Former national chairman of Alliance for Democracy (AD), Senator Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa, has called on all authorities concerned to ensure justice is done on the recent killings in Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The police had confirmed the killing of 46 persons and 96 injured persons with properties worth millions of naira destroyed during the recent Ile-Ife mayhem, and arrest of 56 suspects, out of which 18 persons said to be unconnected with the crisis were later released.
However, Akinfenwa, a former AD leader in the Senate, who represented Ife/Ijesa people and others at the upper chamber in 1999, condemned the Ife mayhem and the killings, saying that was not the nature of Ife people he once represented.
Reacting on Ife mayhem, on Sunday, Akinfenwa, who spoke against what he called “ethnic-bias” in the police arrest of suspects, appealed for peace, saying “my appeal to our people in Ile-ife is to remain calm; truth will prevail no matter how long it is perverted.”
He said “Ile-Ife people are peace loving,” adding that “I know Ife people very well. They are peaceful and accommodating. They don’t react to any situation on sentiments except they are cheated and provoked.”
To curb the future occurrence, Akinfenwa said the root cause of the crisis should be investigated in a manner it would be seen by all and sundry that justice has been done.
“The present scenario in Ife, where the murderer is the hero and the murdered the villain, is a perversion of justice which can only be redressed in Nigeria by total restructuring of the system or through the practice of true federalism in our political system.
“To the rest of us, we must be vigilant because the death killing your neighbour is at your door, Akinfenwa said.