Date: 2012-01-22

In the history of the 44-year-old Kwara State, the slain Muideen Mustapha Opobiyi remains the youngest person to be immortalised.

A monument – the popular Post Office Roundabout in Ilorin, the state capital has been renamed Muideen Opobiyi Freedom Square. This time around, however, not by the government but by the people.

The 23-year-old Opobiyi died on January 2, 2012 at the spot named after him during the first day of mass protest against fuel subsidy removal in Ilorin.

The school leaver who had joined other thousands of protesters on that fateful day to express their anger over the unpopular increase in the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) was allegedly felled by the police bullet.

His killing was greeted by condemnation from the organised labour, Human Right Activists, individuals and groups as well as his home government – Kwara State.

The national secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja fired the first salvo by calling on the relevant authorities to unveil the perpetrators of the heinous crime and prosecute them.

At the home front, the State governor, Alhaji AbdulFattah Ahmad did not waste anytime in ordering the probe into the gruesome murder of Opobiyi.

The governor had in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Alhaji AbdulWahab Oba, described Opobiyi’s killing as unacceptable.

Ahmad decried the unfortunate incident and assured the people that adequate security measures were being taken to forestall a re-occurrence of the sad event.

The immediate past chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Comrade Emmanuel Ayeoribe described Opobiyi’s death as a confrontation of the establishment against the citizens, saying, “it is the most wicked act”.

He added, “people should be allowed to hold their views in a democracy. But surprisingly yesterday, while some people were protesting this increment in the price of PMS, the police came out and murdered one of us. We see it as deliberate attack on civilians who have nothing except the power of expression. What is worrisome is that it is the people’s money that is used to buy these guns but ironically they are turning the guns to maim and murder us.

“We condemn in very strong term the wicked murder of Opobiyi. We want to assure the authorities that this action can in no way intimidate us, but rather it will strengthen us.

The minimum the state government can do is to constitute a probe panel into the death of Opobiyi to determine the remote and immediate causes of the slain protester and whoever is involved must be brought to book.

“But more importantly, I want to assure the security agencies that killing Nigerians is not the solution to the problem at hand. Even if they like they can go and import bomb, I want to remind them that events in the Arab World where some leaders have chosen to kill, maim and assassinate the people and those who are protesting have in no way stalled the protests in that part of the world. I want to assure that Nigeria can not be the same until the issue is resolved”.

Also, the Ilorin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) condemned the gruesome murder of Muyideen.

In a statement signed by the branch’s chairman, Rafiu Balogun, the NBA said, “we were totally puzzled, bewildered, flabbergasted and worried by the ugly situation whereby an innocent Nigerian will be killed simply because he is expressing his disapproval of the obnoxious policy of the federal government. It is disheartening that the police will kill innocent Nigerians they are paid with taxpayers’ money to protect.

“We have expressed our condemnation of extra-judicial killings by the police on several occasions but to no avail. We therefore join other civil society groups or Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and well meaning Nigerians to call for total reorganisation of the police and orientation of the officers and men of the force with a view to making them more civil in their approach and have respect for human lives.

“It should be emphasised that every Nigerian has the right to freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution and we are astonished that live cartridges will be used by the police to disperse or intimidate citizens of this country while exercising their right to condemn government policy that affects their very existence and well being.

“We note with dismay and taken aback by the attitude of the police in Ilorin metropolis recently during the emergency meeting of the association. Two police utility vehicles drove in front of the High Court premises and the policemen therein shot sporadically into the air and people were running helter-skelter for safety. Gunshots led to immediate adjournment of a court sitting at the time.

“We also urge the Inspector General of Police to give direction that no live cartridge be used to disperse protesters in future. We also enjoin the IGP to investigate the killing of Muideen in Ilorin with a view to making those found culpable to face the full wrath of the law”.

The Labour and Civil Society Organisations (LASCO) immortalised the slain Muideen Opobiyi by renaming the popular Post Office Roundabout in the state capital as Muideen Opobiyi Freedom Square.

The NLC Chairman in the state, Comrade Umar Akanbi made the announcement at the same spot where Opobiyi was reported to have been felled by the police bullet.

Opobiyi was a product of Army Day Secondary School, Maitama, Abuja and hailed from Agbaji quarters of Ilorin.

He was said to have relocated to Ilorin for a three-month computer training course which he completed on December 31, 2011 before he met his death.

Until his death, Opobiyi was an unknown figure, even in his state of origin. But the circumstances surrounding his death had made him an instant hero.

His killing was the first of its kinds in the mass revolt that greeted the New Year’s fuel subsidy removal by the federal government.