*Confession of General Diya that clears General Olanrewaju of blame
* Conversation with a retired Ordnance Officer
*Former PRODA DG, Edmund Kaine, begs President Buhari on Olanrewaju
* Conversation with Usman Umaru
*Family members also plead with Buhari
*Film producer, others also plead with Buhari to pardon Olanrewaju, others
*Pharmacist wants General Olanrewaju pardoned
*Grant Gen Olanrewaju state pardon as ‘remembrance gift to Animashaun family of Lagos’, Marwa’s ex-Commissioner begs Buhari
By Our Correspondents
“When I, again remember how General Adekunle the Scorpion was praised to high heaven when he died yet neglected during his life time, I will rather prefer to meet my LORD with pride of fighting for justice for General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, if that will be the only good work after worship of Allah and care for my family and parent I can be remembered for in life. #PardonGenOlanrewaju is a course!” – Bashir Adefaka
The Patriotic Friends of PMB, an independent group that for four years have stayed 24 hours daily on the social media countering enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari and defeating them at every front, has spoken on the new campaign ongoing at the instance of former Minister of Communications, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, late Lt. Col. Oluwole Akinyode and Col. Edwin Jando.
The campaign hashtag #PardonGenOlanrewaju was initiated by a Nigeria’s journalist and young media proprietor who is advocate of “Support Buhari without professional, religious or ethnic barrier”, Prince Bashir Adefaka on December 17, 2018 while celebrating President Muhammadu Buhari at 76.
Many of the Buhari’s supporters who saw the point he made on that day advised to rest it till they finished celebrating the President’s birthday on 17th while they commenced to plead with him to help intervene in the plight of the General and other officers unjustly treated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administrations of the past which, during the Goodluck Jonathan administration ended up pardoning even the convicted former governor who was not only guilty of stealing Nigeria’s money but also dented the image of the country in the eyes of the globe, pardoning Lt. General Oladipo Dipo who was clearly the leader of the fathomed coup of 1997 but left out General Olanrewaju, late Lt. Col. Oluwole Akinyode and Col. Edwin Jando, who in no record had their name appeared of partaking in any coup.
Prince Adefaka, as a journalist that has all along investigated the 1997 coup issue and what truly happened, is currently beefed that innocent officers would be allowed to die in condition of self-inflicted anger that they were persecuted unjustly after having given their best for the defence of the country for decades in particularly the case of General Olanrewaju.
From his submission, Col. Akinyode died from torture inflicted on him for refusing to tell what he never saw his boss, General Olanrewaju, did, just in a bid by those who dragged him into the coup allegation to find one incriminating point to hang him.
Despite failing to find such thing against the former General Officer Commanding (GOC), Third Armoured Division of the Nigerian Army, Jos, the Major General Victor Malu Military Tribunal still went ahead and convicted General Tajudeen Olanrewaju and others. He thus sentenced him among those implicated by Ishaiya Bamaiyi and Patrick Aziza, who knew what truly happened in the two major fathomed coup led by Olusegun Obasanjo and Co (1995) and another led by Oladipo Diya and Co (1997).
Prince Adefaka is now of the view that, “Nigeria would mean nothing to him anymore if General Olanrewaju would be watched to die without justice done to him and his military aides plunged into this prolonged problem without giving them state pardon, whereas Obasanjo and Diya, leaders of both coups are not only pardoned but have also enjoyed great national benefits up till today.”
On Tuesday December 18, Prince Bashir Adefaka activated #PardonGenOlanrewaju Campaign on his Facebook social media wall with a strong message calling on other Nigerians to support.
In launching the campaign, the Isolo Akure, Ondo State Prince said: “#PardonGenOlanrewaju Campaign Kicks Off… If you are Nigerian who has passion for justice… Come and be counted with this struggle to appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari…. THAT GENERAL OLANREWAJU BE PARDONED!”
In the last four days that the “Pardon General Tajudeen Olanrewaju Campaign” kicked off, over 100 Nigerians home and abroad at various social media groups’ platforms have thrown their weights behind the struggle and are begging President Muhammadu Buhari to “please be kind to the fine officer by pardoning him, his two aides left out by the Goodluck Jonathan PDP politics of selectivity”.
In one of his additional comments on his own wall to the #PardonGenOlanrewaju campaign, Prince Bashir Adefaka said, “
My heart is getting hurt that we generally are selective in justice. Until General Tajudeen Olanrewaju gets justice, I remain on same position! My heart will continue to bleed every time I remember how General Tajudeen Olanrewaju was unjustly put in the situation that we now ask President Buhari to revisit and seeing that not many people are interested in giving justice.
