Ekiti: A state’s litany of killings
By Bisi Olaniyi
Published: Tuesday, 6 Jan 2009

Reminiscent of the gruesome murder of the World Bank consultant, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola, in his Ijan-Ekiti country home in Gbonyin Local Government Area of Ekiti State on August 14, 2006, an Assistant General Manager, Finance and Administration of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria in Kaduna State, Mr. Kehinde Fasuba, was hit by assassins’ bullets on January 3 in Ado-Ekiti.


Daramola was aspiring to contest as Ekiti governor on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, with the intention of emerging the party’s candidate for the April 14, 2007 election, before being sent to the great beyond.

Kehinde, 49, was the look-alike, twin brother of the former Caretaker Chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area, Mr. Taye Fasuba, who narrowly escaped being killed on September 11, 2004, when gunmen invaded his residence in the state capital.

Some persons, including three aides to the former Ekiti governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, were arrested and arraigned for Taye’s attempted murder, but later discharged for want of evidence.

Like Daramola, the PHCN’s AGM was warming up to proceed to the National Assembly in 2011, to represent Ekiti Central Senatorial District, currently being occupied by Chief Femi Kila.

According to sources, Kehinde had planned to resign from the utility company in 2010.

Eight persons who were arrested by the police and accused of involvement in Daramola’s murder are being detained at Ado-Ekiti prisons, and currently being prosecuted at the Ekiti High Court in Ado-Ekiti, before Justice Ayodeji Daramola.

The accused persons are the Personal Assistant to Fayose, Goke Olatunji; a PDP stalwart, Chief Dayo Okondo; Messrs. Taiwo Olanipekun; Segun Balogun; Busuyi Aladesanmi; Emeka Andrew; Daniel Ukaegbu; and Aina Ayorinde.

The councillorship election in Ifaki-Ekiti, the hometown of the current governor, Mr. Segun Oni, was in 2004 cancelled by the State Independent Electoral Commission.

A by-election was conducted on May 28, 2004, but the candidate of the National Conscience Party was believed to have gained upper hand. This was said to have angered the leadership of the ruling PDP.

An indigene of Ifaki-Ekiti, Mr. Tunde Omojola, who just returned to the country to assist his in-law, the NCP candidate, to prevent rigging, eventually lost his life.

Fayose and his aides were said to be moving round the area when argument ensued over the conduct of the election.

The confrontation had led to Omojola’s death, with the police exonerating Fayose. Nobody has since been nabbed as being responsible for Omojola’s killing.

Mrs. Eunice Omojola, popularly known as “Mama Thatcher,” an indigene of Ado-Ekiti and a loyalist of the former Ekiti governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, then of the Alliance for Democracy, was killed before the 2003 general election.

Some unknown persons visited her home at the state capital and informed her that the governor asked them to give her a gift, which turned out to be acid, which was poured on her. The killers are yet to be found.

Also, another associate of Adebayo, Mr. Yemi Oni, an indigene of Igbara-Odo in Ekiti State, was shot dead in 2003 at the Government Reservation Area in Ado-Ekiti by unknown gunmen, who are still at large.

With the killing of Fasuba on Saturday, the list of seemingly politically motivated killings is lengthening with the disturbing feeling that there is no end in sight.

To show seriousness over his senatorial ambition, Kehinde (Fasuba) attended a political meeting at a hotel in the Housing area, Afao-Ekiti Road in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday, January 3, before being assassinated around 9pm, on his way back to his house in the state capital.

He was in company with an associate, Mr. Tunji Gold, and two other friends, whom he wanted to drop off at Asamo compound, Odo-Ado area of Ado-Ekiti, when the assassins waylaid his Toyota Corolla car.

As soon as Kehinde was identified, the killers, said to be in black T-shirts, shot him repeatedly on the chest and also shot sporadically into the air to scare the people.

The other occupants of the car were ordered out and asked to lie face down, with one of them falling into the drainage.

The killers ensured that Kehinde died before they departed after about five minutes in two cars, comprising a black 2008 Toyota Camry saloon, with Lagos registration number and also went with the Toyota Corolla.

Sympathisers later rushed the late PHCN employee to the University of Ado-Ekiti Teaching Hospital, around 11 pm, where he was confirmed dead, with his corpse deposited at the morgue of the state government hospital.

The Police Public Relations Officer of the Ekiti Command, Mr. Mike Akindipe, an ASP, who confirmed the killing, said investigations by the command would still continue and might require forensic assistance.

A police source confirmed that no arrest had been made, but the three occupants of the car were assisting the police in their investigations.

By the morning of Sunday, January 4, supporters and associates of Kehinde took over the state capital, to show their displeasure over the gruesome murder, with accusing fingers being pointed at the state governor and his aides.

