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FIVE POLITICAL ASSASINATIONS NIGERIA MUST DECLASSIFY - ENGINEER FUNSHO WILLIAMS

A gripping call for justice on Nigeria’s unsolved political killings starting with Funsho Williams, whose 2006 murder still haunts Lagos and remains unresolved.

By Folaranmi Ajayi

Folaranmi Ajayi is a Nigerian investigative journalist and storyteller passionate about uncoverin...

\#politicalassassinations #nigeriahistory #funshowilliams #justicedelayed #unsolvedmurders #ibpolitics #delegiwa #bolaige #nigeriandemocracy #truthandjustice

Why the Assassinations of Funsho Williams, Dele Giwa, Bola Ige, Ayo Daramola, Alfred Dikibo, Barnabas & Josephine Igwe Must Be Declassified

Between 1999 and 2007, there were about 30 reported cases of assassinations and attempts in different parts of Nigeria. It was an era when evil wined and dined with the political class and walked on the streets of Nigeria unquestioned.

On the long list of politicians gruesomely murdered were a serving Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Bola Ige, National Vice-Chairman (South-South) of the PDP, Alfred Dikibo; a governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Ayo Daramola, and Engr. Funsho Williams, the man many believed would succeed Bola Tinubu who was rounding up his second term as Lagos governor in 2007.

Names once synonymous with courage,reform, intellect and defiance now echo in the national memory as unfinished sentences cut shut by violence, forgotten by justice.

Late human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi (SAN), described the spate of political assassination in Nigeria in that era as the darkest and saddest event in Nigeria.

Fawehinmi noted: “What we have been witnessing recently is not democracy by politicians, but a mindless display of craziness by members of the political class, and unless quickly checked, the democratic edifice will surely collapse and we would have ourselves to blame for the unprecedented flow of blood that will follow.”

Funsho Williams, Bola Ige, Dele Giwa, Alfred Dikibo & Ayo Daramola were not just men of ambition. They were fathers, mentors, patriots, men who believed that power should be used to serve, not suppress. Each carried a torch: for justice, for progress for the truth. Those torches were snatched by the darkness of political violence. From the murder of Dele Giwa by a letter bomb in 1986, unarguably the first of its kind in Nigerian history, to the day light execution of Nigeria's Attorney-General, Bola Ige, in his own bedroom, these killings were political statements, messages of control and warnings. And yet, the warnings were not for the dead they are for the living.

Years have passed and committees have been set up and promises made, arrests performed and paraded for the press but for many no real justice has been served and the questions remain. The killers walk. The files gather dust.

This series doesn't pretend to have all answers but it seeks to remember deeply and urgently that these men deserve more than eulogies. If a nation doesn't remember it's dead, especially those taken in the line of service then the living are merely waiting their turn.

Part one: Engineer Funsho Williams - A Dream Snatched At Dawn

Nineteen years ago, on July 27, 2006, Lagos woke to a tragedy that shook the whole city. Engineer Funsho Williams was found bound, strangled, and stabbed at his home in Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi, an exclusive and wealthy neighborhood in Lagos.

"His hands tied and lying face down in a pool of blood on a dagger, wrapped with a newspaper,” Prof John Obafunwa, the Chief Forensic Pathologist of Lagos said in his witness before a Lagos High Court. He added: “Based on our findings, the deceased’s death resulted from asphyxia or lack of air intake, due to manual strangulation, while the wounds found on the deceased can be described as defense wounds.”

On June 30, 2014, the court acquitted the six suspects (Bulama Kolo, Musa Maina, David Cassidy, Tunani Sonani, Mustapha Kayode and Okponwasa Imariabie) standing trial over Williams’s death. 19 years after, many Nigerians are still puzzled with the question – who killed Funsho Williams as no one has been brought to justice. Since then, no new suspect has been tried, no commission has revisited the case, and the trail has gone cold chillingly so.

