How Assassins Invade Residence, Kill PDP Governorship Candidate Inside His Room

Who Kill PDP Governorship Candidate Inside His Room?

I had just completed my secondary school education that year in Southern Nigeria and decided to visit a cousin of mine in Lagos while I waited for my admission into the university to be approved by the institution I had applied with. I remember it was a night trip in a bus with other passengers. We arrived Lagos the next day about 5:53am and as usual Lagosian were already about their busy lives.

Flashing back, I also remember the first thing my eyes captured as we entered Lagos. It was the beautiful billboard with the picture of FUNSHO WILLIAMS and the inscription *Funsho William na our Man* I automatically fell in love with the expression that seems to convey the minds of Logosians in a very confident manner if you are familiar with Nigeria _pigin English_ – A man I have never met or heard about yet I find myself loving him.

I became more relaxed that my instinct was right about this man when I arrived the estate in Lagos where my cousin lived. It was as if he, Funsho Williams owned the street as it was almost branded with his political posters. Funsho Williams was going to become the next Governor of Lagos State. Both young and the aged talked about him. He was indeed the man of the people. Lagosians loved him and wanted him to emerge the governor of Lagos state.

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Few weeks later, the entire Lagos State was thrown into confusion as the news of Funsho Williams dead spread like wildfire across Lagos and the entire country. The city was soaked with tears of aggrieved mourners who would not stop weeping. Men, Women and even children were saddened by this unfortunate incident. Many Nigerians attempted to express their anger over the news by behaving in unruly manners, that too didn’t change anything. Funsho William is dead and gone; murdered in cool-blood and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Tears and anger were “Precious rain wasted in the forest”

WHAT TRANSPIRED

A Gubernatorial aspirant under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Chief Funsho Williams, was killed in the early hours of Thursday 27th July 2006 in his Lagos home. Although there’s been no official confirmation of how the politician was killed, a news agency gathered that Williams’ hands were tied to his back, and his legs also, and then stabbed multiple times. He was also shot in the abdomen. There were many controversial stories relating to his death.

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Some said he was killed by his political rivals. There were conspiracy theory by the public that Jagaban (Tinubu) had a hand in his death. But how true is the statement?

The news of the incident, which took place at his 184, Corporation Drive, Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi Lagos, filtered into the metropolis at noon as his loyalists trooped to the residence. The police had, on same Thursday night, arrested his Personal Assistant, who also coordinates the media and publicity of his campaign organisation, Mr. Frank Uzuegbunam; his driver simply identified as Omo; and a female cook whose name could not be ascertained. The three were reportedly in the building with the late Williams when the incident took place.

The two policemen who were supposed to be on guard at Williams’ house but did not turn up for duty on Wednesday night, were also undergoing orderly room trial. Williams had four policemen attached to him, but they worked shifts. His wife was said to have travelled out of the country. How the assailants got into Williams’ apartment wasn’t ascertained. There were two accounts of how Williams spent his evening, leaving room for speculations.

One account had it that he met with some of his supporters in his house till about midnight before retiring to his room where he was later attacked. The other version, which sources said was nearer to the truth, was that Williams attended a reception in honour of the State Party Chairman, Chief Rasheed Williams, at the OPIC Plaza, Ikeja, Lagos. The reception started at about 10pm and Williams was said to have left at about after 2am with two orderlies who had been with him all day. He arrived home at about 3am. Sources said that the cook and one other unidentified person were in the house when Williams returned. The scenario bore a striking resemblance to the circumstances leading to the as$as$ination of a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, in December 2001. All the policemen guarding him went out to eat when the as$as$ins struck.

Who Killed Funsho Williams?

Popularly called Captain, Williams was said to have been murdered in the green ankara buba and sokoto he wore to the party at Opic Plaza. Sources said it was likely that the as$ailants were already in his bedroom before he got there. Williams’ killers were believed to have gained entrance into the house by scaling the fence of an unoccupied building beside his house. This was confirmed by the actions of some detectives who were spotted opening one of the side doors besides the unoccupied building. Attempts by the police detectives to enter the unoccupied house were resisted by a man who came in a Toyota car and said the building belonged to him.

No one could confirm if the killers met any resistance and how they got out. It was also not possible to ascertain the number of those that attacked Williams. The body of the deceased was moved from his residence around 10.45pm on same Thursday. The source also claimed that the police took the body to the Creek Hospital, Apapa for possible post-mortem examination. It was wailing all the way as hundreds of Williams’ supporters wearing T-Shirts bearing Williams arrived in the house at about noon after waiting endlessly for the late politician to join them for the continuation of the campaign of the PDP in Lagos Island and Eti-Osa Local Government Areas.

Investigations and ruining of murder evidence

Early callers at the residence of Williams included the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero, who arrived the scene at about 4.00pm. Ehindero entered the one storey building through the back door with some of his men and came out through the front door about 25 minutes later. He declined to speak with journalists. The irate supporters who accused the police of complicity in the killing molested some of the policemen who accompanied the I-G to the scene. Detectives from the Lagos State Police Command, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police State Intelligence Investigation Bureau, Mr. Olayinka Balogun, were seen trying to collect fingerprints and other items for investigations.

At about 5.15pm when Balogun led out his team from the house, they carried a yellow box believed to have contained blood stained dress worn by Williams. They also took with them a black leather cushion Williams was believed to have rested on. At 4.45pm, the Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, South, Chief Olabode George, arrived the scene in company with the Minister of Works, Dr. Obafemi Anibaba.

Until today no one has found the killers of Funsho Williams. Most of the supporters pointed accusing fingers at his political rivals. Unconfirmed reports had it that one of the gubernatorial aspirants on the platform of the PDP was invited for questioning by the police. Supporters of a former Minister of Works, Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, and those of Williams had clashed during the campaign of the PDP in Ikorodu and Gbagada. The face-off in Gbagada led to the disruption of the rally, with those present scampering to safety.

*NOW MY POINT*

First, I must present this very curious and personal question. “If Funsho Williams had not aspired to become Governor of Lagos State, would he have died when and how he did?”

Am sure your guess is as good as mine. This is what we have made politics to look like in this country “Do or Die”

From the lives of the aspirants to those of the supporters and electorates, none is safe; all are under a threat because no one knows what the other person or party is thinking and what extent they will go to achieving their thoughts. This is not how it should be!

*Nigerians wake up!*

If you kill those who are not in support of you now, how sure are you that those singing your praises will stick with you to the end? Give everyone a chance to stand for what they believe. Whether you are the one who killed or ordered for the kill or you are even aware of it, here is what I want to say. Your conscience is stained with the blood of the victim. One day, you will answer for it.

Whatever it is, keep your conscience free. Let no blood spilled either in error, omission or intention be required of you as we set the ball rolling for 2023. We must change our political mindset in the coming dispensation.

By Agbor Kingsley 

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