Why Omisore May Spend Long Time In Prison
There seems to be no respite for the embattled politician from Ile-Ife ,Osun State Senator Iyiola Omisore who is currently in detention over the receipt of N1.3 billion by three firms allegedly owned by him from the former National Adviser to the President, Sambo Dasuki. According to the commission, the money was moved from the ONSA and paid into the accounts of firms linked to a former Defence Minister, Musiliu Obanikoro and his sons, before being transferred to the company linked to Omisore. *Omisore The former deputy governor has since denied any wrongdoing and fired a suit against the EFCC for declaring him wanted while he is in court to challenge the agency for its infringement on his fundamental rights. Spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest of Omisore but did not give details. He only said the former Senator was arrested in his house in Abuja and taken into custody.
Justice Adeniyi of a federal high court Abuja however denied him bail stating that that the former governorship candidate would have to wait for the expiration of the 14 day remand order granted by a Court of Coordinate Jurisdiction before exercising his right to bail.
The Judge equally maintained that any attempt to grant the bail application will be tantamount to vacating a subsisting order made by the same court.
As if all these are not enough, while he is trying to free himself from the gulag of the EFCC the acting Inspector General of Police dropped another shocker that all those connected to the murder of late Bola Ige would be re arrested and charged to court again.
It was learnt on Tuesday that all the suspects that were arrested in 2002 who were later freed would be apprehended again for fresh arraignment and prosecution in respect of the case.
Findings indicate that a Special Investigation Panel set up by the IG will look at all the evidence in the case including forensic analysis which will be used to prosecute the suspects afresh.
This where the problems of Omisore now lies as he is the main suspect along with others in the murder of the former attorney general of the federation who was killed in his Bodija, Ibadan residence, on December 23, 2001, after he arrived Ibadan from Lagos.
However, the police authority denied the report was not true that the IGP has set up an investigative to re- examine all available evidence in the murder with a view to commencing prosecution of suspects in the BolaIge saga.
How Omisore talked himself into trouble
It was during a book launch organized by Senator Ayo Fasanmi, one of the leaders in the then Alliance for Democracy, AD in early 2001, Late Chief Bola Ige was a guest. As visitors to the state, Ige and Iyiola Omisore who was then the deputy governor in Osun State ran into each other at the official residence of the then governor of Ekiti State, Niyi Adebayo at Oke Bareke in Ado Ekiti.
“I am an elder; can’t you stand up and greet me?” Ige challenged Omisore whom he met sitting down watching a CNN’s programme. It was as if time stood still. Governor Adebayo knew that he had a problem in his hands as he shook his legs and fixed his gaze on the TV.
“I said Otunba Omisore can’t you greet me as an elder? Ige fired at him again. Omisore then for the first time shifted his attention from the screen to give a dour look at the “intruder” the way a polar bear would eye a stray reindeer “I am an adult too” Omisore shouted back at Bola Ige, Governor Adebayo was so worried that he begged the two men to cool down and shifted the discussion to something else but it won’t work as Chief Ige then said “Omisore, I read your attack on me in defunct The Comet newspaper”. Omisore sat bolt upright, cupped his left hand, rammed his right fist into it and replied Ige “Chief Ige, I stand by every word of the interview” It was the arrival of the governor’s ADC who informed them that the convoy of vehicles for the book launch are ready, that ended the shouting match.
Sometimes later, Bola Ige’s cap was removed in an event at the Ooni of Ife’s palace after which Omisore granted an interview with defunct TEMPO in December, 2001 where he accused Ige of treachery. Quoting from the TEMPO’s interview Omisore said “What Akintola did to Awolowo is what Bola Ige is doing to Adesanya and the Yoruba people. That is nemesis and that has started from the source, the Yoruba, Ife and that is the beginning of his disgrace. (Omisore apparently referring to the removal if Ige’s cap in Ile Ife), Bola Ige is on the downward trend now”.
Omisore also put a punch line, he said “Recently too, Bola Ige came on Radio here to insult me and my family, that his last one.”
Few days after the defunct TEMPO interview, assassins eliminated Ige. Since then, theories have been running riot over who was behind the murder and the issue remained unresolved till today.
However, Omisore described the decision of the Federal Government to revisit the killing of the former Minister of Justice and Dikibo as a good and a welcome development.
He however urged the FG to extend its search towards unravelling the killers of late Funso Williams and Odunayo Olagbaju.
Mr. Omisore also advised the government and the IGP to widen the scope of their investigation to all areas rather than limiting themselves to a particular area or section.