“When I, again remember how General Adekunle the Scorpion was praised to high heaven when he died yet neglected during his life time, I will rather prefer to meet my LORD with pride of fighting for justice for General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, if that will be the only good work after worship of Allah and care for my family and parent I can be remembered for in life. #PardonGenOlanrewaju is a course!”
He
called out to compatriots in the Buharism Struggle for better Nigeria: “I challenge all Buharists to plead with President Buhari to do this
to Yoruba Land to assuage strained nerves like he did to MKO Abiola, a man who
financed coup that ousted him out of power in 1985.
“Only a good heart man like Buhari can do this
Insha Allah and it is the reason I am leading the struggle that he should
do it to make us, who believe in justice and peace of Nigeria and success of
government and have fought his political enemies, to PARDON GENERAL TAJUDEEN OLANREWAJU
TO MAKE US PROUD!
“If General Olanrewaju does not get justice, whereas people who do not deserve justice but rather disgraced Nigeria got it on platter of gold, WHAT IT WILL MEAN TO US IS THAT NIGERIA OF OUR FATHER DOES NOT GIVE JUSTICE AND WE WILL REMAIN SO,” Prince Adefaka cried.
Confession of General Diya that clears General Olanrewaju of blame
The journalist opened untouched area:
I
remember General Oladipo Diya say at Olanrewaju’s 60th birthday “That I
decided to make Olanrewaju dance today for one major reason: If Abacha had
killed Olanrewaju, he would have died because of Diya. If Diya had died, he
would have died for Yoruba Land. This is because, I was the one that put
Olanrewaju in this problem when I went to him one night to say: Pamisile ma
pamisita (cover me up…I am planning a couple)… Olanrewaju had power to do
two things: get me and others together and kill us all or report me to Abacha.
It was a serious problem I put him”, Diya said to the face of “War
Monger” Gen Tunji Olurin, others who attended the event. I can’t remember
if Gen Raji Rasaki attended.
“I then went to investigate that statement and got to know,
and Gen Ishaiya Bamaiyi failed books also backs my position, that the only
predicament of Olanrewaju was that he was considering very important factors
and had made up his mind thereafter to go and tell his boss, Abacha who trusted
him so much, the very day Bamaiyi arrested him and his aides: Akinyode and
Jando.
The factors? “The rumour is already everywhere that
Abacha wanted to remove Diya from Second in Command and replace him with
Olanrewaju.” My source, who warned me seriously against revealing his
details, continued: “Olanrewaju had fallen between the devil and the deep
blue sea the very day Diya informed him of his coup. What bothered him were
that Yoruba who were already pro-Diya and anti-Abacha and had put Jakande and
Babatope in enmity for being Abacha ministers would now say a Yoruba officer
plot removal of another Yoruba officer to get to the office of Chief of General
Staff. This put Olanrewaju in bad situation that I was afraid he might rather
shoot himself that remaining alive to see that kindly of unexplainable
situation that ethnic nature might cause his many years of patriotic service in
the Army.
“I think that very evening he got out of it and was
making to go to Abacha when Bamaiyi and General Patrick Aziza did the plot that
led to his implication.
“Bamaiyi arrested Olanrewaju not because they have any
evidence against him. They only arrested him because they were already planning
that who takes over after Diya? They had already told Abacha that Diya was
plotting coup against him and Abacha had granted the directive to play along.
Yhey had no single evidence that Olanrewaju SAT or was involved for one
second.
“They arrested Olanrewaju to get him out of the way
because even Bamaiyi, who did the arrest of 1995 (Obasanjo and others including
Lawan Musa Gwadabe) and Diya and co of 1997, was intimidated that his best
friend (Olanrewaju) was loved by Abacha more than anyone else around his
Presidency and had got the inkling of him as possible Abacha’s choice to succeed
Diya. He would rather get rid of Olanrewaju to enable him emerge.
Bamaiyi however did not know what Olanrewaju was about to do
the day he pinned him down to Lagos and arrested him, using Patrick Aziza, in
the night.” He said.
My investigation further revealed: “It was because they
had no evidence against Olanrewaju that they tortured Akinyode, his Special
Assistant, until he died in prison.
And what they wanted to do was to force Akinyode to make
incriminating statements to seem like confession against his boss, which
Akinyode refused to do. To Akinyode, he would rather die alone than make his
boss a Major General die for what he knew nothing about. Akinyode’s arrest was
just based on that and for that the young, promising officer died!” Cries.
