How do these unsung heroes feel now when dividends of democracy are still scanty, when corruption is still growing in leaps and bounds, when piecemeal political reforms are being dangled, when federalism is a tall order, when insecurity persists...
, the historic reality was that the battle for the revalidation of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election won by Chief Moshood Abiola of the proscribed Social Democratic Party was lost.
References are often made to the heroic contributions of the leaders and arrowheads of the campaigns at home and abroad. The battle became hotter as the maximum ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha, unfolded his self-succession agenda. Scores of protesters died as soldier opened fire along Ikorodu Road, Lagos in 1994. No fewer than 174 demonstrators were wounded. A year later, some students of Edo State University were killed by soldiers for demanding for democracy.
Some of them were intercepted. A case in point was Mr. Laiyemo, Adebayo’s personal assistant, who was bearing a letter from the former Kwara State governor to a friend. He spent 36 months in detention. When soldiers stormed the Ikeja residence of Akingba, the former don was nowhere to be found. They pounced on his nephew, Peter Ogunyamoju, who was later detained in Alagbon. The military planted a bomb in the house which exploded, killing Nelson Kassim and Dr. Omatsola.
Adegboruwa’s colleague at the bar, Bamidele Aturu, was detained for a month because his client, Isaac Osuoka, was in possession of posters denouncing Abacha’s self-succession plan. Also, a journalist, Moshood Fayemiwo, was detained for a year and seven months. His paper published materials that revealed the looting of the treasury by the military while also campaigning for the revalidation of June 12 election.
Eminent banker and politician Olabiyi Durojaye’s case was pathetic. He was detained for seven months. The reason was unknown. “They told me they were just directed to keep me here,” he said.
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