• ‘How we mobilised against Abacha’
From Seye Ojo, Ibadan
in June 2018, when the Federal Government honoured Chief MKO Abiola, there was great rejoicing in the camp of the victims of the Ibadan 1998 May Day riots, aka Prisoners of War (PoWs). Abiola was honoured with the title of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR), exclusively reserved for President of Nigeria, as the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election.
The PoWs, 41 in number, were arrested and detained after the riots that rocked Ibadan, Oyo State, to the foundation on May 1, 1998. They included the late Chief Bola Ige, a former governor of the old Oyo State and former Minister of Power, and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation; the late Alhaji Lam Adesina, who later became governor of the state from 1999 to 2003; fiery human rights activist, the late Comrade Ola Oni and the then Editor of Sunday Tribune, Femi Adeoti, currently Deputy Editor, Daily Sun.
The list also comprised Alhaji Lateef Akinsola, aka Tokyo, former state chairman, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW); 70-year-old late Pa Billy Akanji; managing director of a lithographic printing and publishing firm, Mr. Kehinde Adesina and one of his employees, Segun Agbaje and others.
In an encounter with one of the PoWs, in Ibadan, Adesina, he relived the experiences of the ex-detainees his involvement in the June 12 struggle, the May Day violent protest in Ibadan, the rally organised for the late Head of State, Gen Sani Abacha, by the late Aare Muslumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Arisekola Alao, and the late strongman of Ibadan politics, Alhaji Lamidi Adedibu, at the Adamadingba Stadium, Ibadan, on April 18,1998.
His narration: “In 1993, we voted for Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), against Bashir Tofa of the National Republican Convention (NRC). Unfortunately, military administration of Gen Ibrahim Babangida annulled the election, leading to the June 12 struggle.
The struggle was mostly in the South West. We believed that the annulment was a deprivation of our rights. We believed Abiola won the election.
“All the like minds in the struggle such as Chief Abraham Adesanya, Otunba Biyi Durojaiye, Ige, Adesina, Chief Ayo Opadokun, Chief Adebayo Adefarati and Pa Reuben Fasoranti made up their minds to fight the then military junta to ensure that the South West was not deprived of its rights of producing the president of Nigeria. I have been with Lam since 1990. I used to go to him when he was operating a bookshop at Popoyemoja, Ibadan.
“Comrade Ola Oni played active roles in the struggle. He was not a politician, but an activist. His life was full of struggles against the atrocities committed by the military junta. He started his activism in 1964.
“He had a group called Egbe Omo Oduduwa, formed to fight for the cause of the Yoruba. I was a member of the group and we used to hold our meetings at his No 6, Odeku Close, Bodija, Ibadan, residence. Egbe Omo Oduduwa later transformed to Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC). Dr. Frederick Fasheun and Otunba Gani Adams used to be members of Egbe Omo Oduduwa. Fasheun succeeded Ola Oni and Adams was then under Fasheun.
“But when rivalry came, the OPC was factionalised into two, with one supporting Fasheun and the other supporting Adams, who is now the Aare Ona Kankanfo of Yorubaland. The Egbe Omo Oduduwa had the motive to defend the Yoruba interests.
“In the days of Abacha, he had his people who were military apologists among us in the South West. Those people were taking money from Abacha. It was the time Abacha wanted to become a civilian president.
“I wouldn’t know if you have heard of ‘Alasalatu kin lewa debi.’ It happened on April 18,1998. It was the first attack by the people against the military junta at Adamasingba Stadium. The second was the one that involved myself, Ola Oni, Lam, Ige, Adeoti, Tokyo and all together, we were 41.
“There were some intruders among the Yoruba. They made it difficult to defend the interests of the Yoruba. They used to go to Abacha to collect money so that they could convince the masses to support Abacha. But the masses revolted against them.
“Ola Oni used to educate us that we should go to our people. We should not allow the military or their apologists among us to hijack the cause of the Yoruba.
“Then, those collecting money from Abacha would gather elderly people, women and those who did not have means of livelihood. They would give them N200, N300 and N500, for them to support Abacha.
“Instead, Ola Oni and his co-activists, including Lam Adesina, would tell us to go to our communities and let our people know what would happen to them if they took the money. I used to organise and tell the people the implications of collecting money from the military apologists.
“But I did it silently. It was imperative to do that in silence because Abacha kept a killer squad then to eliminate people they found holding a meeting against him.
“With the little knowledge I had, I would do write-ups and print flyers to sensitise people against supporting Abacha. I had a printing press then.
“The day I was arrested, I did not know how my name got to the list of Arisekola. It happened on Monday May 4, 1998. In the morning of that day, I was in my office at Oke-Ado, Ibadan, with one of the people working in my printing press, Segun Agbaje.
“I saw one Maxima car being driven round the premises of the building where my office was located. It did not occur to me that they were looking for me.
“The car was later parked at a filling station, now Oando, but I can’t remember the name it bore. The filling station is at junction of College Crescent, Oke-Ado, Ibadan.
