After twenty-four years of the gruesome assassination of Chief Bola Ige, a former Governor of old Oyo State and Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, a national leader of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Adesina Akinpelu, has renewed calls for official recognition and support for the family of the slain statesman.
Ige was murdered on December 23, 2001, at his Bodija residence in Ibadan, Oyo State, by assailants who have never been identified or prosecuted. His killing remains one of Nigeria’s most unresolved and symbolic political assassinations, even as successive governments have failed to deliver justice more than two decades later.
In a statement issued on Monday to commemorate the 24th anniversary of Ige’s death, Akinpelu described the continued neglect of the family as a moral failure of the Nigerian state. He argued that if justice could not be secured after such a long period, the Federal Government owed the family institutional recognition and political inclusion.
The OPC leader specifically appealed to President Bola Tinubu to remember the legacy of his late political mentor by ensuring that members of the Ige family are not sidelined in national political arrangements. According to him, offering the late politician’s children opportunities to serve in public office would be a meaningful gesture of acknowledgment and restitution.
Akinpelu also urged President Tinubu to personally visit Ige’s residence and gravesite in Esa-Oke, Osun State, as a mark of respect for one of the leading figures of Nigeria’s progressive political tradition.
“President Tinubu is a political protégé of Chief Bola Ige. He should not allow the family of his mentor to fade into political obscurity, especially when those who killed him are still walking free,” Akinpelu said.
Beyond the Federal Government, the OPC national leader called on the Oyo State Government to formally honour Ige during the planned Oyo at 50 celebrations scheduled for February 2026. He appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde and the chairman of the anniversary planning committee, Hon. Saheed Akinade-Fijabi, to ensure that Ige’s contributions to the state and the nation are prominently acknowledged.
“We cannot continue to pay lip service to the memory of our fallen heroes,” Akinpelu said. “The Ige family has suffered enough, and it is time for justice to be served, or at least for the nation to show gratitude.”
He recalled that Bola Ige played a critical role in shaping the political development of Oyo State, Yorubaland, and Nigeria as a whole, particularly during the struggle against military dictatorship. According to him, Ige’s unwavering commitment to democracy, rule of law, and progressive politics earned him a place among Nigeria’s most principled leaders.
“During the darkest days of military rule, Chief Bola Ige stood firm for democracy. His sacrifices must not be forgotten, and he should not be allowed to die in vain,” Akinpelu added.
