Newswatch Magazine and a host of other Journalists, some who were not even killed but were highly assaulted because they were doing their job.

     It is only when ONOVO and his Men in Black reduce crime to the barest minimum that we Nigerians can begin to be guaranteed that being a Nigerian does not expire soon. 

     The 6 men killers of OHU, remember - ‘he that kills with the sword shall also die by the sword’. Await your time. It is not about ‘creating panic in the State’, it is a matter of fact.