Benin, Edo, Nigeria – By Oladipo Airenakho.
Suspected killers of a grassroots political activist and Owan West Coordinator of Kukuruku Youth Renaissance Network in Edo State, Nigeria, Comrade Daniel Aifegha may soon be revealed as the dying statement of the victim provides some clues to the assassination plot.
This startling revelation has drawn the attention of his community, relatives, political Associates and the civil society organizations who have now prevailed on the Edo State Police Command to conduct a thorough investigation into the killing and bring the culprit to justice.
A close associate of the deceased, Mr. Christopher Oluwa Uduigwonen, had revealed that his late friend confided in him before he died, that a political aide to one of the members of the Edo State House of Assembly in the area had finally succeeded in his threat to take his life.
According to information made available to Alltimepost.com correspondent, on July 29, 2014 Comrade Daniel Aifegha was killed after several threats to his life by persons alleged to be political aides to a member of the Edo State House of Assembly from his constituency.
In his account, Mr. Uduigwonen, who was at his side after the attack and before he died said late Daniel Aifegha lamented how the continued threat to his life by a personal aide to one of the politicians in the community has finally been successfully executed.
Mr. Uduigwonen explained to Alltimepost.com correspondent that after he heard of the attack on his friend, Daniel Aifegha, he got to his side soon enough for him to be able to still relay certain information to him which the police might find useful in their investigation.
Part of the allegation made by the dying man which has now formed the basis of his dying declaration is the alleged reference to a personal aide to Honorable Ohio-Ezomo Michael.
In the alleged dying declaration made by Daniel Aifegha which his friend Mr.Uduigwonen has promptly made known to the police, the former not only pointed accusing finger in the direction of the personal aide to the Owan West Constituency representative in the Edo State House of Assembly but also revealed accounts of series of threats to his life.
Alltimepost.com gathered that prior to the death of Comrade Daniel Aifegha, he had been involved in the conduct and sensitization of his constituency electorate on the need to make the right choice of who would represent the constituency in the up-coming 2015 general election.
It is now being widely alleged by the civil society organizations and others in Edo State that the resultant death of Comrade Daniel Aifegha is the outcome of his activities which was becoming more and more unbearable to those politicians in the constituency who feel his actions were not in their best interests.
In a signed release by their President Theophilus Ibodeme and others, the Afemai-based community initiative, Kukuruku Youth Renaissance Network, alleged that it was the confrontational stand of Comrade Daniel Aifegha on some issues, such as the conduct of a public opinion poll online on a suitable representative for the constituency in the next election coming up in 2015 was one of those issues responsible for his alleged assasination.
‘’Our attention has been drawn to the gruesome ad unholy murder of one of our own (Comrade Daniel Aifegha) who was killed in cold blood in his country home, Eme-Ora, in Owan West Local Government Area, and who until his sudden and untimely demise was the Owan West Coordinator of Kukuruku Youth Renaissance Network.’’
‘’And the circumstances surrounding his death which is connected to some stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress [APC], Owan West Chapter, whom he had confrontational issues with and in the process his life was threatened.’’
In the same manner a communiqué issued at the end of an emergency executive council meeting of Edo Civil Society Organizations to deliberate on the gruesome murder of Comrade Daniel Aifegha not only requested security agencies in Edo state, Nigeria, to as a matter of urgency fish out his killers but warned desperate politicians to play according to civilized rules and refrain from creating chaos in the state.
The Edo Civil Society Organizations in their communiqué also drew attention of the security agencies to the accounts of the deceased friends, relatives and political associates who have courageously continued to stand by their words.
‘’The Council therefore invites the Security Networks in Edo State to find useful the narrations of Comrade Daniel Aifegha’s (deceased) friends, relatives and political associates who have courageously and continually asserted that there were incessant threats to the deceased life through his telephone and social media by one Mr. Anslem Uduehi who is the personal Assistant to Honourable Michael Ohio-Ezomo, the member representing Owan West Constituency in the Edo State House of Assembly.’’
But the Director-General of Honourable Michael Ohio-Ezomo Campaign Organization, Honourable Omogbai Moses has refuted the allegation of complicity of Anslem Uduehi in the killing of Daniel Aifegha.
According him, ’’there was nowhere in all the statements where the deceased pointed accusing fingers at Honourable Mike Ohio-Ezomo and Anslem Uduehi as those responsible for his shooting before he died.’’
‘’It is therefore important to clear the fact and let the public know the true position as some misguided and desperate politicians have moved in on the murder of the said Mr. Daniel Aifegha to smear the name of our House of Assembly representative.’’
‘’Such politicians have since been identified and will be taken up at the appropriate law court in due course’’, concluded the Director-General of Honourable Mike Ohio-Ezomo.
Attempts to speak directly to Honourable Mike Ohio-Ezomo the man in the eye of the storm however proved unsuccessful as calls and text messages to his phone were unanswered.
Alltimepost.com correspondent has gathered however that following a petition to the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Foluso Adebanjo, the initial delay by the Divisional Police Officer in Eme-Ora, Owan West to transfer the case to the police headquarters in Benin City has been corrected.
Following the receipt of their petition the Edo State police Commissioner said his men had been ordered to commence investigation into the killing and that a senior police officer at the command had been given the task of unraveling the circumstances surrounding his death.
‘’The Divisional Police Officer involved has been summoned to Benin to give explanations on the case. But let me assure the immediate family and friends of the deceased that a thorough investigation will be conducted into this case and culprit brought to book.’’
With the takeover of the case file by the Police Headquarters the impression created in the minds of members of the civil society organizations by the Divisional Police Officer in Eme-Ora, Owan West Local Government Area of being compromised can now be laid to rest and attention focused on the investigation of the crime.
Also, apart from allegation that 2 suspects earlier arrested in the case had been released by the Divisional Police Officer in Eme-Ora, members of the civil society organizations in the state want the police headquarters to investigate the reason for his holding on to a criminal case file, such as that involving their deceased colleague which should have been transferred to the State Police Headquarters in Benin City.
Members of the Edo State Civil Society Organizations noted the unresolved case of the killing of Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde, the Principal Private Secretary to Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State which many today still believe was politically motivated and urged the police not to allow the killing of Comrade Daniel Aifegha go unresolved the same way.
‘’We implore the Nigerian Police and other security agencies in the state to make use of available facts as evidence like the phone log of Daniel Aifegha, text messages and his interaction on his facebook account, his conversation with those who were with him before he gave up the ghost, to simplify investigation processes.’’
Late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde was ki
lled on May 4th 2012 in the heat of the second tenure campaign of Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the general belief, most especially amongst All Progressive Congress (APC) party faithful then, was that the act was orchestrated by one of the main opposition political parties in the state to destabilize the incumbent, Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
Four assailants were reported to have forced their way into the number 62,2nd Ugbor road, Benin City home of late Comrade Olaitan Oyerinde and killed him.
