Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
02ABUJA156
2002-01-18 16:21:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Abuja
Cable title:  

NIGERIA: POLICE STRUGGLE TO SOLVE IGE MURDER

Tags:  KCRM PGOV SNAR NI 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000156 

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2012
TAGS: KCRM PGOV SNAR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: POLICE STRUGGLE TO SOLVE IGE MURDER


REF: LAGOS 0060



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 000156

SIPDIS


E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/18/2012
TAGS: KCRM PGOV SNAR NI
SUBJECT: NIGERIA: POLICE STRUGGLE TO SOLVE IGE MURDER


REF: LAGOS 0060




1.(U) Classified by Ambassador Howard F. Jeter for
reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).




2.(C/NF) Summary: There has been little progress in
solving the December 23 murder of Attorney General Bola
Ige. A frank meeting with the head of the police
investigation found a group of under-trained and ill-equipped
investigators struggling with a complex criminal
investigation. With political and public pressure inexorably
mounting, the police desperately seek USG assistance. End
summary.


3.(C/NF) RNLEO, LEGATT and Assistant LEGATT called on
Assistant Inspector General of Police Mrs. Ajimbola
Ojomo January 10 to discuss the ongoing investigation
into the December 23 assassination of Attorney General
Bola Ige. Ojomo, with whom the Embassy has a long-
standing and excellent working relationship, was
personally picked by President Obasanjo to lead the
investigation. She has moved her office from Abuja to
Lagos to be nearer to the murder scene and the location
of most suspects. The strain of several weeks of
continuous work showed in her tired composure.


4.(C/NF) The AIG summoned members of her hand-picked
investigative team to join in discussing the case
with the USG visitors. The ballistics expert confided
that unspent shotgun shells left at the crime scene were
not processed for latent fingerprints and were handled
by at least six police officials before being placed in
a paper envelope and marked as evidence. Similar
examples of poor collection and preservation of crime
scene evidence were evident, including the removal of
the body, the movement of a suitcase that the assailant
reportedly opened and searched, and the failure to take
fingerprints of the Attorney General to compare with
unknown fingerprints found at the crime scene. Mrs.
Ojomo candidly expressed disappointment in her team's
performance and noted that these deficiencies
highlighted the need for advanced training for CID
investigators - training that could be provided by the
USG, particularly the FBI, in evidence collection and
forensic analysis.




5.(C/NF) Ojomo shared the autopsy and ballistics report
with FBI agents and summarized the facts of the murder:

during the evening of December 23 Ige allowed all
members of his police security team to take a dinner
break, during which the assailants entered the Ige
compound unchallenged. The assailants entered the home,
found and forced household staff and Ige's grown
children and wife into a room, before killing Ige with a
single shotgun blast at near point-blank range. (Note:
Ige's son has told Poloff that the assailants had
threatened to slaughter all family members. End note)
Police investigators believe the assailants searched a
suitcase and some bedroom furniture before fleeing.
Possible drug- or organized crime-related motives for
the murder have been investigated and rejected, claimed
the AIG. She disclosed that she had specifically
investigated the possibility that two Nigerian drug
traffickers arrested in August with 60 kilograms of
cocaine - against whose bail the AG personally fought in
court - could have had a hand in the murder, but came up
blank.




6.(C/NF) The investigators stated that they have
interviewed all of those close to Ige, including members
of his security detail. Ojomo revealed that ongoing
interviews of potential suspects have focused attention
on one political associate of Ige's whose story is
inconsistent. This is their most promising suspect, she
claimed.




7.(C/NF) Ojomo called on the USG/FBI to provide
immediate technical assistance for the investigation, a
plea which has been echoed separately by people close to
the Ige family. She is particularly interested in the
aid of a FBI polygraph machine and polygrapher for
interviewing suspects. LEGATT explained to the
AIG that he is attempting to find USG funding for the
travel and expenses of a visiting FBI polygraph expert;
he hope to have some news in the near future.
Responding to a RNLEO query on the veracity of local
media reports that the ISRAELi government had formally
offered Mossad's assistance to the police investigation,
Ojomo claimed that she had heard of the press report but
that she had nothing to confirm it, though she said she
would welcome any and all outside assistance. (Note: in
a follow-up phone call January 18, Ojomo stated that she
never obtained confirmation of an ISRAELi offer. End note)




8.(C/NF) Comment: The police feel whip-sawed between
political pressure to produce a suspect and generating
a solid lead in their seemingly stalled case. Emboffs were
stunned by the poor quality of this high-profile police
investigation. Investigators failed to take the most
rudimentary steps to collect and preserve key evidence
and forensic specialists seem to have ignored basic
tests, such as the examination of unspent shotgun shells
and the lifting of fingerprints. These deficiencies were
underscored by an offer from Mrs. Ojomo herself to open
the envelope containing the gunmen's unspent shells and
give these to the FBI agents for examination in her
office (which would have further contaminated the
evidence). Post concurs with the LEGATT's opinion that,
absent a credible confession or outside assistance, the
Nigerian investigation will fail to identify the
assassin or his paymaster because of the lack of
preserved evidence and the weak investigative skills of
the police team.


9.(C/NF) Comment Cont'd: The police want to see this
investigation yield a successful prosecution and U.S.
assistance could assist greatly. Moreover, we believe that
support for the Nigerians could have long-term benefits for
the United States. We have already approached them once for
help
in tracking down the suspected movements in Nigeria of
one of the WTC terrorists. Their appreciation -- and
the skills they are able to absorb -- could be useful to
us when we next ask for assistance in the war against
terrorism. In 1992 or 1993, the GON rendered Egypt Air
hijacker Rezaq to U.S. custody after at least two other
countries through which Rezaq was passing declined. Post
would appreciate Department's assistance in securing from
outside sources the modest funding (about $10,000) needed to
provide FBI assistance to the Nigeria Police. We note that
similar FBI assistance has been offered in the recent past to
Ghana and Swaziland and that this technical assistance would
not involve FBI agents in an operational role.


JETER


Jeter