Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has given the police 14 days ultimatum to fish out killers of his principal private secretary, Mr. Olaitan Oyerinde, who was murdered in his home early yesterday. He also charged them to investigate the accident, which caused the death of three journalists inside a bus on his convoy last week and nail those behind it.
Addressing his supporters, who had come to welcome him in Benin City, the state capital, from Abuja, the governor said that the arrest of Oyerinde’s killers has become necessary, as there appears to be an orchestrated plot to intimidate him and eliminate his aides.
He recalled that three journalist were killed when a truck rammed into his convoy, revealing that he had petitioned the police on a plot by some people to cause bloodletting in the state.
He said: “Last week, they succeeded in killing three journalists. Last night, they killed Olaitan. Let me be clear they cannot kill my fighting spirit.
We submitted a petition to the Commissioner of Police in which we informed him of the meetings held at the residence of the godfather, where they took a critical evaluation of the forthcoming election and they agreed it is impossible for them to win. They also resolved at the meeting presided over by the godfather to intimidate my person and if possible to eliminate me. At that meeting, they said they would kill, under the guise of armed robbery, many of my personal staff and key leaders and pretend as if they are victims of kidnapping.
“I also informed the police they resolved that weeks before the election, they will detonate bombs in parts of the state in order to scare people away from going to vote. What is our crime? Our crime is that we have mobilised our people; we have deployed public resources for the public good and the godfather is angry. We have no apology for the stand we have taken and we will not slow down. The blood of these young men will fire me on to fight and defeat the godfather. There is no going back. They have killed my son. They have killed my brother; they have killed my people, but they cannot kill my spirit.
I ask you the police if they do not find the killers, if they do not do proper investigation on the killing of those journalists and of Olaitan last night, as the Governor of Edo State, I will convert the leadership of my people to find solution to security. They must not fight like coward. They should stand.
“Last night, like coward, they shot Olaitan in the chest, head and belly to make sure he never survives. Why will a man sit over the death of young children? Why will an old man who has children and grand children supervise the killings of young people? I want to serve them notice. I have the capacity and the men.
If they do not behave, we can stop them from coming to Edo State. Let me say I have not come to cry today. The blood of those young men will whet my appetite for justice because their plan is to postpone again, for the second time, our campaign. Tomorrow, we will go ahead because Olaitan, in his lifetime, was a fighter. We met in the field of struggle, not on the dining table. I ask you not to be afraid, not to be intimidated. Don’t give up. If anything, we should be more resolved. The godfather is finished; nobody can rescue him.
“They are killing, they are maiming and they are planning more.
You will recall, in 2007, we lost three young men who were killed. At the state house of assembly, they planted a bomb, which was meant to killed ACN members in the House, but thank God that bomb did not explode. You also recall they used machete and Shelltox to kill and attack ACN lawmakers. In all of these, the Police have not done justice. Those who tried to kill those honourable members, nothing has happened to them. Those who plotted the killing of those journalists are busy paying condolence visit. It is not how long I live that matters but what I should be remembered for. We will fight and not give up.
We will not plot evil. All my life, I have never killed. I will not be desperate. Those who are bathing in the blood of innocent people will not go free.
“I am giving the Police 14 days from today to produce the killers of Olaitan and to establish those responsible for the killing of those journalists. If they do not do that, as the Chief Security Officer of this state, I reserve all my options. This country will either fail or stand. Nobody can intimidate me. Even out of power I was not intimidated.
I ask you to go home and not take laws into your hands. Resist the temptation to fight them today. We are giving the police today. They must produce those killers. They will not die in vain. Go back peacefully. They do evil at night but we do good at night. Nobody has monopoly of evil and violence. Go back home peacefully; tomorrow mobilize; we will still do the rally as planned.
“Every week, they will create a situation where we will postpone our rally. The best tribute we can give to Olaitan is not to give up; it is not to surrender. We have already conquered them; we will consolidate.”