Elder brother to the deceased, Mr. Oluyemi Fasuba, ruled out the insinuation that Kehinde was killed by armed robbers, maintaining that his death was politically motivated.

The 63-year old Oluyemi and father of the renowned sprinter, Olusoji Fasuba, noted that the late AGM of PHCN had been enmeshed in controversy with some members of the PDP in Ado-Ekiti over his 2011 senatorial ambition, with the governor wading in. The last conciliation meeting was held three days to the murder.

He said, “This is a painful death. We are all saddened by this untimely death because it is a colossal loss to us in Ado-Ekiti. Some of the people in this present government are being fingered, but we are not going to preempt the outcome of police investigations.

“I am a retired police officer and I know how things should be. The police ought to be more proactive to this kind of horrible situation. The security is so loose in this country that anybody can be killed at any time.

“Even when Kehinde was shot, the people around called the police, but they came close to one hour after the distressed calls to them. Even up till now, the police have not come to the family for useful information and when we realised they were not forthcoming, we had to go to them.”

Oluyemi also expressed regret that the Ekiti government had not sent any official condolence message to the family, disclosing that the only message they got was from the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe.

Kehinde’s younger sister, Mrs. Dupe Adedayo, equally disclosed that the deceased was settling a family dispute when he received calls from some PDP chieftains from the community, to come for a meeting.

Adedayo said, “Messrs. Segun Ola and Bosun Osaloni made some calls to him. He later left in company with Mr. Tunji Gold and one man called Gbeje, only for us to hear that he was shot dead by a gang of assassins.”

While reacting to the killing, the Action Congress, Ekiti State chapter, said the latest tragedy was just one in the catalogue of woes visited on Ekiti people since the PDP robbed its way into the state’s Government House.

Ekiti Chairman of the AC, Mr. Jide Awe, noted that the PDP had never departed from the paths of bloodshed and wanton wastage of precious lives in pursuit of its political agenda.

AC said, “Ekiti had lost considerable promising souls to the bestial intrigues within the PDP.

“In a mere party primary in Ekiti West, the PDP wasted the soul of a chairmanship aspirant, while their former chairman and women leader were lucky to reject an early transition into the grave.

“The PDP’s just concluded solo-run council election further shows that they are in eternal wedlock with life-obliterating crisis, with use of machetes and other weapons on themselves at polling units, where they stood as opponents against themselves.”

The Movement for Peace and Good Governance in Ekiti also condemned Kehinde’s murder, asking the police to do everything within their power to apprehend the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

In a statement by its Coordinator, Dr. Michael Adekola, the group stated, “We see this trend as very worrisome.”

The Ado-Ekiti Progressive Union, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kole Ajayi, called for a probe into the murder, which it said must not go the way of past assassinations in Ekiti, in which the killers were yet to be apprehended and prosecuted.

Lagos Lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, an indigene of Ilawe-Ekiti, noted that the “condemnable” assassination could be traced to the internal problems in the ruling PDP in Ekiti.

Falana, also the President of the West African Bar Association, urged the Ekiti governor to expose the killers, who he alleged, were within the PDP in the state.

He said, “On September 11, 2004, the PDP-led government attempted to kill Mr. Taye Fasuba, who was the chairman of Ado-Ekiti Local Government. Although, he narrowly missed the assassins’ bullets, but Mr. Tunde Omojola, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola and others were not so lucky. Thus the Ekiti people were compelled to sack Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

“On December 20, 2008, thugs attempted to kill Mr. Suyi Owoeye at Ilawe-Ekiti, for challenging the rigging of local government election.

”Let Governor Oni and the Ekiti Police Commissioner, Mr. Chris Ola, not shed crocodile tears over the brutal murder of Mr. Kehinde Fasuba.”

A human rights activist, Mr. Morakinyo Ogele, equally asked the Ekiti governor to explain how he had been spending his security votes, saying the latest development showed that Oni could not maintain the security of lives and property.

Oni had paid a condolence visit on the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, where he stated that it was too early to comment on the killing, since the police had already started investigations, while urging the people to wait for the outcome.

The Special Assistant to the Ekiti Deputy Governor on Public Communications, Mr. Joseph Ogunsemi, ruled out the involvement of the state government in the killing of Kehinde, describing the governor as a man of peace, who could never be involved in the assassination of any citizen.

Ogunsemi’s boss, Dr. Sikiru Lawal, is an indigene of Ado-Ekiti. The spokesman said linking the administration to the murder, would amount to smearing the image of the state government.

Ogunsemi said, “Insinuation that the Ekiti government might be responsible for the assassination is wicked and can only emanate from a demented mind. Government cannot be involved in any way whatsoever.”

No one is expected to own up to the killing of Fasuba. But then, assassination of seeming political opponents more than two years to the general election is believed to be a bad omen.

Many believe that this also indicates that the road may be rough for those who intend to seek elective offices in 2011.

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