Bankole Gets Death Threat

By Festus Owete

The face off between the Speaker of the House of Representatives Dimeji Bankole and some of his colleagues turned grim yesterday when the Speaker, and his media aide, Ebomhiana Musa received death threats from yet unidentified persons.

Mr Bankole has reportedly faced stiff opposition from lawmakers who were relieved of committee leadership positions last Thursday.

A statement from the speaker’s office said Mr Musa, the Speaker’s special adviser on media and publicity, had received a text message on his phone on Saturday threatening to eliminate him (Musa) and Mr Bankole.

The statement, signed by the Speaker’s chief press secretary, Idowu Bakare, did not, however, give the name of the person who sent the text message although it had been sent on GSM No 07039828940.

It reads: “The alleged face off in the House of Representatives between a few members and the leadership took a dangerous dimension over the weekend as the lives of the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole and that of one of his aide was threatened by some unknown person.

The threat, which was sent through a text message on Saturday morning to the telephone of Mr. Ebomhiana Musa, the Speaker’s Special Adviser on Media read thus: ‘ Mr. P.A, you & your boss are nothing but dead bodies but you wl be firstly face the consequences shortly, prepare your will now’. The text message was sent through GSM No.07039828940.”

The statement also said that attempts by Mr. Musa to identify the sender of the message through repeated calls to the sender’s number proved abortive as the owner of the telephone line refused to answer, switching it off eventually.

“The incident has been reported to security aides of the Speaker and relevant security agencies in Abuja while aides of the speaker have been advised to take some preventive security measures to safeguard their lives as they have no officially assigned security,” it added.

Mr Bankole had on Thursday effected a minor reshuffle of the standing committees in the House. In the exercise, two members from Ogun State, Bankole’s home state, lost their chairmanship and deputy chairmanship positions.

Gbenga Oduwaiye and Kayode Amusan lost their positions as chairman of Inter/Intra Relations and deputy chairman, Housing and Habitat respectively. Others who lost their positions include Asita Honourable (deputy chairman, Poverty Alleviation) Gbenga Onigbogi (deputy chairman, Ministry of Niger Delta) and Shettima Shehu (Army Committee chairman).

Other chairmen were redeployed to other committees, while a few others emerged as chairmen in the exercise, which Mr Bankole said will continue at a later date.

Probe The Car Scam

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to reopen investigation into the N2.3 billion car scam in the House.

The group also condemned the interrogation of a member of the House, Independence Ogunewe by the State Security Service (SSS) over his face-off with the Speaker last week.

A statement signed by its coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko yesterday, described Mr Ogunewe’s interrogation as a ‘selective justice’ because Mr Bankole with whom he had the brawl was not questioned.

It argued that the action of the security agency is a breach of the fundamental principle of the Rule of law and fair hearing as enshrined in section 36 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The recent quizzing of the member of the Federal House of Representatives representing Ahiazu/Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency of Imo State Independent Ogunewe by the State Security Service [SSS] in Abuja for alleged involvement in a brawl with the embattled Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole is the manifestation of the highest level of selective justice, because of the failure of the security agency paid with tax payers’ money to also quiz the Speaker Mr. Bankole who was also involved in the near-fisticuffs inside the hallowed chambers of the Federal House of Representatives,” he said.

“We also call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission to immediately begin investigation into the widely reported allegation that some principal members of the hierarchy of the Federal House of Representatives were involved in the N2.3 billion car scam.

“The call became necessary because the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences commission [ICPC] has failed to commence prosecution of the indicted high profile officials of the lower chamber of the federal legislature after it reportedly carried out an investigation.”

HURIWA said it was shocked to learn that because Mr Ogunewe insisted that an inquest be launched to ascertain the veracity or otherwise of the widely reported allegation that principal officers were involved in inflating the purchasing prizes of some vehicles, amounting to N2.3 billion, Mr Bankole had dropped him (Ogunewe) from the chairmanship of the House Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa.