The father of the slain Oluwadamilola Fajana, the pregnant lawyer who was killed in a clash between the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and some oil vandals in Arepo, Ogun state, Mr. Ojo Babafemi, has blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the death of his daughter, saying the president empowered the OPC to kill her.
Reacting in a press statement signed by him on Monday, Babafemi described the president’s decision to empower APC as unconstitutional.
“The outgoing president, Goodluck Jonathan, has, by the virtue of his empowering miscreants who go by the name Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), sent me and my family into a deep mourning since last Wednesday,” he said.
“The president, by the unconstitutional empowerment of the ethnic militia which has through their clashes with pipeline vandals, killed so many innocent Nigerians, particularly in Arepo area of Ogun State.
“My daughter, Oluwadimilola Adebimpe Fajana-Ojo, was killed in crossfire while driving back home after a hard day’s job.” On April 29, Damilola, a 26-year-old of graduate of Ekiti state University, Ado Ekiti, was hit by a stray bullet as she innocently on her way home from work.
“President Jonathan is linked to her the death by the reason of his patronage of people who have no basic training in arms and weaponry in the business of pipeline protection, which is a very dangerous security enterprise supposed to fall under the purview of the trained Nigerian security agencies.
“President Goodluck Jonathan is culpable of the death of Damilola Fajana and that of others by the virtue of his morbid desperation for political power, which led him to awarding this senseless contract of his to OPC in return for political support in Lagos state.
“He is equally guilty of my daughter’s death by his withdrawing the trained security personnel, the police, the army and the civil defence corps from doing their constitutional duties of protecting Nigerian people and their properties and replacing them with untrained miscreants by the name of OPC.”
Prior to the 2015 elections, Jonathan was said to have given out oil deals to the national leaders of the OPC, Gani Adams and Frederick Fasehun alongside some other ex-militants from the Niger Delta, an act largely criticised across the country.
“President Jonathan’s hands are soiled by the blood of my daughter by his promoting ethnic militias groups, which rubbished our established security system and allow armed thugs and touts to go after pipeline vandals in a high density civilian area in an unorganized manner.
He has, by this, shown that he has lost confidence in the Nigerian security system,” the aggrieved father continued.
“Jonathan’s actions and inactions have directly led to the death of Mrs. Oluwadimilola Fajana and many other innocent Nigerians who were lawful and obedient people going about their lawful businesses.
“My take on this is that President Jonathan has openly displayed an undying hunger for political powers but pretending to be meek and humble, but thank God that Nigerians have not failed in seeing this by voting him out in last month’s presidential election.”
He went pleaded with President-elect Muhammadu Buhari to undo the contract Jonathan made with the ethnic militia group.
“It is my hope that the incoming General Buhari administration will revoke this obnoxious and misplaced pipeline contract, and restore peace and normalcy back to Arepo and its environment.
“This can only be done by returning the Nigerian security agencies back to the area. This will stop the current bloodletting and unnecessary blood shedding of innocent Nigerians, just because a desperate man like Dr Jonathan wants to win elections.
“By this, the death of my pregnant daughter Mrs. Damilola Fajana Née Ojo, my unborn grandchild, and that of others will not go unsung.”
He called on the Ogun state government to probe his daughter’s death, and prayed that the president gets paid in his own coin. “It is my hope also that the Ogun state government, will institute a probe panel into this notorious and inhuman killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians resident in Ogun state all in the name of protecting petrol pipe lines.
“As for Dr Jonathan, I will not curse but will not also pray but all I will say is that God will judge him accordingly if his decision of arming ethnic militias has done more harm to the Nigerian people than good.
And to his co-travellers in the business of looting and killing Nigerians in the name of protecting pipelines, may peace and harmony be strangers in their homes just like they did to my home over the avoidable killing of my meek and promising daughter whose light they extinguished in her prime.
“May the good Lord grant Barrister Damilola Adebimpe Fajana Née Ojo and other innocent Nigerians who were victims of President Jonathan and his OPC killer contractors eternal rest and our families the fortitude to bear the loss.”