That was how my source stopped to talk.
I don’t know whether it is part of military discipline,
General Olanrewaju refused to talk to me when I bought to know his side of what
I knew through my source.
Now, as a journalist whose spirit does not rest at injustice,
it is this verifiable fact that has propelled my journalism for justice to
General Olanrewaju and others until Jonathan pardoned Diya, Alamieyeseigha and
left Olanrewaju out.
Prince Bashir Adefaka charged co-Buharists: “For this reason, I am calling on all of us to use the same huge commitment we used in securing justice for President Muhammadu Buhari against those whose politics is to destroy Nigeria and tag him as the destroyer to please make so many people and families happy by giving justice to General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd).”He said, promising to reveal further how the pardon that President Jonathan did for Diya Alamieyeseigha cam e about in later day.
In the meantime, an Ordnance Officer who claimed to be the soldier that distributed clothes to which the Generals and others were to change to, to them when they were brought to Jos in 1997, came to join in the Prince Bashir Adefaka-led #PardonGenOlanrewaju campaign wondering that they have not been pardoned after the issue had been laid to rest with Diya, Adisa and others’ pardon.
Conversation with a retired Ordnance Officer
The conversation went on as follows:
Name withheld: Prince Bashir Adefaka, Is it about the coup that involved Gen Adisa and co? So they have not been pardon?”
Prince Bashir Adefaka Name withheld: Yes Sir. Obasanjo, who himself was involved earlier, was pardoned by Abdulsalami but failed to pardon others when he go to power. Jonathan when he got there pardoned even Diya and Alayemeiseigha the corruption convict but let him.
Name withheld: Prince Bashir Adefaka . I was in Jos when they brought them for detention then,I was the one that even distributed the dresss they were asked to change to as an ordnance soldier from 3BODJ then. Since he is still alive a course has just begin for his pardon and we shall also put it in prayers.
Prince Bashir Adefaka Name withheld: Thank you very much Sir. So you are an Ordnance Officer?
Name withheld: Yes. Now retired
Prince Bashir Adefaka Name withheld: Great to know Sir. Will love to know you more deeply.
Name withheld: Prince Bashir Adefaka . OK will discuss with all friends on Facebook as well so that we start doing something about it.
Prince Bashir Adefaka Name withheld: And Allah will accept it from us all as act of Ibadah for standing against injustice.
Former PRODA DG speaks
Former Director General of PRODA, a parastatal of Nigeria’s Minister of Science and Technology, Engr. Edmund Kaine, has also joined in the campaign for #PardonGenOlanrewaju saying: “Technically speaking, all couples attempts against a military Government that came in by coup are not treasonous.”
Kaine spoke even as Olayinka Idris Adeyemi begged President Buhari saying, “Baba pardon Olanrewaju, you have all it take to do that sir!”
Sharaphdyn Abdulyekeen Olatunji also appealed to President Buhari: “Please our able PMB as we know you with true leader you should please sir forgive GEN.TAJUDEEN OLANREWAJU for Allah sake,you have the power to do it sir,sir make it a very important gift to all of us who believe in you for the new year gift sir.may reward you with ALJANA sir.aminaa.”
Hammed Aronde to President Buhari: “Please Baba Buhari , you have power to pardon this man. Help us to pardon him may Almighty Allah forgive your own sin.”
Olanrewaju is free – Fuad Oki; Yes, but not pardoned – Adefaka
Responding to Lolade Aka-Orinsunmibare, a member of I Am A Buharist Group on social media, who said he was told by Fuad Suleiman Oki that General Olanrewaju is freed, Prince Bashir Adefaka made clarifications:
“Lolade Aka-Orisunmibare : Yes. The point we are making is PARDON. I
don’t know which Fuad Oki you are talking about. Is he the young Lagos
politician?
“All officers including of Obasanjo group were set free by
Abdulsalami when Abacha died and their ranks restored reason we can call them
by their ranks. But Abdulsalami made it clear to Obasanjo that he would be the
one to give them pardon since he was in a hurry to go back to the Barack or
retirement.
“Obasanjo was so wicked he didn’t do it because he was
believing that Diya was dating his wife Stella while he was in prison. So,
because of sin of Diya, Obasanjo PUNISHED all others.
“Lolade, Jonathan that Obasanjo brought to power, when because
of a Bola Ajibola interview I did and explosively published in Vanguard he
decided to do pardon, he only pardoned Diya and his Alamieyeseigha for self
reason. If you can talk to me on phone, I will tell you more.
“I got many of them on tape for long before I deleted them.
