Election Violence: APC Chieftains Advocate Prosecution of Alleged Killers of Members

Chiemelie Ezeobi
Following the deaths of Adeyinka Adeniyi Caulcrick and Adeleke Akintoye, both members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) at Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos, during the 2015 elections, some party chieftains have called for diligent investigation and prosecution.

The duo were shot at gunpoint after some hired assailants chased after the bus with registration number KJA443AZ, conveying the deceased persons and other members of the APC, who were heading to the polling booth.

The assailants were said to have fired sporadically at the occupants of the bus, killing two while others escaped with varying degrees of injuries.

After the incident, the APC chieftains in area had reported the murder at the Gowon Estate Police Station but the matter was later transferred to the homicide section of the SCID Panti, Yaba Lagos for further investigation.

Although some of the alleged assailants, identified with their nicknames as ‘X-man’, OPC, Big daddy, ‘Jimmy’, ‘Ofili’ and ‘Drey’, have been arrested, the party said two others identified as ‘Aeroland’ and ‘Jawe’ were yet to be picked up.
After the one year lull in investigations, some of the party chieftains recently wrote a petition to the police expressing their dissatisfaction with the way the case was handled.

The petition, which was signed by the duo of Mr. Biodun Ejibadero and Hon. Olufemi Adebanjo, said the two other suspects have been invited by the police but only one responded.
They said Jawe had responded to the police invitation at the SCID, Panti, where he wrote a statement under caution absolving himself of the crime, unlike aeroland, who was yet to respond to the invitations despite many reminders and series of calls.

The APC chieftains said, “The killers of our members are freely moving around town as if nothing ever happened while families of the deceased persons groan. Is it that ‘Aeroland or Scarface as he is popularly called is above the law such that he could not honour police invitation? This is sad for lack of appropriate adjective.”

Vowing that they would not relent until justice is achieved, the petitioners said, “We are prepared to take this matter to any level no matter what it will take. Life is sacrosanct and should not be cut short by anybody for whatever reason not matter his or her status in society.”