Murder: Police Investigation Absolves Me, Monarch Claims

Wale Igbintade

The Baale of Badore, Mr. Waliu Moye has declared that the report of police investigation into the murder of one Rasaki Jikoji, the traditional ruler of Badore, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, has absolved him of any wrongdoing.

Moye, in a petition dated September 17, 2021, written to the Inspector General of Police, Zone 2 Zonal Command, Onikan, Lagos, and signed by his lawyer, Mr. Bolanle Olugbani, maintained that the police gave him a clean bill of health and exonerated him of any involvement in the murder of Jikoji.

He stated that there was no contest between him and the deceased, adding that he has been officially installed as Baale of Badore by the Eti-Osa Local government and the Lagos State Government before the demise of Jikoji The petitioner stated that he was surprised when the police officer from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba informed him that he might be charged to court, following a complaint by the widow of the deceased.

In his petition tagged “Petition Against Extreme Prejudice and Bias, Improper Police Investigation, Wrongful Police Action Against The Baale and People Of Badore, Eti-Osa Local Government Of Lagos State.”
the traditional ruler urged the Assistant Inspector of Police to take over the investigation in order to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice.

The petitioner explained that sometimes in April 2021, an indigene of Badore community, in the person of Rasaki Jikoji, was murdered by unknown assailants.

Subsequently, he was invited along with his chiefs and members of the Badore community for investigation at the SCID Yaba, Lagos, and during the entire course of the investigation, he was given a clean bill of health and the investigation did not indict him at all.

He said that on September 1, 2021, a Deputy Commissioner of Police briefed him, members of the Badore community, and the family of the deceased in the conference hall of the SCID Panti, Yaba that two suspects had been arrested for the murder of Mr. Rasaki Jikoji.

He alleged that they were informed by the deputy commissioner that one suspect confessed that he was a cultist and that the second suspect confessed that he was present when the late Rasaki Jikoji was killed and that both suspects would be charged to court on September 3.

The petitioner stated that he was surprised when on September 13, he received a call from an officer at the S.C.I.D Panti, Yaba, that he was likely to be charged for “threat to life” and that he should report because the widow of the deceased complained that her life was being threatened in Badore Village and that the community land of Badore was actually her husband’s land.

The petition reads: “Our client has reliably informed us that two friends of the late Rasaki Jikoji have a close relationship to one of the Investigation Police Officers, I.P.Os in the murder investigation that did not indict our client and that they are the ones influencing this I.P.O to at least charge our client to court ‘for something.’ “This would be a great travesty of justice if this is allowed to happen just to humiliate and scandalise our client who has not been indicted by any investigation for murder.’’

“We have no confidence at all that our client is being fairly investigated and we believe that there is a high degree of bias and prejudice being exhibited against Chief Waliu Adeniran Moye by two IPO’s at the homicide section of the S.C.1.D Yaba.’’

He urged the Assistant Inspector General of Police to direct the investigation to prevent bias and prejudice and to prevent a gross miscarriage of justice against the traditional ruler, Moye.
The petitioner stated that he was willing to co-operate fully and to assist in any subsequent investigation to unravel the actual truth and to get justice for both himself and the late Rasaki Jikoji.