“One of the occupants of the car came down to the building and asked for me. The people he asked sought to know why he wanted to see me. He said he wanted to give me a printing job. When the people checked the work, they knew it was not the type of job I do. Then, they told him my whereabouts outside the building.
“He came to me and said: ‘Are you Mr. Adesina?’ and I said: ‘Yes.’ He said he wanted to give me a job. Then, we went into the office. When we got to the office, he brought out a gun, saying: ‘You are under arrest.’ His name is Isaac Daramola, a policeman, but he was in mufti on that day. I submitted myself.
“As he was leading me into their car outside, he shot into the air.
The gunshot drew attention of Chief Akin Olujimi (SAN), who was upstairs. He’s the one that saved my life. He came down and asked for what happened and he was told that the police came to arrest me.
“I entered the car together with Agbaje. We faced Oke-Ado Market, going through Oke-Bola, taking us to Iyaganku Police Station. They could do anything to us on the road. But thanks to Olujimi, he sent one of the lawyers in his law firm, Kunle Sobaloju, to follow us with his car to know where we were being taken.
“It was in detention at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Iyaganku, that I met Lam Adesina and Uncle Femi Adeoti. Adeoti was the Editor of Sunday Tribune. The paper reported a detailed story on the protest led by Ola Oni at Agodi Gate, Ibadan. The story was headlined; Genesis of Ibadan bloodbath: The untold story.
“It was a product of investigative journalism. The protest was staged on Friday and Sunday Tribune reported it two days after. Yet, Adeoti was arrested because he was the editor.
“That was how we started the journey. We were kept at Iyaganku for 13 days. Thereafter, we were charged to the Magistrate Court, Iyaganku.
Uncle Bola Ige was transferred to Markudi, Benue State, from SSS office, Alalubosa, Alesinloye, Ibadan.
“They charged us for arson and rioting, which should go to the high court knowing that a magistrate court did not have jurisdiction on the matter. The Chief Magistrate was Waheed Olaifa. He is late now.
“We must thank the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), for the role he played. He gave us lawyers to handle the case, apart from our own lawyers.
“After several adjournments, our lawyer argued that instead of keeping us in police detention, we should be remanded in Agodi Prisons, Ibadan. Ola Oni often encouraged us that we would come out alive.
“There was this 70-year-old man, Pa Billy Akanji, in detention with us. I think the old man offended Adedibu, who was a friend of Abacha together with Arisekola. The duo would see anyone not in their group as an enemy of Abacha. I think Tokyo offended either Adedibu or Arisekola that was why his name was mentioned.
“We were still in the prison when we heard of Abacha’s death in 1998.
Before his death, Fawehinmi told the lawyer he sent to file a motion for our bail at the high court that has the jurisdiction to entertain the case of arson and rioting.
“There in the prison, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Nigerian Tribune fought for the release of Adeoti. Later, NURTW went to court to fight for the release of Tokyo.
“On June 15, 1998, our lawyers were to apply for my bail, the bail of Agbaje and Lam Adesina. Unfortunately, my lawyer could not make it.
They released Agbaje and Lam. I was released two days after.
“What is painful is that those that did not support the democratic system of government are the ones in the system today. I don’t understand why June 12 would be mentioned and we the ‘Prisoners of War’ would not be mentioned.
“It was the then Military Administrator of Oyo State, Col Ahmed Usman, who said we would be treated as prisoners of war. He believed we were captured fighting the government.”
Adesina confessed: “I took part in the protest but I was not arrested on that day. The protesters carried placards with abusive inscriptions against Abacha and made bonfire on the road.
“The leader of the riot, Ola Oni, was arrested by the police during the protest. He was first detained at the Iwo Road Police Station, Ibadan. Some of the inscriptions on the placards read, ‘Abacha must go’ ‘Abacha is a thief’ and so on.”
How did he feel on the day he was released from the prison? He responded: “The other inmates already knew we would be released because they told us times that the 41 of us only came to look at the caps of the warders.
“We appreciate God for allowing Abacha to die, otherwise we would have stated longer in prison. On the day I was released, it was Lam that brought my bail papers. Then, younger brother to Chief Rotimi
Akeredolu (SAN), now Ondo State Governor, Kola, brought his car to pick me.
“Our case files were sent to the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP). When legal advices came, Adeoti, Pa Akanji, myself, Lam, Tokyo, Agbaje and some others had no case to answer. That was the end of the cases. But Ola Oni was not released immediately. The legal advice said he had a case to answer.”
What kind of recognition from the government would he suggest for the 41 PoWs by the Federal Government? He answered: “We are happy that government recognised and honoured Abiola. But June 12 is not about Abiola alone. The June 12 is for the whole of Nigerians that voted for him massively. It was a decision made by Nigerians and Nigeria is bigger than anyone. No matter who you are and the position you have attained.
“The situation in the country is not what we fought for. All we need is good governance. If the government honours the ‘prisoners of war’ we would be happy for it.”