Ajimobi washes hands off Sugar’s murder

Oyo State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, yesterday, denied an allegation that his administration is attempting to sabotage police investigation into the assassination of a federal lawmaker from the state, Temitope Olatoye, also known as Sugar.

The allegation was made during the lying-in-state at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, Ibadan, organised by the House of Assembly in honour of Olatoye, who represented Lagelu/Akinyele federal constituency in the House of Representatives, until he was shot dead on Saturday, March 9, during the state governorship and House of Assembly elections.

The deceased’s elder brother, Olajide Olatoye, alleged that Ajimobi in conjunction with some members of the Assembly were facilitating the release of some suspects arrested in connection with the assassination.

“Governor Ajimobi should desist from facilitating the release of killers of my brother. Let justice prevail. Oyo State government should remove its hand in the investigation and allow the perpetrators of the evil face the wrath of the law,” he said.

Also, deceased’s younger brother, Dotun, said there was need to value human life because it is precious.
“How will a serving federal lawmaker be killed without proper investigation and arrest of the perpetrators?” he queried.

But, Governor Ajimobi, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Communication and Strategy, Bolaji Tunji, said: “If a citizen of the state died, I am not sure the governor will be the one that will say people that are responsible for it should not be punished.

“So, I think they should go and get their information right. The governor is not privy to that kind of information, and he will not support sweeping such a case under the carpet. So, if people are saying the governor is trying to facilitate release of the principal suspect and others, it is not true.

“When the man died, the governor said those who perpetrated the act would be brought to justice, and he has never said anything contrary to what he said when the man died, and that still stands. What the family should do now is to tell the police to do their job the way it should not done.

“The governor has already directed the security agencies to fish out the culprits. If the police are facing any challenge in their investigation, they are supposed to get across to the governor, and tell him their suggestions. The governor will now take it up from there.

“I think they should go back to the police to find out how far they have gone in the matter, instead of saying the governor wants to facilitate release of the suspects. So, people should always get their facts right. The governor will never be a party to a situation whereby an investigation being done by a statutory body will be compromised. The governor will never do anything that is against the law.

“Why do we have peace in the state today? It is because people know that the governor will never act contrary to the law. So, if people are saying the governor or the government is trying to subvert investigation, it is a no-no. The governor will never do that.”