Oba Rashidi Ladoja, former governor of Oyo State and Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, sought a public apology from former Osun State governor, Chief Bisi Akande, on Monday for a narrative about the death of ex-Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Bola Ige.
Ladoja told media at his apartment on Ondo Street in Bodija, Ibadan, that Akande must withdraw his charges and apologise or face legal action.
“All options will be taken, including legal action against Akande, except he withdraws his statement and tenders a public apology,” Ladoja said.
Akande, in a recent podcast by ace journalist Edmund Obilo, which was released at the weekend, asserted that Ladoja possibly has vital information regarding Bola Ige’s murder.
Ige was murdered on December 23, 2001, in his Bodija mansion in Ibadan, and the case has yet to be concluded 24 years later.
In an interview with Obilo, octogenarian Akande, who was governor of Osun at the time of the murder, bemoaned the deaths of important figures who could have provided more light on the issue, including former Oyo State governor Lam Adesina.
He said that Ladoja dropped Lam Adesina’s case, which sought to identify Ige’s murderer.
“There are many things that die with people. I know Lam Adesina went to court over the matter, and I also know his successor, (Rashidi) Ladoja, withdrew the case. Ask Ladoja; he would know more about Bola Ige’s death,” Akande said.
“Lam Adesina was the Chief Security Officer of Oyo State, and he went to court, and the governor that took over from him, Ladoja, withdrew the case from court. He might be able to tell you more. I believe he has more information on Bola Ige’s death,” Akande insisted.
However, addressing the claim on Monday, Ladoja accused Akande of muddling up facts and lying against him, hinting that Akande might be suffering from old-age memory loss.
Ladoja said, “Chief Bola Ige was assassinated on December 23, 2001—18 months before I got to the office. I got the government on May 29, 2003, and Chief Ige was assassinated on December 23, 2001, which was 18 months before I got into office.
“I didn’t withdraw the case. My government didn’t withdraw any case. The case was even prosecuted up to the apex court. Chief Akande lied against me, and he is old. This is not his first time. People say he lies; someone like Baba (Ayo) Adebanjo even said he lied in his book.
Further denying Akande’s narrative, Ladoja said he had nothing to gain from suppressing the investigation in Ige’s murder, noting they were close during his lifetime.
He said, “We are not all happy about Ige’s death. We are all concerned about his death. I was very close to Chief Bola Ige while he was alive.
“I did nothing to harm the delivery of justice on the assassination case of Bola Ige. I didn’t withdraw the case. My government didn’t withdraw any case.
“I don’t know what information Baba Akande believes I could have that he didn’t have. All the information I also have was not different from what I heard from social media.
“If you look at the period the book itself was launched, the people close to Baba Akande, like Adebanjo, said Baba Akande lied in most of what he said in the book. I got that from the social media. Maybe this is one of the lies also, but unfortunately, he did not put it in the book. Maybe he crumbled under the barrage of questions from Edmund Obilo, who interviewed him. Maybe Baba is getting too old to recollect what happened that time. I am saying emphatically that Baba Akande lied against me in his interview.”
Ladoja stated that instead of attempting to rope him into Ige’s murder narrative, Akande should be bold enough to tell the secret that he knows.
“The case was already in court before I came in. It was investigated. I was very close to Chief Bola Ige. In fact, when I was to contest in 1999, Chief Bola Ige had called me to come and contest before Lam Adesina was given the slot. How then would I know about his death and not be the one shouting from the rooftop, or why would I be happy that the investigation into the murder should be suppressed?
“Instead of maligning me, Baba Akande, who said that there are many things he knows that he cannot tell the public, should be asked to disclose them. He said the murder was a state murder and that the government was behind it. If he was governor of Osun State then but claimed he did not know who removed the cap from Bola Ige’s head, yet he could know what happened in Oyo State, then he must be lying. He said Lam Adesina told him many things, which he would not want to disclose to the public because both Lam Adesina and Chief Bola Ige are dead. Then how does he justify his allegation if he cannot say it?”
Ladoja concluded by demanding a public apology from Akande, threatening legal action, saying, “All options will be taken, including legal action against Akande, except he withdraws his statement and tenders a public apology.”
