- ‘Let God Destroy Me If I’m Guilty’ – Jelili Adesiyan Speaks on Bola Ige Assassination
- The former minister said his innocence was ultimately affirmed by the courts after he endured years of trauma following his arrest and prosecution
- Bola Ige was a senior advocate of Nigeria and prominent political figure
Former Minister of Police Affairs, Jelili Adesiyan, popularly known as Jalo, has denied allegations linking him to the assassination of former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Bola Ige, insisting he had no role in the killing.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Adesiyan, who served as minister under former President Goodluck Jonathan, said divine judgment should fall on him and his family if he was involved in the murder of Ige, who was assassinated on December 23, 2001, in Ibadan, Oyo State.
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Speaking on State Affairs, a podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, the former minister said his innocence was ultimately affirmed by the courts after he endured years of trauma following his arrest and prosecution.
“I’m Jalo and I fear nobody up till today,” Adesiyan said. “Each time I pray, I start by saying that if I ever knew anything about the death of Uncle Bola or anybody for that matter, I will not come out of this alive.”
He dismissed theories that attempted to link him to the killing through what he described as baseless spiritual or political narratives, saying such claims caused him severe personal and emotional suffering.
Adesiyan recalled his arrest in the aftermath of Ige’s assassination, saying he and others were detained at the Alagbon facility in Lagos under harsh conditions.
“On December 23, 2001, Bola Ige was assassinated and they arrested us and took us to Alagbon, where we saw hell,” he said. “We were locked up in a dungeon cell without light, and I’m still having problems with my eyes till today because of that trauma.”
He said his eventual discharge and acquittal by the court confirmed his innocence, but noted that the experience left lasting scars.
“If I know anything about Uncle Bola’s death or had any inclination whatsoever, I pray to God to destroy everything I stand for,” he added.
Bola Ige, a senior advocate of Nigeria and prominent political figure, was assassinated in his Ibadan residence in 2001, a case that has remained one of Nigeria’s most high-profile unresolved political killings.
