Of Bayo Ohu’s Murder And The Dangers We Face

The assassination penultimate Sunday of the Assistant News Editor of the Guardian Newspaper in his Lagos home, once again highlights one of the major dangers daily faced by critical minds in the mass media and elsewhere.

The slain journalist, Bayo Ohu was until his death a renowned social critic, objective reporter and a political commentator who in every breathe sought to hold public officials accountable to the people. Ohu was known by both colleagues and peers as a seasoned practitioner with religious adherence to the ethics of his chosen profession and invaluable love for his country.

Sadly, even as Ohu’s remains were committed to mother earth at the weekend, the circumstances of his death and the identities of his killers remain as foggy as several other unresolved murders in the country.

We must recall, with pain how, about 23 years ago today, another journalist and founding Editor-In-Chief of the Newswatch Magazine, Dele Giwa was gruesomely murdered through the novelty of a parcel bomb.  As it is today all attempts to try some top level military officials in the then Gen. Ibrahim Babangida regime, by Late Chief Gani Fawehnmi (SAN) for the death proved fruitless.

To this day, neither the Police nor any other security agency has been able to fish out the killers and bring them to justice.  Instead, the Police seem willing to forget the matter like a hopeless leper.

Sadly, apart from Dele Giwa countless other unresolved murders of prominent Nigerian citizens are still fresh.  Long as the list truly is, few deserve quick reminder. 

The South-South Zonal Vice Chairman of the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP), Chief Marshall Harry was murdered in his home at Abuja, the Federal Capital City, an act the Police hurriedly dismissed as armed robbery. About the same period, Harry’s counterpart in the People Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Aminasoari Kala-Dikibo was slain on his way to attend a zonal meeting in Delta State.

In that instance, even before the Police could commence investigation, then President Olusegun Obasanjo told Nigerians that it was an act of robbery.  That, many feared, fore-closed all possible inroads the Police would have made into finding the killers of Chief Kala-Dikibo, and risk undermining the view of the President.

What of Chief Bola Ige, a serving Minister of Justice and Attorney General who was murdered at his official residence, just when all security details were off their duty post.

In all these cases, Nigerians have yet to hear any satisfactory result from the so-called Police investigation into the killings.  Even more worrisome is the fact that society is gradually getting used to such dastardly acts as nothing new, they should be forgotten in a hurry.

While we commiserate with Ohu’s family and the Guardian Newspapers for the loss we do hope that the Police under the new Inspector-General of Police, Ogbonna Onovo must stand up to the challenge and prove that they are equal to the task and ready to address the security dangers we face daily as a people.

We say so because nothing can be more frustrating than a nation – state being unable to protect the lives and properties of her citizens.  This realisation, we think should also worry the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Federal government just as it does the citizenry.

More than that, the killing of yet another practising journalist under Yar’Adua’s watch should serve as sufficient reason to prompt the Police to act fast and have it right this time.  While that crawls, the security agencies must strive to prevent more deaths, because the murder of Ohu makes one too many.  That is the truth.