Akande Suggests Ladoja Holds Key Information on Bola Ige’s Assassination

Former Osun State Governor Bisi Akande has reignited controversy over the 2001 assassination of Chief Bola Ige, suggesting that former Oyo State Governor Rashidi Ladoja may have crucial information about the murder.

In an interview with journalist Edmund Obilo, released over the weekend, Akande expressed frustration over the lack of closure in the case, noting that key figures who might have shed light on the matter, including former Oyo Governor Lam Adesina, had since passed away.

“There are many things that die with people. I know Lam Adesina went to court over the matter, and I also know his successor, (Rashidi) Ladoja, withdrew the case. Ask Ladoja, he would know more about Bola Ige’s death,” Akande stated.

At the time of Ige’s murder, Akande was the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, while Adesina was responsible for security in Oyo State, where the killing took place. He emphasized that the case had been pursued legally under Adesina but was later abandoned when Ladoja assumed office.

“I was the Chief Security Officer of Osun State at the time, not Oyo State. Lam Adesina was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State, and he went to court. The governor that took over from him, Ladoja, withdrew the case from court. He might be able to tell you more. I believe he has more information on Bola Ige’s death,” Akande insisted.

The Murder of Bola Ige and Political Intrigues

Bola Ige, a chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), was serving as Attorney General and Minister of Justice under former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was assassinated on December 23, 2001, at his Ibadan residence.

Akande claimed that Ige regretted joining Obasanjo’s government, calling it a “kiss of death”, but defended the decision, explaining that it was a collective move by Afenifere and the Alliance for Democracy.

*”I wouldn’t say it’s a mistake. We supported him in joining the government, I mean the Afenifere and the Alliance for Democracy.

“We met under the leadership of (Ayo) Fasanmi in AD. We met under the leadership of Abraham Adesanya in Afenifere, and we asked Bola Ige to join the government. Abraham Adesanya asked that we discuss the matter in the AD, and we met under Fasanmi, the chairman of AD in the South-West. By acclamation, we asked Bola Ige to join the government,”* he explained.

According to Akande, Obasanjo sought a Government of National Unity and personally invited Ige to serve.

*”Obasanjo met Bola Ige and asked him to join his government. Ige asked Obasanjo to tell his party. Before Obasanjo could inform the party, Ige himself had told the party, and we debated it and asked him to go and join.

“If anything so happens, we are all responsible. It was a joint decision. We held a meeting at Ijebu-Igbo, and we were unanimous, asking him to go. We held another meeting at AD and by acclamation, we asked him to go and join.

“So if asking Bola Ige to join Obasanjo was a mistake, it’s a mistake of the Yoruba AD and Afenifere.”*

Unanswered Questions and Government Involvement

Akande did not hold back in suggesting that Ige’s murder was politically motivated.

“He was killed in anticipation of what he might become in the future. It was a state murder. The government killed him. The government can kill anybody,” he alleged.

He also criticized Obasanjo for failing to prioritize an investigation into the assassination.

“Obasanjo wasn’t keen on investigating who killed Bola Ige but was interested in the stability of himself in power and possible continuance,” Akande claimed.

He recounted a moment when Ige considered resigning from Obasanjo’s cabinet, recalling a conversation where he urged the late minister to reconsider.

*”One evening, he just called me and said, ‘I’m going to resign from this government.’ I said, ‘Please sir, I will come back to you.’ I called his friend, Oluwole Rotimi. He asked me to advise him (Ige) not to resign because if he does, he’s likely going to die.

“I called Uncle (Ige) back and begged him not to resign. He said he had talked to Wole Soyinka and Bola Tinubu, and both of them had asked him to resign. I asked him not to resign. I then said, ‘You can go to Obasanjo, tell him what you are angry about, and tell him that if he doesn’t want you again, this is your letter.’

“He actually did so. Obasanjo asked what he wanted him to do, and they both agreed. When he was leaving, Obasanjo said, ‘Don’t give that letter to the press, give it to me,’ and he dropped the letter. Ige told me himself. It was later after that he was moved to the Ministry of Justice,”* Akande narrated.

Political Tensions and Speculation

Akande dismissed suggestions that Ige had aligned with Obafemi Awolowo’s political adversaries, arguing that political alliances shift over time.

“Buhari sent me to prison, and I’m now in the APC with him. There are no permanent enemies in politics. We are in politics to win elections,” he remarked.

He also addressed the infamous public humiliation of Bola Ige, when his cap was forcefully removed at a public event before his assassination. However, Akande admitted he was unaware of the identities of those involved.

“I wasn’t in the country at the time, but Ige told me about it. I advised him to focus on writing his memoir instead of attending social events. Unfortunately, he never got the chance,” he said.

What Comes Next?

Despite decades passing since Ige’s assassination, the case remains unresolved, with Ladoja’s withdrawal of the case from court raising further questions. Akande insists that if anyone still has answers, it might be Ladoja himself.

“I was the Chief Security Officer of Osun State, not Oyo. Lam Adesina was in charge in Oyo, and he took the case to court. But when Rashidi Ladoja became governor, he withdrew the case. He might know more than I do.”

With Akande’s latest statements, calls for a renewed investigation into Ige’s murder may grow louder. However, whether those in power will revisit the case remains uncertain.