Twenty-four years after the gruesome murder of Chief Bola Ige, a national leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Comrade Adesina Akinpelu, has called for recognition for the family of the slain politician.
Late Ige, a former Governor of Old Oyo State and Nigeria’s Minister for Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, was gunned down by yet-to-be-identified assailants at his Bodija, Ibadan residence on December 23, 2001.
Comrade Akinpelu made this appeal in a statement issued to commemorate the 24th anniversary of Ige’s demise.
The OPC national leader maintained that the Federal Government should give due recognition to the family of the slain politician, if they could not get justice for the family twenty-four years after.
Specifically, Akinpelu appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remember Ige’s family and consider his children for political offices.
He used the opportunity to call on President Tinubu to find time to visit the Ige’ grave and house in Esa-Oke, Osun State, as a mark of respect for the slain leader of the progressive family.
Akinpelu emphasized that Tinubu, a political protégé of Ige, should not allow the family to fade into political obscurity, especially since the killers remain at large.
The OPC national leader also urged the Oyo State government to honor Ige’s memory during the upcoming Oyo at 50 celebration in February 2026.
He called on Governor Seyi Makinde and Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, Chairman of the celebration committee, to ensure Ige’s contributions are recognized.
His words: “We cannot continue to pay lip service to the memory of our fallen heroes. The Ige family has suffered enough, and it’s time for justice to be served. We demand that the government should give due recognition to the Ige family.
“Late Chief Bola Ige contributed significantly to the political development of Oyo State, Yorubaland, and Nigeria at large. During the dark days of military dictatorship in Nigeria, he was at the forefront of the struggle to ensure democracy in the country. He should not be allowed to die in vain.”
