Requiem for Nigeria’s forgotten dead
Nigeria cannot continue to turn away from the unfinished business of justice. Nearly a quarter of a century has passed since the brutal assassination of Chief Bola Ige, then serving as Attorney-General of the Federation, yet those responsible remain unaccounted for.
That his son, Muyiwa Ige, must still appeal to President Bola Tinubu to reopen this case exposes deep cracks in the nation’s justice system and the unsettling reality of how lightly human life is regarded.
Chief Ige’s killing on 23 December 2001 has become part of a distressingly long record of unresolved political murders that haunt the national conscience. From Chief Aminasoari Kala (A.K.) Dikibo, gunned down in 2004, to Anthony Olufunsho Williams, strangled and stabbed in 2006, Nigeria’s political history is littered with unanswered questions and unpunished crimes. This pattern emboldens perpetrators, erodes public trust, and normalises violence.
A justice system that allows high-profile killings to go unresolved sends a dangerous message: that in Nigeria, a human life can be extinguished without consequence. It is this failure that has spurred the rise of vigilantism and the growing reliance on jungle justice in communities where faith in the state has collapsed.
The country cannot afford to continue down this path. The state demonstrates its capacity to act decisively against peaceful protests and political dissent. That same determination must be brought to bear in holding murderers to account. Each unresolved assassination feeds a culture of impunity and deepens public disillusionment with democratic governance.
President Tinubu has an opportunity, and an obligation, to confront this history. Reopening the Bola Ige case and others like it must be treated as a priority. Modern forensic science, intelligence-led policing, and international cooperation can provide new leads even in long-standing cases. Justice delayed does not have to mean justice denied. Those found culpable, regardless of influence, must face the law.
Addressing these unresolved crimes is about far more than closure for bereaved families. It is about restoring public confidence, strengthening the rule of law, and setting a precedent that political violence will never go unanswered.
The Federal Government should establish an independent High-Profile Killings Review Panel, vested with prosecutorial powers and protected from political interference, to revisit all unsolved political assassinations since 1999. Such a mechanism would send an unambiguous signal that this administration intends to break with the past and confront the culture of impunity head-on.
Nigeria’s leaders must demonstrate integrity, courage, and the political will to draw a clear line under this dark chapter. Without such action, the country risks perpetuating a cycle of bloodshed that corrodes its democracy and undermines its stability.
History is watching. The world is watching. Above all, the victims’ blood still demands justice. It is time for Nigeria to act decisively, not only to honour the memory of the fallen but to secure a future where political assassination no longer thrives.