Circus of Unresolved Killings

The killing of two gubernatorial aspirants in three weeks has raised the anxiety over the rising wave of political killings in the country. While the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was burying Engr. Funso Williams, a consultant on Social Protection and HIV/AIDS to the World Bank Country Office in Abuja, Dr Ayo Daramola, was murdered in his bed, in Ekiti State. There had been other high profile assassinations. Many of them are yet to be resolved by the Police.

Political Zone No.
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Deaths

Details
 
South-West

8        *  August 14, 2006 , Dr. Ayo Daramola, a PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Ekiti State, and a consultant on Social Protection and HIV/AIDS to the World Bank

           Country Office in Abuja was murdered in his bedroom at his hometown, Ijan-Ekiti. A nutritionist who recently joined the race, his death is linked to the

           intra-party crisis, which has thrown up political enemies after the death of the third term agenda in the state. He was stabbed, shot and hacked to death.

           His wife dismissed speculations that armed robbers killed Daramola.

bullet Engineer Funso Williams, PDP gubernatorial aspirant in Lagos State and chairman, Board of Directors of Nigeria Maritime Authority (NMA) was murdered on July 27, 2006. Police are still investigating this assassination. Forensic experts were invited from London to assist them. The police arrested PDP gubernatorial aspirants in the state and some members of the NMA board. They were held for about three weeks.
bullet On July 16, 2005 unknown gunmen killed Alhaji Lateef (alias Lati Osogbo) a close associate of the strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adebibu, in Ibadan.
bullet Alhaji Sulaimon Olajokun, a Lagos-based businessman and one of the 'financiers' of the group, Oranmiyan was murdered on his way to Lagos from Ile-Ife Osun State, in a Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) on May 15, 2005. He was a chieftain of the Alliance for Democracy (AD).
bullet On December 23, 2001, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige, was killed inside his bedroom at Ibadan, Oyo State. The police declared one Olugbenga Adebayo, ( a.k.a. Fryo) wanted in connection with the murder. The trial of suspects took many twists and turns; several judges resigned from the case, and Ige's wife died after one of the futile hearings to trace the killers. The Oyo government withdrew the case from the court in 2004.
bullet Mrs. Emily Omope (a.k.a . Thatcher), an AD member, died on March 3, 2003 at the UCH Ibadan after an acid attack in December last year by unknown persons.
bullet Unknown assailants in Lagos killed Dele Arojo a PDP gubernatorial aspirant on November 25, 2002.
bullet On December 19, 2001, Mr. Odunayo Olagbaju, a member of the Osun State House of Assembly, was killed in front of the Moore police station, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
 
South-East 9
bullet On April 19, 2003, a stalwart of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Onyewuchi Iwuchukwu, was murdered in Ikeduru Local Council, Imo State.
bullet On April 20, 2003, an ANPP member of the House of Assembly, Toni Dimegwu, was killed in Imo State.
bullet Mr. Ikenna Ibor, an ANPP councillorship candidate in Anambra State, was assassinated on March 27, 2003.
bullet Mr Barnabas Igwe and his wife Amaka Abigail Igwe were killed in Onitsha, Anambra State on September 1, 2002. The investigation into the murder of the couple led to the arraignment of former Governor of the state, Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
bullet In February 2003, Theodore Agwatu, principal secretary to the Imo State Governor, was murdered by suspected hired assassins in Owerri
bullet Mr. Ogbonnaya Uche, a chieftain of the ANPP and a former Commissioner of Commerce in Imo State was gunned down at his residence. Ogbonna, fondly called OGB, was nursing a senatorial ambition in the Orlu Senatorial zone before he was killed. OGB had defected from the PDP to the ANPP to run for Senate. He was murdered on February 7, 2003.
bullet Chimere Ikoku, former Vice Chancellor, University of Nigeria (UNN), was killed in his residence in Enugu on October 20 last year.
bullet Chief Victor Nwankwo, younger brother of Dr. Arthur Nwankwo, founder, Eastern Mandate Union (EMU), was assassinated on August 29, 2001 in Enugu State.
bullet Sunday Ugwu, elder brother of Nwabueze Ugwu, a legislator representing Nkanu East Local Council in the Enugu State House of Assembly killed in a case of mistaken identity on September 9, 1999.
 
South-South 5
bullet Gunmen killed PDP National Vice-Chairman (South) Chief Aminosoari Dikibo, on February 6, 2004 in Delta State on his way to a South-South PDP meeting in Asaba. Four suspected armed robbers were arrested near the scene but it failed to disprove that hired assassins killed Dikibo.
bullet On March 5, 2003, Dr Harry Marshal of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) was murdered in his bedroom in Abuja. He was the National Vice-Chairman of the ANPP (South-South). He left the PDP for the ANPP following a rift with other top notchers of the ruling party.
bullet On June 3, 2005, the principal administrative officer of Uvwie L.G.A. in Delta State, Mr. Patrick Origbe, was assassinated by unknown gunmen.
bullet Mr Felix Eboigbe, councillor in Oredo Local Council in Edo State was murdered in August 2005.
bullet On Christmas day in 2005, the Chairman of Warri South Local Council was murdered.
 North-West 1
bullet Alhaji Isyaku Muhammad, United Nigeria Peoples Party (UNPP), National Vice-Chairman, North West was assassinated on September 24, 2002
 
North-East 1
bullet February 23, 2003, Speaker, Borno State House of Assembly, Hon. Inuwa Kubo, escaped assassination attempt.
 
North-Central 7
bullet A gubernatorial aspirant of the Advanced Congress of Democrats (ACD), Mr. Jesse Aruku, was abducted and killed near his house in Bassa Local Council in Plateau State on June 30, 2006.
bullet On August 15, 2002, the state chairman of PDP in Kwara State, Ahmed Pategi was killed.
bullet PDP's Assistant National Director, Research and Planning, Mr. Anthony Ozioko, was murdered at his residence in Saburi-Gwagwa, Abuja by yet-to-be-identified persons on July 27, 2005.
bullet On March 3, 2004, the convoy of the Benue State Governor, George Akume, was attacked by suspected assassins on his way to Kaduna. A member of the PDP's board of trustees, Andrew Agom and Joseph Ngama, a police sergeant, were killed.
bullet On March 4, 2004, Mr. Luke Shingaba, a chairmanship candidate, was killed at his house in Bassa Local Council in Kogi State.
bullet On February 5, 2005, Sunday Atte, the leader of the legislative council in Yagba East Local Council of Kogi State, was murdered by unknown gunmen.
bullet A security man in the residence of Chief Paul Unongo, ANPP gubernatorial candidate in Benue State, was murdered by unknown gunmen on February 18, 2003.
 
TOTAL 31  
 Re-formatted By NM

August 2006