Falana Gives IGP Ultimatum To Arraign Fayose For Alleged Murders

Human rights activist, Chief Femi Falana, SAN, has written to the Inspector General of Police, Muhammad Abubakar, asking him to arrest and prosecute the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the June 21 gubernatorial election in Ekiti State, Mr Ayo Fayose, for sundry cases of murder and attempted murder.

Falana threatened to drag the IGP to court if the Nigeria Police Force refuses to arrest and arraign the former governor, who he described as a “serial murder suspect” before June 13, 2014.

The Lagos lawyer, in a letter to the IGP dated June 2, 2014, noted that the legal action is to compel Mr. Abubakar to discharge his statutory duties in line with President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda, even as he listed series of incidents of murders and attempted murders the PDP flag bearer allegedly committed when he served as the state governor between 2003 and 2006.

Falana told the IGP that as a firm of legal practitioners dedicated to the defence of human rights and the promotion of democracy and rule of law, his chambers has had cause to collaborate with the Nigeria Police Force to stamp out extra-judicial killings and politically motivated assassinations in the country.

“As you are no doubt aware, the killer squad set up by the Ayo Fayose regime (2003-2006) unleashed violent attacks on several indigenes of the state for challenging his official impunity”, he stated, recalling that the police had filed a murder charge against the ex-governor at the Ekiti State High Court in November 2006, which could not go through because the suspect was at large at the time.

He stated: “Upon his return to Nigeria, the Ekiti State government under Engr. Segun Oni requested the police to arrest and arraign Mr Ayo Fayose for the murder of Mr Tunde Omojola. As the request was turned down, the Ekiti State attorney-general applied and obtained an order of the High Court for the arrest and prosecution of the murder suspect.

“But before the warrant of arrest was executed, Mr Ayo Fayose filed an appeal against the order of the High Court. Although the Court of Appeal dismissed the frivolous appeal on December 10, 2009, Mr Ayo Fayose has not been arrested by the police”.

The legal luminary further reminded the IGP that Fayose was so brutal in his murderous activities that some politicians, who nursed ambition to contest governorship or senatorial elections in the state were not spared, adding that while the killer squad assassinated two students in 2004, Mr Tunde Omojola (2005), Dr Ayo Daramola (2006) and Engr. Kehinde Fasuba (2009), there were attempts to assassinate some other persons.

The letter further reads in part: “Based on incessant complaints of concerned citizens including the relations of those who were exterminated by the killer squad, the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Service investigated the sundry allegations of politically motivated killings and came up with detailed reports which indicted Mr Ayo Fayose and his accomplices.

“Although two members of the killer squad were successfully prosecuted while others are standing trial at the Ekiti State High Court and Kogi State High Court, Mr Fayose has been treated like a sacred cow”.

Urging the police chief to arrest and prosecute Fayose, Falana, who hails from Ekiti, said, “In the light of the foregoing, I urge you to use your good offices to ensure the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mr. Ayo Fayose and his cohorts for the afore-mentioned sundry cases of MURDER and ATTEMPTED MURDER committed from 2003-2009, without any further delay.

“TAKE NOTICE that if the serial murder suspect, Mr. Ayo Fayose is not arrested and arraigned in court for attempted murder and murder before June 13, 2014 we shall not hesitate to initiate legal proceedings to compel you to carry out your statutory duties in line with the transformation agenda of the Goodluck Jonathan Administration”, the statement concluded.