A former member of the House of Representatives, who represented Ife Federal Constituency, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, has offered N5million reward for the arrest of the killers of five people, including two of his younger siblings, in a church in the ancient town during the National Assembly election on April 9, 2011.
Specifically, Makinde asked the security agents, who arrested over 20 suspects after the violent clash between Yoruba and Hausa settlers in Ife, to unmask the killers of the five persons and smile to the bank with the N5million reward.
Apparently not happy with the arrest of only indigenes of the town as suspects in the recent ethnic clash in Ife, Makinde, in his message to a Whatsapp group page, said he had been crying for justice to no avail over the gruesome murder of the five persons by yet-to-be apprehended hoodlums.
Reacting to the news of the arrests made by the police in connection with the violence that broke out in Ife two weeks ago, the former lawmaker tasked the security agency to also apprehend those who killed his younger brothers and three others during the National Assembly election, which earned him the membership of the National Assembly.
He said, “Five Innocent persons were killed on the altar of a church near my father’s residence sometimes ago in the same IleIfe; till today, I am still crying for justice.
Let me now re-echo my appeal and –––––make a case for those five killed gruesomely on the altar of a church and to call on those “scientific investigators,” who worked on the recent crisis in Ife, with a promise of N5million reward, to help to uncover their killers.”
The killing of the five persons by some hoodlums suspected to be political thugs during a political violence that ensued at about 2:00am near a church located at Isale-Agbara area of the ancient town, marred the National Assembly elections in Osun State on April 9, 2011.
The hoodlums had allegedly attacked Makinde’s house. The former lawmaker was then the House of Representatives’ candidate of the then Action Congress of Nigeria, now All Progressives Congress, while shooting sporadically.
Reports also had it that the assailants had pursued Makinde’s two younger brothers, who ran for refuge, in a church where they were killed. The suspected hoodlums also killed the church’s pastor, his son and another member of his congregation.
Makinde, however, promised to reward any security agency or agent that could unmask the killers of the five persons, especially with the arrest of several persons alleged to have participated in the recent inter-ethnic clash in Ile-Ife.