Bolanle Gbonigi that we thought as Bishop would do well, played religious bias,
worked for Diya pardon and left Olanrewaju another Yoruba General. Chief Bode
George, from how he sounded in my interview with him, made it clear to me that
Olanrewaju’s problem was product of envy among PDP politicians who were afraid
his popularity would overshadow theirs if pardoned. Will tell you more.”Prince
Adefaka said and concluded: “ Now, for all I have told
you, I SWEAR TO THE ALMIGHTY ALLAH THAT THEY ARE THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE
TRUTH.”
He added”“If you see me today with some show of grey hairs, it is for no other reason but for the loads of investigative work I have done at 40. This is one of them. ALL brain. Tasking and very highly exhausting.
“So, if I must now die, this fight is worth dying for. Let us beg Baba Buhari to PARDON General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd) per adventure we will live long again.”
Rotimi Adedayo said: “100% concurrence. Well done Bashir!”
Conversation with Usman Umaru
Usman Umaru good morning Bashir, please what happened to the general. What did he do? Nothing is unpardonable. Thanks.
Prince Bashir Adefaka Usman Umaru : Thank you Sir. Go through the following reposts and you will have idea (Confession of General Diya that clears General Olanrewaju of blame and Fuad Oki refers).
Family members also pleads with Buhari
Balogun Lateef Ayinde: Prince,
thanks you for this great effort. May Allah crown your efforts with success.
Gen. Olanrewaju was my maternal uncle, the family had held series of meetings
to get him pardoned by past governments for an offence he knew nothing
about.
I believe the prayer and the efforts of good people like you
toward this course is about to be answered and crowned.
Prince Bashir Adefaka Balogun Lateef Ayinde : Thank you Sir. Just continue to pray for us to succeed. My dog that has resorted to barking has a reason.
Soji Fashina Prince Bashir you are on point. I totally agreed with you that Gen. Olanrewaju should be pardon by our President, M. Buhari.
Film producer, others beg President
Bolaji Bello Ora: He will be pardoned by the grace of almighty Allah. You’re a Wonderful Man. You’ve done your best and I pray that those in authority will look into his case as soon as possible.
Ibrahim Baba Muhammed: inshaa Allah!
Moshood Ajibola: While i would not want to go memory lane I believe I am indebted to support this aspiration. Mr. President, President Mohammadu Buhari please pardon our general Olanrewaju for the sake of his loved ones and those who desire better Nigeria. May God forgive all of us. Amin.
Alhaji Lateef Jaji: “We will continue to pray for this pardon. Buhari has done it before and he can still do this for us all.”
Pharmacist wants General Olanrewaju pardoned
Jibreel Adebayo Olaniran: Almighty God that pardoned every repentant Soul is still on the
throne , never slumber nor sleep.
He will pardon General Tajudeen Olanrewaju using President
Muhammad Buhari.
I hope all the Stakeholders that will do the needful,by
communicating same plea to the President for appropriate actions are online
reading the submissions here.
Grant Gen Olanrewaju state pardon as ‘remembrance gift to Animashaun family of Lagos’, Mar’wa ex-Commissioner begs Buhari, as Journalist kicks off #PardonGenOlanrewaju Campaign
Among those who have begged the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, is General Tajudeen Olanrewaju younger brother and former Commissioner for Agriculture in Lagos State, Dr. Mufutau Animasahaun.
He urged the President to “for the sake of Almighty Allah and signicance of the fact that December 17 that is your 76th birth anniversary is also death anniversary of our father” revisit the Diya and co issue of 1997 with a view to forgiving, pardoning and releasing all benefits and entitlements of one of his successors as General Officer Commanding (GOC) Third Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army Jos, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, who the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan left out in his selective pardon.
Making this appeal on Monday December 17 in reaction to a publication in The DEFENDER and a Facebook post by a passionately concerned journalist, Prince Bashir Adefaka, was younger brother of former Minister of Communications Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd) and former Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture during the administration of Brigadier General Muhammed Buba Marwa, Dr. Mufutau Animashaun.
The DEFENDER during the last few days had published and recapped the cries for mercy by Ruth, widow of late Col. Akinyode, who died 20 years ago in prison due to torture, urging the President to show mercy and pardon the officers Jonathan left out of his pardon gesture, who include General Olanrewaju, Col. Edwin Jando and her late husband, Lt. Col. Olu Akinyode.
