Lagos — Fooremost legal practitioner, Chief Gani Fawehinmi (SAN) yesterday called for the re-opening of investigations into the murder of former Editor-in-Chief of Newswatch magazine, late Dele Giwa and other prominent Nigerians assasinated from 1986 to date.

This followed President Umaru Yar'Adua's recent order to the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro to re-open cases of assasinations concerning prominent Nigerians.

In the same vein, the Action Congress (AC) has commended President Yar'Adua for ordering the Inspector General of Police to re-open investigations into the spate of assasinations that gripped the nation in the past 21 years.

Prominent Nigerians that fell to the assasins' bullets within the period under review include late Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bola Ige, former Vice Chairman, South South of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Aminosokari Dikibo and his predecessor, Chief Harry Marshal.

Others include the Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate in Lagos in 2003 general elections, Chief Funsho Williams and Editorial Board Chairman of THISDAY Newspaper, Mr Godwin Agbroko among others.

A statement issued yesterday by the Gani Fawehinmi Chambers restated its earlier call during the 21st Anniversary of the murder of Dele Giwa for the Federal Government to re-open investigations into the assasination of the late journalist and other prominent Nigerians.

The statement chronicled events and circumstances leading to Giwa's assasination, the alleged involvement of General Ibrahim Babangida led military administration and the eventual uncoperative attitude of key characters under the said administration to make statements to the police as well as the presentation of the matter to the Oputa panel.

"In view of the recommendation of the Oputa panel stated above and the signed statement of the police investigator, Alhaji Abubakar Tsav, the former Commissioner of Police, the matter is still alive. There is no time restraint or time bar for murder cases. However long the culprits can still be brought to book. General Ibrahim Babangida today has no immunity and he is alive," it said.

It therefore urged the Yar'Adua administration that "unless this is done, the rule of law will be meaningless because the right to life is the most important fundamental right of every citizen. To take away life by assasination is the most fundamental assault on the rule of law. And unless this is done, all the spate of assasinations which came after the murder of Dele Giwa may never be solved", it said.

It listed such other murders as that of Pa Alfred Rewane, Alhaji Kudirat Abiola, Alhaja Suliat Adedeji, Sunday Ugwu, Chief Layi Balogun and Odunayo Olagbaju.

Others include Chief Bola Ige, Ade Awonusi, Jane Olapade, Alhaji Ahmed Pategi, Victor Nwankwo, Barnabas and Abigail Igwe, Professor Chimere Ikoku, Dele Arojo, Chief Ogbonnaya Uche and Theodore Agwatu among others.

In a statement issued in Abuja Monday by AC's National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the directive shows courage on the part of the President and will definitely help to move the c ountry forward by healing old w ounds. It expressed the hope that the IG would move s wiftly and would leave no stone unturned to unravel the murders, even if it means bringing back some top officers, who were suspiciously retired for g etting close to the truth on some of the killings, to a ssist in the investigations. "It has always been our stand in the AC that most of those killings, especially those involving Chief Bola Ige, Aminosari Dikibo, Marshal Harry and Funso Williams, were political, and that such killings won't stop until they are resolved", it said.

"In fact, we believe the inability of the law enforcement agencies to resolve any of the murders has fuelled more killings by emboldening the perpetrators that they can always get away with their nefarious acts. "While unmasking the killers will not bring back the dead, it will offer some consolation to the fa milies of the deceased and put some sort of closure to t he circumstances surrounding the death of their loved ones," AC said. It maintained that "It will also send a clear message to all concerned that no matter how highly placed, no one can get away with murder, the party said. "In carrying out fresh investigations into the killings, we expect a more professional job from the police than the shoddy handling that characterised past investigations, during which lunatics and other phoney characters were paraded as killers of some of the personalities," AC said.