In an interview with The Punch in July 2013, his second son, Babatunde, described the late Williams “as a very private person…very dedicated to his job. A very quiet man and loving father.” Babatunde’s description confirms that Williams wasn’t Janus Faced, that was exactly the part of Funsho Williams many Lagosians knew, and were already rooting for him to succeed Tinubu in 2007 before he was murdered barely a year to the end of Tinubu’s second term in office.

To understand why his murder still haunts Lagos, one must consider not just the brutality of the act but who Funsho Williams was, and the visions he carried for the state.

Born on May 9, 1948, Anthony Olufunsho Williams attended both primary and secondary education in Lagos. He earned a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Lagos with a second degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology, United States.

Williams served in Lagos State Civil Service for 17 years rising to Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of works before retiring in 1991. He later established his private firm and served on the boards of major companies,including Julius Berger, Ajaokuta Steel Company, and Cappa and D'Alberto Plc.

His political career began with promise. In 1998, Williams reportedly won the Alliance for Democracy (AD) governorship primary but stepped down for Bola Ahmed Tinubu following appeals from party leaders, who favoured Tinubu for his role in the June 12,1993, pro-democracy movement. A 2020 report by Newsroom claimed Williams was perceived by some as a representative of the military regime, a perception that may have influenced the party dynamics.

His group, the Network Alliance had such a strong grassroots following that everyone accepted it as a forgone conclusion that Funsho Williams would become the next Governor of Lagos State. But fate had other plans as the Abacha transition died with Abacha and Williams along with his group joined the Alliance for Democracy where he vied to be the nominee of the party, this time with the backing of old stalwart, Alhaji Ganiyu Olawale Dawodu.

Another Opinion piece by Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour in 2020 added that He (referring to Funsho Williams) was indeed declared winner of the primaries but the results were manipulated and both he and Pa Dawodu were persuaded to allow Senator Bola Tinubu run for Governor instead, as one of those who had been a part of the anti-Abacha movement via NADECO. A few elders dispute that involvement‚ but that's a story for another day.

In 2003, he ran under the People's Democratic Party against the incumbent, Tinubu, who ran for second term but he lost to the incumbent, polling 725,000 votes against Tinubu’s 911,000.

Prior to this, He had returned to public service to serve as Lagos Commissioner for Works under the military administration of Olagunsoye Oyinlola (1993 – 1996) and that was when his vision to serve Lagos grew bigger he wanted to be governor and he was well positioned as the leading contender for the 2007 governorship election. Those close to him described his dream of leading Lagos as deeply rooted, sincere, strategic. His death, just months before the 2007 elections snatched away not just a man but a vision, leaving behind more questions than answers.

“He was a very unique politician who truly desired to serve his people and to add value to lives,” ex-governor of Lagos, Babatunde Fashola, told William’s mother, Madam Abiodun (right) and widow, Hilda Williams, when he visited the family in July 2008.

Williams was a thoroughbred gentleman and could best be described as a true ‘Omoluabi’. His cool and calm mien and his record of success in the public service earned him admiration and respect among the Lagos populace.

Nearly two decades after Funsho Williams’ murder, justice remains elusive. No one has been held accountable. Just silence, suspicion, and a promising future cut short.

But, in history, he was not the only one to have been snatched away.

In the next part of this series, we revisit another unresolved political assassination that shook Nigeria—the death of journalist Dele Giwa. It’s time these stories are told. Truth must not stay buried.

Comments

Anuoluwapo Lebi

I've been soaked into the ocean of this thought-provoking article. Well done, baba. This write-up highlights the untold political evil, cruelty and barbarism that formulated the foundation of our political trajectory as Nation. The high-profiled assassinations that you outlined are not moonlight tales, but a nefarious scheme that has become a worrisome pattern in our dear society. Well done, baba.

4 days ago

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FIVE POLITICAL ASSASINATIONS NIGERIA MUST DECLASSIFY - ENGINEER FUNSHO WILLIAMS

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