The former Commissioner in a message to The DEFENDER on Monday appealed to the President to seize the significance of “December 17” to both his and the Animashuan family of Lagos where General Tajudeen Olanrewaju’s father, Alhaji Abdul Yekin Afolabi Olanrewaju Animashaun, who died on December 17, 1996 belonged, to pardon his elder brother and assuage strained nerves by so doing.
If President Buhari can grant this appeal, Dr. Animashaun said, it will be treated as “remembrance gift” by the Lagos largest family.
Dr. Animashaun said: “Congratulations to our President Muhammadu Buhari, who is 76 years old today. May Allah (SWT) give him long life and good health to finish the good work he has started in Nigeria for the progress of the country.
“Today is the 22nd anniversary of the death of my father Alhaji Abdul Yekin Afolabi Olanrewaju Animashaun 17/12/96.
“I’m using this unique incident to appeal to the President Buhari to grant Maj Gen Tajudeen Olanrewaju a state pardon as a remembrance gift to the family of the Animashaun of Lagos God bless you Sir as you do so,” the former Commissioner appealed.
In his own appeal, the journalist, Prince Adefaka, who has been an advocate of inclusive participation of all Nigerians in Buharism for better Nigeria without professional, ethnic and ethnic barriers, said the administration of Goodluck Jonathan Jonathan caused some bad feelings when he pardoned those who had at all times confessed to be the architects of the fathomed coup of 1997 and even a former governor convicted on corruption related crimes thereby putting Nigeria image on the line, but left General Olanrewaju, who by all records did not sit down with any coupist, in the cold.
To the journalist, President Muhammadu Buhari would make him happy by revisiting the General Olanrewaju’s issue and pardon him as well as restoring his benefits and entitlements like the main leader of the 1997 fathomed coup, Lt. Gen. Oladipo Diya is already enjoying.
In an emotion-laden Facebook about General Olanrewaju, Prince Bashir Adefaka, who currently is a media consultant and emerging Nigeria’s young proprietor, gave brief description of the man he wanted President Buhari pardon.
“He is one of our fathers, man of integrity; a Nigeria’s fine Major General, Tajudeen Adeniyi Olanrewaju, who had commanded in the service as Corp Commander Artillery, General Officer Commanding (GOC), Third Armoured Division Nigerian Army, Jos, which was also commanded by President Muhammadu Buhari far earlier, Brigade Commander in Akure and Air Defence Commanding Officer also in old Ondo State, Member Nigeria’s Military High Command and Provisional Ruling Council (PRC), Minister of Communications, a Chairman of States Boundaries/Assets Sharing Committee proportionally dividing assets between Abia, Imo, Anambra and Enugu states. General Olanrewaju had the best report so far on achieving a successful oil sector and its security as Chairman Presidential Review Committee on General Abisoye Report and will continue to be remembered as the man who, under Abacha, liberated Nigerians from the grip of NITEL by his deregulation of the Telecommunications sector licensing wireless phones with GSM about yo launch when Ishaiya Bamaiyi and Allah knows them all implicated him in a Diya coup he had no hand in and was arrested.”
“PDP 16 years government could only pardon thieves and even Diya and late Adisa who had hands in it but left innocent Lagos son of the Animashaun lineage, who is as intelligent and integrity-based despite all attempts by Obasanjo administration to find a single thievery in his past but failed, in the cold.
“That is the fine officer, now 72, that we are asking President Muhammadu Buhari to help us to pardon and pay his entitlements. Diya has soldiers now guarding him and smiles to banks with his pension from the Army.
“General Olanrewaju, as Lt. Col. was Acting Military Governor of Old Ondo State who stopped rascality among Ilawe peoole of Ekiti during the time of Navy Captain Bode George and I was in JSS3 in Anglican Grammar School Iju Itaogbolu, Akure then.
“I CALL ON ALL BUHARISTS like Zara Gift Onyinye, Femi Adesina, Garba Shehu, Liberty Badmus, Dr. Emman Shehu, Lateef Olawumi, Hammed A. B Eleyele, Fowowe Titilopemi, Moyosore Oyetunji, Lawal Garba, Yusuf Shehu Usman, Yusuf U Ajeka, Yusuf Ilemobola AbdlHakeem, Suleiman Haruna, Martins Kunle, Ibrahim Ibrahim Babajide Obanikoro, etc TO JOIN ME IN BEGGING PRESIDENT BUHARI TO FOR ALLAH’S SAKE MAKE ME HAPPY BY FRGIVING, FORGETTING AND PARDONING MY “FATHER” MAJOR GENERAL TAJUDEEN OLANREWAJU AND GET ALL HIS ENTITLEMENTS AND SALARIES RESTORED,” he said.
