By Kola Alapinni
It is with the utmost shame and sense of bewilderment that I read the headlines attributed to the current Nigerian Inspector General of Police Mr Ogbonnaya Onovo. I mean, did this man really think before speaking? How could the number one police officer of the most populous black nation in the world be on the record as saying that a man of high visibility and profile as the former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC Chairman Nuhu Ribadu did not visit Nigeria. He further said that if he did, who ever has the proof should provide it. To say the least, the Nigerian media went hay-wire providing documentary and real evidence in form of photographs both in still and motion form.
A few issues are worrisome here. Firstly, has Mallam Ribadu been found to be a criminal? If so what crime did he commit and to which court of law has he been found guilty? Secondly, did Ribadu jump bail in Nigeria so much so that his return to offer his condolences to the family of the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi triggered a discussion bordering on arresting this man (a Nigerian citizen) if he sets foot on the territory of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (his home country)?
I would proceed to draw a few inferences before concluding my analogy. It is safe to infer that if indeed Nuhu Ribadu is either officially or unofficially a marked man by the Nigerian security forces, he outsmarted them by having a safe ingress and egress out of Nigeria. It would be safe to further infer that either he enjoys so much goodwill within the country that his former colleagues in the security agencies in Nigeria would not arrest him or oust him or he has decided to utilise the Handbook of - Afenifere, NADECO, JACON, CD, CDHR et cetera, et cetera, - on evasion of State Security Agencies and he employed the expertise of no other than the great Femi Falana (a master of the famous NADECO route himself) who was at his side at all times during the video recording of his visit to Gani's house.
As I write this piece, I cannot but share with you a little of what happened at the Oyo State High Court, Ring-Road Ibadan a few years ago during the notorious case of State vs Iyiola Omisore & Others. I covered the case as the Law Editor of New Age Newspapers in company of Sola Balogun the Oyo State Correspondent. The facts of the case were that the serving Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Chief Bola Ige was murdered at is Bodija residence at about 9-10pm. Amongst the the many twists in the drama that surrounded the case, when the late 'Debo Akande (SAN) was cross-examining, it was revealed that the SSS guys who were detailed to protect their principal had locked up their guns in the house for'safe-keeping' and had gone to look for bread and akara down the road. The assailants came in, met an unprotected Ige and shot him in the presence of his family. The pertinent question that Akande asked was that even if they had returned about the same time the assailants arrived or they had met the assailants inside the premises, what would they defend themselves with, not to talk of their principal?
I think I can conclude my analogy by saying the mentality of the men of our security agencies from top to bottom as encapsulated by the Inspector General of Police's recent statements has once again brought to the fore the deep rottening mess and pile of rubbish that we have sank neck-deep into in Nigeria. And even in death, a visit to see Gani's body still managed to make the security agencies who had for decades beaten,tear-gassed, harrassed and molested Gani and countless others look like they have lost the plot. I can bet Gani has been grinning at Beko, Aka-Bashorun, Pa Ajasin, Pa Adesanya and others saying that even in death he still made the top cop look like a flop.
Kola Alapinni
Birmingham UK
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