Suspect in Funsho Williams’ murder saga begs court to order re-investigation of case

Eliezer “Elie” Wiesel, a Jewish-American professor and political activist, once said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.”

But for Bashir Junaid, an attendant at the Matori Cemetery in Mushin, Lagos, and loyalist to former governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his attempt to protest in the face of perceived injustice has resulted in alleged death threats and attempts on his life.

In a 48-paragragh statement of claim in support of a suit he recently filed at the Federal High Court, Lagos, Junaid, who was detained and later released during the trial of the murder case of late Engr. Funsho Williams, frontline People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Lagos State in 2006, is alleging that a couple of the defendants in the said suit are after his life and had “at various times threatened to do away with me and my family if I did not desist from making any claims against them, over my illegal detention and dehumanisation by the police during my travails over the murder of Engr. Funsho Williams.”

According to Junaid, during the time of his detention, these individuals had been responsible for his upkeep and that of his wife and children, including the payment of his house rent. He claimed that upon his release, they met with him to debrief him and praised him for his efforts and loyalty in remaining firm in the face of harrowing deprivations, thereby averting the opprobrium and scandal that their being arraigned in the trial of the murder case of Engr. Williams would have occasioned, with a promise of adequate compensation by the government.

He was then given “some hand-outs for about two (2) months” after his release, but soon after this, his slot at the Matori Cemetery, Mushin, was handed over to another party stalwart in Mushin Local Government Chapter of ACN and he was left high and dry.

Junaid had recently gone to the Federal High Court in Lagos urging it to make an order of Mandamus directing the Inspector General of Police to re-open investigations into the murder of Engr. Funsho Williams, citing members of ‘Team Lagos’ killer squad as suspects due for arrest and interrogation.

The suit NO: FHC/L/CS/1371/14 due to be heard before Justice R. N. Ofili-Ajumogobia on March 19 has 11 co-defendants, including the Inspector-General of Police (1st defendant), Commissioner of Police, Lagos State (2nd defendant), Sunday Ehindero, former IGP and IPO of Funsh