Condemnations have continued to trail the killing by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers of Mr Olajide Sowore, the immediate younger brother of the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 general elections, Mr. Omoyele Sowore.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, joined other Nigerians on Saturday to condemn the killing of the Pharmacy student of Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State.
News of Olajide’s death was broken by the elder Sowore on his Facebook account early Saturday as he revealed that Olajide was shot dead near Okada town in Edo State on his way from the university where he was studying Pharmacy.
He wrote: “My immediate younger brother, Olajide Sowore was today shot and killed near Okada in Edo State reportedly by herdsmen/kidnappers on his way from Igbinedion University in Edo State where he is studying Pharmacy.
“They snuffed out the life of yet another real human being! Rest in power, “Dr. Mamiye!” This act in itself will not delay their day of justice.
“I travelled widely with you and our father as a little kid. You were the most loved robust kid I ever first knew. You, Mr. Magnet, had no enemy!
“You, Mr. Sunshine Foundation, who made everyone happy. You, the boy who snuck out his older ones to parties, taking all the blames when our disciplinarian father found out.
“You, the guy who was an out-of-the-box thinker who decided school wasn’t for you and created your own genre of music and then turned around to go to school after you almost turned 50!
“You lived your life so that everyone could be alright but now assassinated by everything that’s not alright! Saddest day yet!”
Confirming the killing of Olajide on Saturday, the police in Edo State said the deceased was shot dead by gunmen in the early hours of Saturday.
The police added that five other persons were abducted in the process.
Spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, Bello Kontongs, was quoted as saying in a terse voice: “In addition to killing the younger Sowore, the suspected kidnappers made away with five unidentified persons.”
According to Kontongs, the body of the deceased was deposited at the Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital (IUTH).
“Good morning all. This is to confirm to you that suspected kidnappers at about 0645hrs along the Lagos-Benin Expressway by Isuwa kidnapped five unidentified persons.
“And in the process, they shot dead one, Sowore Felix Olajide, male, a Pharmacy student of Igbinedion University Okada.
“His remains have been deposited at IUTH (Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital) mortuary, Okada, while effort is ongoing to rescue the five kidnapped victims.
Meanwhile, Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo yesterday expressed their sympathy with friends, associates and family members of the deceased student in different condolence messages.
“I just received news of the reported killing of Mr Olajide Sowore, a student of Igbinedion University and the immediate younger brother of human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore.
“His death and, indeed, the killings and daily abductions of innocent citizens, saddens me.
“Every death diminishes our humanity. My sincere condolences to the Sowore family and his friends. May his soul rest in peace,” Atiku said.
Keyamo on his part commiserated with Omoyele Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, on the killing of his younger brother.
He said in a statement Saturday that it was sad that a young man like Olajide was cut down in his prime. He promised to join forces with other stakeholders to mount pressure on security agents to bring his killers to justice.
Keyamo said: “I read with deep sadness the reports on the senseless killing of your younger brother, Mr. Jide Sowore, a student of Pharmacy at Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo State, this morning.
“It is quite sad and regrettable that such a young man would be cut down in his prime by criminal elements.
“Myself and other compatriots would be pressurising the law enforcement agents to track down these killers without delay and bring them to justice.
Also reacting to Olajide’s death yesterday, the Minority Caucus of the House of Representatives condemned the killing in a statement signed by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu.
The statements reads: “The gruesome killing of Olajide, a Pharmacy Student of Igbinedion University, Edo state, on his way from school, by suspected terrorists, is another sad commentary on the horrible security situation and utter hopelessness in our country under the current administration.
“Our caucus deplores the ceaseless killings and kidnapping of students and school children in various parts of the country as well as the failure of government to take decisive steps to halt the trend.”
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) in a statement issued by its Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, also condemned the killing and urged the Edo State Police Command to find Olajide’s killers.
“What is the crime of this student? Why must our young brains be wasted in this manner? This is one killing too many. We call on the Edo Police Command to find his killers without delay.
“This kind of tragedy should not be happening around this time. We are not unaware of the travails of the victim’s senior brother in the hands of security agencies.
“It saddens our hearts to learn of this heart-breaking calamity around this time. The police must therefore go all out for Felix’s assailant”.