Three came back

In 1995, one of the brutal killings reportedly linked to the government of then military Nigerian head of state, Sani Abacha, was carried out. The victim was Alfred Rewane, a businessman and Warri chief who was also known as a major financial supporter of the pro-democracy group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO). He was assassinated at his home in 1995. Shortly after Mr. Rewane’s death, the police paraded seven young men — Sylvester Iyasele, Saturday Egbeide, Ola Obanuso, Sunday Obanobi, Effiong Elemi Edu, Elvis Iremuma, the former personal assistant and driver to the late activist, and Lucky Igbinovia, who was the security detail to Mr. Rewane — whom it said were behind the murder.

There was a lot of scepticism about the sudden efficiency of the police in the arrest. The sceptics were proven right, about 16 years later. Last week, a judge ruled that the detained men were not the killers of ‘Pa Rewane.’ Five of the arrested men had died before freedom came.

“It appears to me that all the police did was to visit the scene of the crime, arrest workers and take them into custody,” the judge, Olusola Williams, said on January 17 while discharging three of the seven suspects.

Out of seven people that were locked up, just two had a link to the late Rewane, while others have neither met him nor have anything to do with him. The case suffered over 250 adjournments and the police, at various times, told the court that some of the detainees had died, while others had escaped, just to have the case buried. After several adjournments due to the police’s insistence that the accused could not be produced in the court, the intervention of a lawyer led to their first appearance in court in 1998, three years after their arrest and the death of the late head of state, Sani Abacha. The freed men told NEXT how the police’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad tortured, threatened and forced them to copy an authored statement and sign it. The police statement ended up as the only evidence the police produced in court, even after the family of Mr Rewane had withdrawn from the case over 10 years ago.

Terminated dreams

Sylvester Iyasele, Saturday Egbeide, Ola Obanuso, and Sunday Obanobi all died while in prison. According to Elvis Ireruma, the former personal assistant and driver to the late activist, who was also arrested and imprisoned: “Sylvester Iyasele died on August 10, 1995; Saturday Iyasele, on June 6, 1995; Ola Obanuso on April 14, 1995 and Sunday Obanobi on June 6, 1995.”

Mr. Ireruma also lost his father while in prison, while Mr. Edo, who is from Cross-River, lost his mother a month after his arrest. Mr. Ireruma, who was arrested when he was 27, is now 43, and all his younger siblings are now married. He narrated his journey from being a loyal servant to prime suspect in the case. He alleged that David Omojola, now the Edo State Commissioner of Police and then a Chief Superintendent of Police and officer-in-charge of the Special Anti-Robbery squad, ordered their torture at the so called ‘theatre’ at the squad office and also ensured their signing of the statements. But Mr. Ireruma said all that happened to them are now part of history as everyone involved have been forgiven. He said that despite plans to eliminate all of them so that the case could be buried, he managed to enrol at an educational learning institute in the prison where he sat for the Secondary School Certificate Examination. He later rose to become a school teacher in the prison and a pastor at the Christian ministry there. Today, he is also a criminology and security studies undergraduate of the Open University.

One man’s story

Effiong Elemi Edu, one of the seven accused persons, described how he lost everything to the crisis, including his wife and the love of his life who is now re-married.

He said: “It was a terrible journey. Actually, it started on November 11, 1995. About quarter to 9, I left my house at Mafoluku for N5 suya. Getting to the bus-stop, that was when I heard the gunshots. So, I had to hide myself with the suya man. When the shooting now went down, I then decided to come out. Someone now from my back asked me where I was going to and who am I? I stopped and before I know it, he started hitting me with gun. I asked, ‘Oga, what is the problem now?’ He said I was an armed robber and before I know it, they put me inside the car and since that day I have been tagged with a crime I know nothing about.

“They took me to SARS and there I was wondering, what have I done? I saw a policeman and I called him, ‘Oga I am here and I don’t know I have done’. He came back and told me to shut up that I am an armed robber. Before I know it, that was when Simeon Ighedene came in and before I know it I was shot on my left leg here.

After the blood was coming out they now came, himself and one Adebayo and asked that I should be taken to the theatre. I don’t know that they were referring to a torture place. The only theatre that I know is in the hospital. They took me to the back of the place, blood was all over and I was ordered to lie down and face the ground with my legs chained and there were orders that I should not even be allowed to drink water, not to talk of eating anything. I have never seen such a thing in my life. All my life before then, I have never met Elvis or Lucky Igbinovia. They were asking all sorts of question that I don’t know, that was when James Danbaba was the commissioner of police in Lagos here.”

Mr. Elemi-Edu also alleged that a lawyer at a time came to them at prison, promising to help, but ended up disappearing with their money. He was, however grateful to Moses Odirri and his legal team, who worked on the case for 10 years, without charging a kobo for the services.

From friend to foe

Forty-year-old Lucky Igbinovia, who worked as security detail for Mr. Rewane, was the first to be arrested on October 5, 1995 and who, allegedly, underwent the most torture. He described how he heard the noise in the main building after he had greeted “Pa Rewane” earlier in the morning, but on getting there, found him in a pool of his blood. Mr. Igbinovia was arrested and detained at Ikeja Area Command, where the former Edo state commissioner of police, Young Arabamen was the area commander. He said he was forced to sign a statement he did not write.

Mr. Igbinovia said he was ordered to be taken to the theatre of the SARS, where one Merinda Ochinba, the officer-in-charge of the operation ordered him hung upside down where he passed out, only to wake up the following morning to resume the torture session. He said this was a routine for a while until the case was taken to court.

The case passed through five judges and over 250 adjournments, with police constantly unable to take them to the court, whenever the case was mentioned. Matters came to a head when the judge, Mrs. Williams, ordered that the police bring the suspects to court.

The miracle

She subsequently ruled that the charges brought by the prosecution against the accused persons were not proved beyond doubt.

“It is quite plain that there is nothing to support the case of the prosecution, apart from the confessional statements allegedly made by the accused persons. I find the statements doubtful and I agree with the defence counsel that the accused did not admit to the crime,” she said.

Tunde Akanni, a human rights activist who recollects the day the late Anthony Enahoro was denied an opportunity to use the toilet of the Nigeria House in New York on the order of the Nigerian government, however called on the government to find a means to ensure the victims were resettled.

“The justice system has been robbed of conscience and this government, with its belief in the rule of law, must make amends and do something for the victims and their type in the cells and prisons around the country,” he said.

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