Do or Die Politics claims Another Victim

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)
says the only explanation for
today’s assassination of Comrade
Olaitan Oyerinde, its Deputy
General Secretary, is an attempt to
emotionally and psychologically
weaken Governor Adams
Oshiomhole in his quest for re-
election.
Mr. Oyerinde, a member of the executive council of NLC who
was on leave of absence as the
Principal Private Secretary to
Governor Oshiomhole was
reported to have been shot in front of his wife and children at point
blank range by assassins who
ascertained his identity before
committing the act.

The political situation in
Edo State and the country at large, is a statement of do-or-
die politics as a strategy to
intimidate, assassinate and create a
siege mentality in a desperate
attempt to take over political power. Since the return of democracy in 1999, many high profile politically motivated killings have occurred most of which still remains unresolved. The murder of Comrade ‘Laitan Oyerinde, is
another manifestation of the recent
alarm that there is an orchestrated
plot to cause violence through
killing of certain political officers.Before Oyerinde was killed in the
early hours of today, the state’s
Commissioner for Information and
Orientation, Mr. Louis Odion, had
raised the alarm of a threat by PDP
chieftain, Tony Anenih, to deal with
him. And barely a week after the
orchestrated “accident” in the
convoy of Governor Oshiomhole, his
Special Adviser was killed in this
brutal manner.
Oyerinde, 44, was shot dead by four
gunmen who invaded his house
located in Ugbor area, Benin City
around 1 a.m.
Shortly after they stormed the
compound, they bounded the
security guard while two of them
forced their way through the front
door and made straight for his
bedroom.
On recognizing that it was Mr.
Oyerinde’s brother-in-law who was
actually sleeping on the bed, they
immediately left him and went for
the wife, Funke, asking her to lead
them to the husband who, unknown
to them, was sleeping in the living
room.
On sighting him, they instantly fired
four shots, one to the head, chest,
abdomen and hip, killing Oyerinde
instantly. The gunmen later fled
without taking anything from the
house.
Oyerinde who read Mass
Communication at the University of
Lagos, was seconded from the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to
work for the comrade governor in
November 2007. He is survived by
his wife, Funke, four children and an
aged mother. Nigerians await the outcome of investigations on the crime hoping that it will not go the way of past politically motivated killings that occurred since 1999.