Obasanjo had a killer squad as president

A former associate of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo,
Mr. Richard Odusanya, on Saturday alleged that the
former chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic
Party's Board of Trustees was in charge of a killer
squad that was formed under the military regime of late
Gen. Sani Abacha.
Odusanya reportedly worked behind the scenes when Obasanjo was in power.
In a live interview, with an online news portal, Sahara
Reporters , Odusanya alleged that the former President
lodged the killer squad at a State Security Service
headquarters, known as 'Yellow House.'
He appeared on the programme alongside Mr. Segun
Seriki, a PDP member in Ogun State and a member of
the House of Representatives in the Third Republic,
under the Social Democratic Party.
According to Odusanya, the squad was used for political
assassinations and was responsible for the unresolved
killings of politicians under Obasanjo's administration.
He further alleged that Obasanjo knew about the murder
of the former Minister of Justice and Attorney-General
of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, and a South-South
politician, Chief Harry Marshall.
Odusanya said, "I believe that a killer squad created
during the Abacha regime was kept by Obasanjo and
housed at SSS headquarters, known as Yellow House,
and was used for political assassinations."
Explaining Obasanjo's alleged link with Ige's death,
Odusanya said, "The night Chief Bola Ige was
assassinated, a top PDP member confided in me that
Obasanjo told him Bola Ige was down."
Concerning the murder of Marshall, he said, "I also took
a gift to Marshall and he was assassinated just a few
weeks later."
Odusanya also alleged that the ex-president benefitted
from an account with the defunct Trans-International
Bank and that from the funds in the account, Obasanjo,
asked him to deliver a Peugeot 607 and the sum of
N500,000 to a woman (name withheld).
When contacted for Obasanjo's comments, his Chief of
Staff, Mr. Victor Durodola, said his boss was not
available to react to the allegations.
He challenged those who made the allegations to come
out with their evidence.
Durodola said, "The former president is not available.
Therefore, he is not in a position to respond to the
allegations. However, my personal comment is that
these are people who indulge in blackmail.
"Why are they using online television? They should
come to Channels , AIT, or NTA; these are television
stations that are known.
"Definitely, that is not Obasanjo's character they are
describing and everybody knows that. Of all the military
rulers, the issue of killer squad cannot be attributed to
him. That was not his style. He is not around now but I
doubt if he would even give it any attention whatsoever.
He stressed that the ex-president could not have been
responsible for the unresolved killings under his
administration.
He further argued that Obasanjo had no reason to be
involved in Ige's assassination.
"We would like to see it (the interview) but these are
issues you know cannot be possible. The killings were
unresolved, yes, but you know that nobody could have
attributed that to him. He would kill his minister for
what? So that he (Obasanjo) could be minister?"
Durodola said.
Another Obasanjo aide, Vitalis Ortese, told one of our
correspondents on the telephone that the allegation was
a non-issue.
He said, "I don't know them. Let them prove the
allegation. I don't know any Segun Seriki or Richard
Odusanya."
Also reacting to the allegations, Bola Ige's eldest child,
Mrs. Funsho Adegbola, told SUNDAY PUNCH that her
father's killers are still alive.
Adegbola, a lawyer, called for the reopening of the Bola
Ige murder case.
She said, "I can't put anything past them. I haven't seen
the interview. I don't know the content of the report but
I can't put anything past them. I believe the people who
killed my father - the foot soldiers and the people who
sent them - are alive. They are not people from Mars.
"A murder case can go on for 30 years or more. If there
is political will and the government wants to show that
people should pay for their crimes, this can be done.
The family can't do anything about it because it is the
state versus the suspects. The family can't sue; it is the
state that can take action."
Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, was shot dead in his
Ibadan home on December 23, 2001.
Following a mass protest over the killing, the Federal
Government had deployed troops in the South-Western
state to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
While security agencies had arrested some suspects
allegedly involved in the murder, including the then
deputy governor of Osun State - Ige's home state - Mr.
Iyiola Omisore, they were however discharged and
acquitted.
Just like Ige, Marshall Harry, who was the National
Coordinator, South-South geopolitical zone of the All
Nigerian Peoples Party Presidential Campaign was
murdered by at his No,28 Karaye Close, Garki II, Abuja
residence on March 5, 2003, barely a month to the
presidential election in which Obasanjo was re-elected.
The ANPP chieftain was said to have been killed in the
presence of his daughter and his niece, Loliya Harry.
The only security guard in the house, Mr. Polini Aniya,
said the assailants numbering about five forced their
way into the ANPP chieftain's residence around 3am.
The ANPP, and it presidential candidate, Gen.
Muhammadu Buhari, had insisted that agents of the PDP
and Federal Government assassinated Harry.
At Harry's burial ceremony, Buhari, alleged that in its
desperation to rig itself into power, the PDP-controlled
Federal Government bankrolled assassins to eliminate
political opponents.
After the incident, the police arrested four suspects in
connection with the murder.
However, after seven years in detention, the accused
standing trial for the murder were discharged and acquitted by an Abuja High Court.
The court cited lack of enough evidence to sustain the
charge against them.