The Lagos State Police Command has said that an investigation is still ongoing into the killing of Adeniyi Sanni, an aide of Senator Solomon Adeola representing Ogun West at the National Assembly.
Sanni was allegedly killed by suspected soldiers in the early hours of Saturday, August 5, 2023, in Lagos.
When contacted for an update on the investigation into the killing, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said on Saturday that the case was with the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Hundeyin, however, noted that he could not give an update on the matter yet until he had one, as he noted that investigations into murder cases often take time to be concluded.
“The case is at the State Criminal Investigation Department. We have not got anything. Investigation into the case is ongoing. Even in the United States of America, some murder cases go on for like 10 to 15 years, there is no timeframe for it. But the case has not been concluded,” he told PUNCH Metro via a telephone conversation.
PUNCH Metro reports that Adeola, through his Media Adviser, Kayode Odunaro, had said that his aide “was killed by a syndicate of soldiers operating under the newly-deployed Commander of 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment of the Nigeria Army, through the mounting of checkpoints and robbing of lone occupants of cars.”
Odunaro on Thursday had also condemned the silence of the Army over the matter, saying, “A lot of things are wrong in their approach to the issue. A senator issued a statement pointing an accusing finger at you, but you have not reacted, today is the fourth day. Silence is another angle to the story. Why are they silent? They should make a statement on what the senator said. I have not read it anywhere that they responded. Will they not respond if the senator brings the matter to the National Assembly?”
But the Army through the spokesperson for the 81 Division, Victoria Island Lagos, Lt. Col. Olabisi Ayeni, had last week said “investigation is ongoing” into the matter.
Meanwhile, a human rights group, the Take It Back Movement, warned against another surge of EndSARS protests following the recent killings by suspected uniformed men in Lagos.
The group’s Director, Juwon Sanyaoulu, in an interview with our correspondent on Sunday, said, “It is sad that this unfortunate trend has continued unabated. You will recall that it was such a culture of impunity that mobilised the 2020 EndSARS protests. Sadly, very little lesson has been learnt.
“But it is difficult to come at the security forces without speaking about the conditions that breed them. The challenge is those who should hold them accountable use them to carry out activities that do not concern the military.
“This kind of impunity our security forces are exposed to makes them place very little value on the rule of law and citizens’ rights. Like EndSARS, it is only a matter of time before Nigerians are provoked to the streets all over again.”
