Four years after, friends, associates demand for Oyerinde’s killers

Four years after the Principal Private Secretary (PPS) to Governor Adams Oshiomhole, Olaitan Oyerinde, was killed by unknown gunmen at his residence in 2nd Ugbor Road, Benin City, in the presence of his family, friends and associates yesterday called on the police and security agencies to unravel the killers and bring them to justice.

The groups in a peaceful march round major streets in the state capital under the auspices of Edo Civil Society Organizations appealed to President Muhammdau Buhari to direct the security agencies to unravel the killers of Oyerinde.

He was killed on May 4, 2012 and the Police and Department of State Security Services (DSS) presented two different suspects. The police claimed it was a case of assassination, while the DSS said it was a case of armed robbery.

But wife of the late PPS, Funke Oyerinde, called on Buhari to ensure justice for widows and the youth. “I am using this medium to plead to President Muhammadu Buhari, the man of the people, the man that has a large heart for widows and for youths. I am using this medium to plead to him that he should give justice to those of us looking for justice especially me, Olaitan’s wife and the children. I want the killer or killers to be fished out.”

Also speaking, a friend and associate of Oyerinde, Taiwo Akerele, urged the Federal Government to strengthen the investigating capacity of the Nigerian Police as available in developed climes of the world “the capacity of the Nigerian Police to investigate need to be strengthened just the way it is the other parts of the world.” He commended members of civil society organizations and the press the way they have continued to “remember our colleague.

“ In other climes, if anything happens, they have the capacity to track down perpetrators of such crimes but in Nigeria, it is as if the police are helpless.We want to call on the Federal Government to strengthen the capacity of the police to do similar investigations. Today, four years after the incident, we are yet to get anything concrete about his killers.”

On his part, one of the leaders of the civil society coalition, Omobude Agho, said: “Our Comrade, Olaitan Oyerinde, who was four years ago in a situation that we couldn’t explain was killed. At that time, the SSS swung into action and the police also began investigation but till today, four years after, we are yet to hear what the investigation has got to. We know that one of those that led the investigation in the police Department is now the Commissioner of Police in Edo State.” At the state police command, the state Police Commissioner, Chris Ezike said he was relying on the report of the House of Representatives investigation on the matter.