Cemetery attendant wants Funsho Williams murder case retried

A cemetery attendant, Bashir Junaid, has applied to a Federal High Court in Lagos, seeking an order re-opening investigations into the murder of a former governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Funsho Williams.

Williams was murdered on July 27, 2006 at his Dolphine Estate residence in Ikoyi, Lagos.

Junaid was one of the persons detained by the police while conducting preliminary investigations into the crime.

He filed the new suit seeking an order of mandamus compelling the Inspector-General of Police, Suleiman Abba, to re-open investigations into how the late PDP stalwart was murdered in cold blood.

The suit is before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia.

Listed as respondents are the Inspector-General of Police, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Sunday Ehindero (former IGP and Investigating Police Officer in Funsho Williams’ murder case); Attorney-General of the Federation; the PDP and Mrs.Modupe Shasore.

Also listed were a former Governor of Lagos State, Mr.Bola Tinubu; Dr.Muiz Banire; Mr.Babatunde Edu; Mr. Dele Alake and Oladele Ajomale.

When the matter came up on Thursday, lawyer to the plaintiff, Tunji Adesheye, moved an ex-parte application for substituted service and service of the writ of summons on some of the defendants outside jurisdiction.

The order was granted as prayed by Ofili-Ajumogobia, who later adjourned the matter to April 29 for hearing.

In the suit, Junaid cited Tinubu as a prime suspect.

The plaintiff is also praying the court to compel the Attorney-General of the Federation to direct the appropriate organ in the Criminal Justice Administration in Nigeria to commence prosecution of the alleged suspects.

The plaintiff is asking for a claim for compensatory and exemplary damages of N5bn against the 11 defendants for their actions or inaction over his alleged illegal detention and psychological trauma.

In a 48-point statement of claim in support of the suit, Junaid averred that due to the influence of Tinubu and Banire and the compromising position of the investigators at the Federal Central Investigations Department, Alagbon, Banire was only cautioned and made to rewrite another statement to the police, while his own freely confessed statement which could have assisted the Police in its attempt to unravel the actual killers of   Williams, with the concrete and implicating evidence , was discarded by the Police at Alagbon Close, Lagos.